Welcome to the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Tipoff for the 2022-23 season. This afternoon, we feature the Richmond Spiders.
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A special for atlantic10.com, by Zac Weiss (@ZacharyMWeiss)
The Richmond Spiders enter the 2022-23 campaign projected as an eighth-place finisher, per the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll, after seeing approximately 43 percent of its scoring and 45 percent of its three-point baskets depart the program.
UR head coach Aaron Roussell concedes that the team returning to campus is a young, yet experienced bunch. Graduate transfer Emilia Krista Grava along with senior Angel Burgos serve as the lone four-year players on the roster, but plenty of their fellow returners have seen countless minutes and the hardwood along with a good number of starts.
“At the same point, we have the uniqueness that we have a lot of experience and three starters from that junior class,” Roussell said. “We haven’t dipped into that transfer portal a whole lot but I do think [Krista Grava] is going to give us a lot, mainly from experience as she’s a highly decorated player on our roster, maybe our most decorated in a weird way.”
Roussell went on to state that Grava, an All-NEC First Team selection for three consecutive seasons, has the ability to score consistently, rebound well and has thus far proven herself to be a welcome addition.
Notably, Grava's 6.0 rebounds a game are a desired component for a Richmond squad which finished -1.5 on the boards a season ago.
“What killed us was the rebounding, and that’s something we’ve really addressed,” Roussell continued. “Some of it was conditioning, time in the weight room, in practice to make sure It’s at the top of our minds. The height at wing will help us. If they want to get to the level of play to [compete in the league], we have to be a top rebounding team.”
Addie Budnik (13.6 ppg/5.9 rebs/49.8 pct. FG/77 blocks) serves as the top returning player for the Spiders and has earned the respect of coaches across the conference, a fact evidenced by her Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team recognition.
In two seasons with the program, Budnik has amassed 77 blocks and projects to surpass 1,000 career points.
Another key piece returning to this team is Grace Townsend (10.4 ppg/5.1 rebs/158 assts/44.7 pct. FG). Her rebounding as the team’s point guard was valued last season, and that experience and physicality should continue into the 2022-23 campaign.
Spinning things forward, she has worked hard on getting on the same page as the coaching staff and finding more efficiency on the court.
Siobhan Ryan (8.4 ppg/42.1 pct. FG) took a big jump between her freshman season and year two, during which she saw increases in every major statistic.
Both Kate Hill (3.2 ppg/42.3 pct. FG) and Cayla Williams (3.0 ppg/42.5 pct. FG/15 starts) averaged double-digit minute totals a season ago and are slated to take on a similar role this season as well.
The pair is joined by another duo of returners in Sydney Boone and Kylie Lewandowski, who both showed flashes of potential a year ago. They were also depended on in stretches during the 2021-22 campaign.
In addition to Grava, Richmond welcomes in a quartet of freshman that Roussell believes offer immediately credibility to his program.
“They’re big and they’re long,” the fourth-year head coach noted. “That’s something we really like about this team and the length across the board and interchangeability with a lot of spots. Outside of our three point guards, everyone else is over six feet. They have diverse skillsets, and can all shoot the basketball and score at all three levels. The length will help our defense.”
Among the four, Maggie Doogan has impressed the coaching staff, as has Rachel Ullstrom. Richmond also brings in Jada Green as well as Torin Rogers; all four will see the floor this season.
“With our newcomers and length, we can push each other in practice even more,” Budnik offered. “This past summer, we spent more time here in the weight room and getting bigger, faster and stronger, which has already shown in practice. This will help us compete better on the boards and I think that will show come game time.“
As Roussell reflects on what to expect in the coming season, he believes there is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm built for both the present and future of this program.
“We didn’t bring these guys to settle in for the future,” he remarked. “From an expectation standpoint, you want to get to the point where you are competing for championships every year. It’s just improving every day and winning the next game. I think if we do this well and stay healthy, we should be in a really good spot come February and March.”