-Matt Cox
Key Returners: Grant Golden, Jacob Gilyard, Blake Francis, Nick Sherod, Nathan Cayo, Andre Gustavson
Key Losses: None
Key Newcomers: Connor Crabtree (Tulane), Andre Weir, Isaiah Wilson, Djimon Bailey
Lineup:
Outlook: Chris Mooney just can’t catch a break. In a typical season, Richmond would’ve been the toast of the A-10. The year he finally silences his irrational critics, not only is his regular season performance drowned out by Dayton’s dominance, but his postseason dreams are shattered by a freakin’ global pandemic.
Alas, a silver lining remains: Mooney gets a do-over with the exact same squadron. Richmond’s starting five will be reserved for seniors only, three of whom will embark on their redshirt bonus year lap. There won’t be an older or more experienced team in the nation than these Spiders. This wise group of critical thinkers carry a collective basketball IQ in the 140s, an intellectual requirement to operate in Mooney’s intricate offense…
The positional foundation of the Spiders’ offensive attack is straightforward: two guards, two forwards and one center. Mooney wouldn’t chastise you for calling this a four-guard lineup, which is what the 4-out, 1-in structure looks like, but there’s a reason he distinguishes these positions into two labels. The two ‘pure guards’ are the copilots of the offense, primarily responsible for initiating the multi-read action sequences at the onset of each possession. Mooney fills these two slots with a pair of All-Conference guards, Jacob Gilyard (the playmaker) and Blake Francis (the shot-maker).
Don’t let the nomenclature of ‘forward’ fool you. Nick Sherod and Nathan Cayo are too fluid and too skilled to be slapped with that constrictive label. They often set up shop near the baseline corner, giving Gilyard and Francis ample space to operate at the top of the key. Sherod and Cayo are vastly different scorers – Cayo is a rim seeking slasher, while Sherod is a silky-smooth shooter – but are both adept at handling and passing, two mandatory qualifications to play in this system.
To tie it all together, Mooney leans on a one-of-a-kind center, Grant Golden. Golden’s ability to dribble and dish like a guard unlocks an offensive dimension few teams can replicate. Richmond’s offense frequently begins with a Golden post touch, which in turn incepts a myriad of subsequent cut-and-fill actions – from a football lens, think of each possession as having many different ‘read options’ packed into one play. An indirect benefit of the constant off-ball movement is the way it distracts off-ball defenders, which inhibits the defenses’ ability to collapse on Golden in the paint. Golden, a sound handler at 6’10, preys on this added floor acreage to either slither his way into the lane and / or back his man down to the block. Few bigs possess the size and lateral mobility to keep Golden away from those dangerous areas on the floor. A hefty chunk of Richmond’s baskets are generated from Golden exploiting this space and taking his man 1-on-1 or hitting a cutter darting to the rim.
This is the beauty of Richmond’s offense. Even with the upgraded individual weaponry on the perimeter, the Spiders only veer outside the system when they have to. This system is what produces countless easy lay-ups off cuts and dishes, which is both a reliable and efficient source of offense. In other words, the surgical execution generates ‘freebie’ buckets many other offenses can’t replicate.
For Mooney, this isn’t anything new. His offenses have always run on a systematic chassis. The difference now is that the offensive engine is powered by two combustible pistons, Gilyard and Francis, who can make something out of nothing as a last resort. This recent talent boon has added another layer to Mooney’s already delectable offense, which is augmented by a sturdy bench mob (Andre Gustavson, Tyler Burton and Tulane import Connor Crabtree are the notables).
Let’s quickly check the “address defense” box in my preview to-do list. The Spiders held claim to the best defense in the A-10 last year, surrendering just 0.93 points per possession in conference games. This side of the ball has always been Mooney’s Achilles Heel, but that stigma did an about face last year. As discussed in depth by my colleague Jim last year, Mooney decided to scrap the fragile zone he’s leaned on so heavily in the past - lo and behold, the Spiders finally started to get stops.
Bottom Line: Typically, I proceed with caution when projecting veteran-laden teams riding high off banner seasons. There’s often diminishing rates of improvement for players maturing from juniors to seniors, relative to the freshman to sophomore trampoline jump. However, Richmond is a different animal. In this complex system, continuity is king. In such a highly nuanced offense, habits and instincts take time to develop, which places a premium on players who’ve had a year or two living and breathing in this environment. The Francis, Gilyard, Golden, Cayo and Sherod nucleus represents five multi-year members of the Richmond program, and they have developed an innate comfort level with each other in this offense.
All of that points to another stellar season for the Spiders, with a relatively low risk of regression to the program’s mean. Richmond was knocking on the door of an at-large berth before COVID-19 ruined everything, so bet on the Spiders to crawl right back into at-large contention in 2021 as the prevailing favorite in a loaded A-10 field.