Two seasons removed from its improbable run to the Sweet 16, University of Richmond men's basketball may be more ready to return to national prominence than many pundits think, if a few pieces fall into place. With last season being a clear rebuilding year for the Spiders, they return three starters and several key reserves from their 16-17 campaign in 2011-12.
Former Richmond men's basketball players, Ryan Butler and Peter Thomas, are using their experience playing for coach Chris Mooney helps them relate to current players, Thomas said. Thomas played for Richmond from 2003 to 2007, and he was a junior when Butler came in as a freshman in 2005.
At Saturday's homecoming game against Rhode Island, sophomore quarterback Michael Strauss threw for almost 200 yards and two touchdowns, and former senior starting quarterback John Laub sat on the sidelines taking mental notes of Strauss' performance. Critiquing Strauss' plays is one of the ways Laub, who suffered a broken ankle at the New Hamphshire game, has adapted to his role as team captain from the bench, he said. Laub suffered a broken ankle after a defensive lineman landed on him, he said.
Keith Gill, the University of Richmond's newly appointed athletic director, emphasized a strong commitment to both athletics and academics when he was formally introduced at a press conference held Nov.
When the men's basketball team opens its first home game of the season against Liberty on Nov. 9, many eyes will be on senior Darien Brothers, who is the only remaining starter from the 2010-11 team that advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division I tournament. Brothers, now one of three seniors on the team, shared the court with four other starters who graduated at the end of that year in which the Spiders also won the Atlantic 10 Conference championship. Fresh off the pinnacle of victory, Brothers said that he had put too much pressure on himself going into the 2011-12 season.
Richmond shutout Rhode Island on Homecoming Weekend, 39-0. The win moved the Spiders record to 6-3 overall, and 4-2 in conference play. Contact photographer Jon Patteson at jon.patteson@richmond.edu
The Richmond men's soccer program played its final game on Friday, as it was announced earlier this year that it would be cut, along with men's track and field, in favor of adding a men's lacrosse program.
It definitely isn't real yet, Zac Brown, a goalkeeper for the men's varsity soccer team said at the last soccer game for the university. "Even though the university completely turned its back on us, I just can't imagine this having been the last game for Spider soccer," he said. The bleachers were painted red and white by the scarves worn by many fans in the stands that were distributed by the alumni that are spearheading the ''Carry The Flag'' coalition.
Shutting out its opponent for the first time since 2009, Richmond's defense answered the challenge of coach Danny Rocco on Homecoming. "I'm very honest in speaking with my student athletes," Rocco said.
Final Score: University of Richmond- 39, University of Rhode Island- 0 What Happened: After a slow first quarter in which neither team scored, Richmond exploded in the second and third quarters for 36 unanswered point, 23 of which came in the the third.
4th Quarter, 0:00- URI doesn't drag the game out, running down the clock. Final Score: UR- 39, URI- 0. 4th Quarter, 1:16- Richmond burns some clock with a few runs, but it forced to punt again.
Dan Chemotti, former assistant coach of the University of Loyola Maryland men's lacrosse team, the 2012 Division I National Champion, was named the head coach of the University of Richmond men's lacrosse team on Monday. "It was a great feeling," Chemotti said about becoming a head coach.
Storylines: 1) Avoiding a let down- Coming off its big victory over then No.
The press conference hosted by University of Richmond soccer alumni on Friday presented a question of right and wrong, said men's soccer coach Leigh Cowlishaw. Maybe the answer will not be reinstating soccer and track, but the decision certainly needs to be scrutinized with all the facts presented, he said. Soccer alumnus Scott Byrnes, '91, led off his speech by acknowledging that people might have seen the amount of work that has gone into fighting the decision to cut the men's soccer and men's track and field teams as overkill.
Computer dying so I'll end this now. Thanks for joining me, I'll provide a quick recap soon with any new information that may come. "You can put new people in their slots," Byrnes says in response to a comment about President Ayers and other board members. Byrnes answers my question about the Washington Post article released yesterday, saying it didn't include all the information he had hoped it would. "We're not gonna stop," Byrnes answers to a question from RTD. Byrnes now taking questions with two other soccer alumni, one of which is Jim Brady, '85. Byrnes finishes his speech, to a standing ovation, by pulling out a Richmond flag and saying, "Carry the Flag, boys." "I ask you to withhold your donations to the University of Richmond until the Board of Trustees makes this right." Byrnes now asking the board to reinstate the soccer and track programs as soon as possible. "You had an organized group of soccer alumni banging on your door to help, and you ignored us," Byrnes says, in spirit to Ayers. Byrnes says that if the soccer alumni had any idea the program was in jeopardy, they would've brought their arguments straight to the Board of Trustees before the decision was finalized, and the "lacrosse inner circle" couldn't afford that to happen. Major Donor refused to engage with soccer alumni because "it would be inappropriate" because he is a member of the Board of Trustees, Byrnes said. "Eliminating a men's sport will not be an option," Byrnes says, quoting an email about a conversation another soccer alumni had with VP of advancement Tom Gutenberger last summer. Neither Ayers or Miller here right now I don't believe.
The alumni of the recently cut Richmond men's soccer and track and field teams have continued their strategic planning efforts, with large parts of those efforts culminating right before Homecoming Weekend. On Tuesday, eight track alumni published and distributed a 28-page paper, titled "An Examination of the University of Richmond's 2012 Athletic Department Reconfiguration." In the paper, the alumni highlight why outdoor track should be reinstated, citing sources for all research and claims, while indoor track and soccer should be given an opportunity to raise the funds needed to remain along with the addition of a women's sport. "We're just trying to organize everything that we've heard from Dr. [Edward] Ayers and his chief of staff [Lori Schuyler] and [Athletic Director] Jim Miller," said Jon Molz, 2008 track alumnus and current assistant coach for the track and cross country teams.
Sophomore linebacker Eric Wright has become a respected leader on the University of Richmond's football team, not only because of his talent, but also because of his moral character and religious devotion. "The Sunday right before I was coming to Richmond, I received the Holy Ghost and was baptized in Jesus' name," Wright said.
University support and camaraderie are important to the continued progress of the University of Richmond club rugby teams, said men's coach Carl Schmitt and women's coach Davis Theakston. Schmitt said he credited the consistent success of the men's rugby program to the fact that there were a lot of good student athletes at Richmond, and that they responded well to an established program.
The University of Richmond men's soccer team lost its home game against University of Dayton Friday night, 0-5. The Spiders outshot the University of Dayton Flyers 24-20, but the Flyers were able to score against the Spiders, leading to the Spiders being shut out, despite the cheering of 115 spectators. Richmond coach Leigh Cowlishaw said it was a frustrating game, especially when there had been many opportunities for the Spiders to score goals. The Flyers took the lead almost 14 minutes into the game when red-shirt freshman Ryan Peterson shot the ball into the net at close range. Junior forward Abe Keller made the next goal for Dayton during the 22nd minute when he made a direct and unassisted shot from 20 yards away. Two of the last three goals made were scored within a minute of each other.
For NCAA varsity athletes, balancing classes, practice and the potential for injury often extends players' college careers.
