Richmond
Last Years Notes: Hmmm.. how to describe them…. a good little point guard Anderson – A10 player of the year candidate – and a few other good guards (gonzalvez, smith, martel) who can shoot 3 point shooters. Decent inside – one guy could play in the NBA but would be a role player at best. Play that tough matchup zone that takes teams a minute to figure out. I thought this team could beat a middle tier big team. I think of Minnesota or Boston College or Notre Dame. I see them keeping it close verse better teams (6-10), but I dont see them beating an upper tier good team . They dont shoot the 3 a lot and run a pretty patient altered princeton offense. Also, teams that get out in transition and shoot fast will have a better chance than slow methodical teams as Richmond settles into a good matchup zone. If a team also has good penetration skills, that zone has some holes. Watched them again and man that PG can cause a lot of issues for teams.
2010 Tournament Summary: They were favored verse St Marys but it was a pickum on my stat sheet and the low spread. They literally could not handle the size of Omar Samhan. They fed the ball down low to him and he scored or he got doubled and kicked it out for a three. Gonzalvez also was not intimidated and with him gone Im not sure who steps up in the tournament.
2011 Outlook: Bottom line, they return Kevin Anderson. The POY in A-10 he is near unstoppable when hitting his 3′s. He lost his two very solid baller guard counterparts, but key reserves who saw time last year, Martel and Smith, can step up. They play solid defense which m ay be enough. In the post, Richmond returns 3 players that fit very well together and match up well with large conference teams. 6’10 and inside out scorer is Justin Harper. He is a matchup nightmare as he can hit the outside shot. They also have a solid center in Geriot and a rebounding machine in Garrett. They also have a ton of depth. Add it up and this team is legit. They could push for an A-10 title and a win or two in Vegas.
My Notes: This team got steamed by such a hot team in St MArys last year in the tournament. They simply could not hang with him. They have also added zero pieces to address that so the answser will have to be internal. They got smoked on the boards, and dont expect that to stop since the Princeton.. but look to see if that improves. Also, Gonzalvez was a gritty and good defender and he could nail the three. Someone has to replace that on this team for them to be great.
Game Notes – Purdue – Things look solid…
“We were tough on the rebounds and we were just as physical as they were,” said Anderson, who scored 28 points, 21 in the second half. “The coaches did a good job of scouting the guys. We were all in there tight defensively. The Spiders had the shooting edge and outrebounded the Boilermakers 44-35. They also had more points in the paint (34) and on second chances (11).”We were tough on the rebounds and we were just as physical as they were,” said AndersonThey also had more points in the paint (34) and on second chances (11).
Bilas Notes: The Spiders have Kevin Anderson, the A-10 player of the year, and have one of the most unheralded players in the country in Justin Harper. If this guy played at Butler, we’d be talking about him incessantly. Harper is 6-foot-10, leads Richmond in 3-point field goals and accuracy, and is the top rebounder. He can step out, can put the ball on the floor and has a terrific shooting touch. Harper is versatile and a future pro. Richmond can play with anyone.
2011 Bilas Notes: If you want to see an underrated player that is getting better and better and will play in the NBA, check out Richmond’s 6-foot-10 skilled forward Justin Harper. The long, lanky and talented forward for the Spiders can run, shoot and handle, and he is still learning just how good he is and can be. Harper had 30 points and 10 rebounds against George Washington and is averaging 26.7 points per game in Atlantic 10 play. He is shooting 57 percent from the field on the season and better than 64 percent in conference play. Harper stretches the defense out to 3-point range.
Vs Xavier: Got eaten alive inside and fell in love with the jumper – period. Xavier again and again got offensive rebounds and found Freese open. On offense, Xavier went to a simple 1-2-2 zone that was fair but had openings – and Richmond just launched jumpers. Their bigs – Harper – are more like one 6’10 three guard and one 6’8 non-athletic hustle guy. I fell out of love with this team in this game. They just didnt have the horses to hang with a thin Xavier team.
Vs St Louis: Verse undersized St Louis team, they still didnt dominate down low. Harper is 6’10 but he is more guard than big. He will go down low to grab some reounds but he does not want to stay there. Geriut is big and hustles but he is a stiff. Anderson is quick, but he sometimes is just a gunner and loses sight of the team. So, if they play a team that can really bang it down low and put a hand in Anderson and Harpers face, then they will lose by quite a few. The only concern i have with this team is their ability to hit the three… they can.. so they could cover a spread late with some junk.
