Crimson Red Sports

Richmond Spiders have a solid basketball history. They have been to the NCAA Dance 9 times and have beaten teams like Auburn (with Barkley), Syracuse, Indiana, South Carolina, & Vandy.   



 :popcorn2:         

I hope we have a decent crowd. Anyone going?



 :tinfoil:

Not going but I am hoping someone of you will post it as we are going along. RTR!

10,000 miles is just a few too far for an NIT game.

Though I did drive from Tuscaloosa to West Lafayette, IN for an NIT game against Purdue back in 2001. I had some friends at Purdue and just drove up to spend the weekend since it was the beginning of spring break.

E-cred for the effort!  #+

Tide has shot 7/7 FT's & Richmond 3/3. Wow. 57-54 Tide  9:00 left in game.




 :stars:

Tide 29 bench points, Richmond 0



 :o

Tide 11 off. rebounds Spiders 2.



 :popcorn2:

5:45 to go, 61-59 Spiders.




 :stop:

Great-looking crowd.

Spiders shooting 55% FG's. Tough to beat that. 66-61 Richmond


 :tinfoil:

Tide loses 71-64 as Spiders shoot 53.8%. Hard to win a game against a team that shoots over 50%.




 :( :( :(

Tide 7/24 three pointers, 29%.



 :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse:

I think the Tide gave their all in the SEC Tournament.  They didn't seem sharp against the Spiders.

There's always next year.   :D

I agree.

This did not look like the same team that played UK.

I continue be frustrated by the lack of an inside game.

This is something that has seemed to persist through coaching changes.

They were missing layups and 3 foot jump shots.

Also, inconsistent 3-point shooting seems to be another historical trend.

 :dunno:

Well was we better than last year? I wonder did we improve? RTR!

Last year they were 18-15 with a 1st round loss in the NIT.  This year they finished 20-15 and again lost in the 1st round of the NIT.  Even though they had two extra wins I'm not sure they could be described as better than last year.  Maybe someone else that watched them play more than I will have a better perspective.

Particularly frustrating against one of the shortest teams in the country.   Bama had the Spiders by at least 2 inches per position.  :stars:

Let me try. We went from dead last in rebounding in the SEC to first in one year. That's a gigantic first step. Grant left the cupboard almost totally bare plus no one had been developed by Grant and I mean nobody. Coach Johnson has had to start building from the dirt up, like Coach C.M. Newton. During interviews CAJ has mentioned he was shocked by the lack of basic knowledge and skills of the players when he got there. Things like spacing on the floor, positioning under the basket, using passing lanes and knowing how to identify these lanes, and so on. The biggest overall problem is the lack of talent and depth. CAJ has had only one full year to recruit and has brought in the #3 class in the nation. He has recruited ball handlers and shooters and inside players, but especially the shooters. This is a 4 year building process and he will need to recruit another good class next year but I do se a little sunlight.




(http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/healingandtransformation/files/2014/06/light-illusion.jpg)




 :dog:

MD I give thanks to you for the information. It sounds like we are making strides and might even be a lot better next year. Especially after having played a year together. Maybe we might advance in the NIT next year it also sounds as if our ladies are making progress also. Well done sir. RTR!

We should easily make the NCAA tournament next year.  Our top 2 players are freshman, and we have the best recruiting class in the history of the program coming in, and they are exactly what we need to help with offensive production.  Hall and Norris will also be back.

As MD says though, one more class and we will be in great shape.  Then give all those guys a year to play together.  That gets us to Ingram and Key's senior year, and I fully expect us to be a final four contender by then.  I believe CAJ is going to get us there and we will soon be making deep runs in the tourney on a routine basis.

Next year, Ingram and Key are just sophomores, Hall a junior, & Norris a senior. Johnson will be a junior & I think he can improve. If just one of our new recruits can score consistently, then look out. We would have won at least 3 more games with a dependable scorer, maybe even 5 more. I hope our players will spend the next 8 months practicing FT's every day.



 :popcorn2:           

Evidently the FT's are very important for us because we see that stat poorly every game. RTR!

Last year Obasahan put the team on his back and carried them. This year, we saw a much improved team. If this team had had one player who could consistently score and force teams to focus on him, we would probably be looking at 13-15 wins in the SEC and a spot in the tournament. The top two recruits in this incredible recruiting class are shooting guards who score lots of points. We should be in great shape with so many solid players coming back and potential superstars coming in.

To sum up the efforts of CAJ and the team this year, I would have to give them a lot of credit for their effort even though they looked pretty bad in some games. I don't know how many of you watch the high school games on tv but I can tell you that very little is taught the players by their coaches. They play no defense and just run up and down the court shooting at will. So when we get these highly rated players, we need to remember that there is a lot of coaching work to be done to them before they become the big stars that we all imagined when they enrolled. The potential for them to be great is there but how coachable are the players, that is the difference between early success at the next level or being a project in the making.

I am really anxious to see the returning players for next season as I think the  young ones from this season had a big reality check this year of what it takes to play well at the college level. 

Richmond SPIDERS.  Never trust spiders!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieYSnh2vBaQ

:lol2: