Spiders Back In Town Today
JMU Resumes Rivalry With Atlantic 10 School
Posted: December 8, 2012
HARRISONBURG — The last time James Madison played Richmond in basketball was in February 2001, back when Matt Brady and Chris Mooney were assistant coaches at other schools.
When Brady took over JMU in 2008, he and Mooney – then entering his fourth year at Richmond – began discussions about renewing the rivalry between the former Colonial Athletic Association foes.
“Some years, it didn’t work out date-wise; some years, we play so many CAA teams that we didn’t want to overdo it,” Mooney, in his eighth season as UR’s coach, said.
Finally, today at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center, the teams will meet again.
A key detail that helped hammer out the home-and-home series, which will continue next season on a date yet to be determined, was Richmond accepting the road game first. Brady said he was more comfortable playing host this year because of the “uncertainty with my roster,” as the Dukes (3-5) have tried to integrate several new pieces this season.
Mooney, meanwhile, has a well-tested group that enters tonight with a 7-2 record and might be the best team JMU has played thus far, including touted but struggling UCLA.
“They’re rock solid; they do so many things well,” Brady said. “And we’re going to have to play to our highest level to have a chance to win, but I think our guys are eager for the challenge.”
UR was picked to finish 10th in the Atlantic 10, but the Spiders look much better than that early this season. Their two losses were both on the road, against 14th-ranked Minnesota and Ohio, a Sweet 16 team from last year that is heavy on returning players.
Richmond has defeated the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Wake Forest, as well as three CAA schools. The Spiders pounded UNC-Wilmington 101-58, beat William & Mary 86-78, and then brutalized Old Dominion 80-53 on Tuesday – the Monarchs’ worst home loss in the 11 years their current arena has been open.
“I definitely think that gave us some confidence,” Mooney said. “I hope it doesn’t make us complacent, to win a game on the road like that.”
Richmond’s strength is its backcourt, where three players are averaging double figures.
Cedrick Lindsay is a heady point guard whom Brady recruited hard out of Washington, D.C. The do-it-all junior is averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.
Senior shooting guard Darien Brothers is a deadeye shooter (roughly 49 percent from the floor and from 3), but his game is not limited to that. He can also drive, and he scored 38 in a game against ODU last season. Brothers leads the Spiders with 14.3 points per game.
Kendall Anthony is listed at 5-foot-8, 140 pounds and might be one of the fastest players in the nation. He was A-10 Rookie of the Year last season and has followed up on his freshman year nicely, averaging 13.8 points.
Mooney played four years at Princeton under legendary coach Pete Carril, and started every game during his career. He’s taken some features from the Princeton offense with him to Richmond, but also allows his backcourt to push the tempo and score in the open court.
And Richmond’s defense, which is allowing just 61.8 points per game, worries Brady just as much as the balanced offense.
“Their style of play doesn’t allow you to do some of the same things you want to do every game,” Brady said. “They switch every screen and play a matchup zone that’s really good.”
When Richmond and JMU last met, the Dukes – then coached by Sherman Dillard – beat the John Beilein-led Spiders 66-63 in front of 4,653 fans in Harrisonburg. Richmond finished with the best record in the CAA that year, but failed to win the conference tournament, and landed in the NIT. It joined the A-10 the following season.
The 40-year-old Mooney, who was head coach for one season at Air Force before taking over for Jerry Wainwright at UR in 2005, is considered one of the brightest young coaches in America. He led the Spiders to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2011, including a Sweet 16 run in ’11. That team lost NBA draft pick Justin Harper and point guard Kevin Anderson last year, and went just 16-16 in a season Mooney does not consider a failure.
He said plenty of the players from last year – including power forward Derrick Williams, a recent A-10 Player of the Week – have taken leaps of improvement.
Richmond is the third A-10 team JMU will play this year. The Dukes already have lost at Duquesne and at home to George Washington – with the games decided by a combined three points.
JMU is 2-1 at home, including consecutive wins over Winthrop and East Tennessee State – a pair of lightweights. The Dukes, who haven’t won three straight since last November/December, will likely need to click on all levels to clip the Spiders.
“We just got to stay focused mentally and physically,” senior swingman A.J. Davis said. “We got back-to-back wins – we can’t let it go to our head.”
When Brady took over JMU in 2008, he and Mooney – then entering his fourth year at Richmond – began discussions about renewing the rivalry between the former Colonial Athletic Association foes.
“Some years, it didn’t work out date-wise; some years, we play so many CAA teams that we didn’t want to overdo it,” Mooney, in his eighth season as UR’s coach, said.
Finally, today at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center, the teams will meet again.
A key detail that helped hammer out the home-and-home series, which will continue next season on a date yet to be determined, was Richmond accepting the road game first. Brady said he was more comfortable playing host this year because of the “uncertainty with my roster,” as the Dukes (3-5) have tried to integrate several new pieces this season.
Mooney, meanwhile, has a well-tested group that enters tonight with a 7-2 record and might be the best team JMU has played thus far, including touted but struggling UCLA.
“They’re rock solid; they do so many things well,” Brady said. “And we’re going to have to play to our highest level to have a chance to win, but I think our guys are eager for the challenge.”
UR was picked to finish 10th in the Atlantic 10, but the Spiders look much better than that early this season. Their two losses were both on the road, against 14th-ranked Minnesota and Ohio, a Sweet 16 team from last year that is heavy on returning players.
Richmond has defeated the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Wake Forest, as well as three CAA schools. The Spiders pounded UNC-Wilmington 101-58, beat William & Mary 86-78, and then brutalized Old Dominion 80-53 on Tuesday – the Monarchs’ worst home loss in the 11 years their current arena has been open.
“I definitely think that gave us some confidence,” Mooney said. “I hope it doesn’t make us complacent, to win a game on the road like that.”
Richmond’s strength is its backcourt, where three players are averaging double figures.
Cedrick Lindsay is a heady point guard whom Brady recruited hard out of Washington, D.C. The do-it-all junior is averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.
Senior shooting guard Darien Brothers is a deadeye shooter (roughly 49 percent from the floor and from 3), but his game is not limited to that. He can also drive, and he scored 38 in a game against ODU last season. Brothers leads the Spiders with 14.3 points per game.
Kendall Anthony is listed at 5-foot-8, 140 pounds and might be one of the fastest players in the nation. He was A-10 Rookie of the Year last season and has followed up on his freshman year nicely, averaging 13.8 points.
Mooney played four years at Princeton under legendary coach Pete Carril, and started every game during his career. He’s taken some features from the Princeton offense with him to Richmond, but also allows his backcourt to push the tempo and score in the open court.
And Richmond’s defense, which is allowing just 61.8 points per game, worries Brady just as much as the balanced offense.
“Their style of play doesn’t allow you to do some of the same things you want to do every game,” Brady said. “They switch every screen and play a matchup zone that’s really good.”
When Richmond and JMU last met, the Dukes – then coached by Sherman Dillard – beat the John Beilein-led Spiders 66-63 in front of 4,653 fans in Harrisonburg. Richmond finished with the best record in the CAA that year, but failed to win the conference tournament, and landed in the NIT. It joined the A-10 the following season.
The 40-year-old Mooney, who was head coach for one season at Air Force before taking over for Jerry Wainwright at UR in 2005, is considered one of the brightest young coaches in America. He led the Spiders to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2011, including a Sweet 16 run in ’11. That team lost NBA draft pick Justin Harper and point guard Kevin Anderson last year, and went just 16-16 in a season Mooney does not consider a failure.
He said plenty of the players from last year – including power forward Derrick Williams, a recent A-10 Player of the Week – have taken leaps of improvement.
Richmond is the third A-10 team JMU will play this year. The Dukes already have lost at Duquesne and at home to George Washington – with the games decided by a combined three points.
JMU is 2-1 at home, including consecutive wins over Winthrop and East Tennessee State – a pair of lightweights. The Dukes, who haven’t won three straight since last November/December, will likely need to click on all levels to clip the Spiders.
“We just got to stay focused mentally and physically,” senior swingman A.J. Davis said. “We got back-to-back wins – we can’t let it go to our head.”