For people that have watched Richmond basketball for a long time, you sure have short memories. 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 rosters didn’t do anything either and neither did 2022-2023. Mooney can get the best out of players, it just takes too long to get there. Anyone who thought Richmond could “reload” is living in fantasy land. It just isn’t in the Mooney DNA. Everyone has hoped that adaptation was possible and any small sign was celebrated, but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
That being said, obviously this year’s team is running below expectations as most of us were hoping for more portal magic, but the short transfer history shows it takes multiple years in the CM program for a player to shine. The only exception is Jordan King. Quinn did not light it up in 2022 and neither did Bigelow. Roche also didn’t meet expectations and then got bitten by the injury bug.
As others have said, it is a system thing and the system requires patience. Until the Spiders get a new coach, it is what it is.
I do think the Spiders will be able to play better and the players will show improvement. We also should know that the schedule is a reflection of the staff’s expectations. The schedule is always “adjusted”. How soon I forget.