Where do we go from here?

[SpiderK]

Many many players left out there to fill 3 schollys if you just want to fill.

No doubt that’s what Mooney ends up doing.

 

[SpiderK]

Greg,
I always appreciate your optimism, you have talked me into backing off the ledge more than a few times. But at least in my case, it's more about being fed up with the DIRECTION of the program, not fed up with the program. Seems like you are implying that if one is not happy with lack of success, then they aren't true fans and therefore should go elsewhere.

Exactly it’s all about being fed up with the direction of the program. I don’t go to the games for the stale popcorn and watered down soft drinks. I want to go to the home games expecting to win.

 

[AnnapSpider]

more pie in the sky crap, why is that so prevalent around here?

Wishful thinking. I said my response was naive, but I do hope the other players don’t look
for someone that isn’t there.
Secondly, over the bast 8 or so years, what guard was worse than Nelson?

 

[SouthJerseySpiderFan]

It's interesting looking at how the 4 main guys from St. Bona who transferred did last year.

Welch: went from 37.5 minutes a game and 12.3 PPG at St Bona to 9 MPG and 2 PPG at Bama.

Lofton: 38.5 and 12.8 at Bona to 32.4 to 8.7 at a 16-17 Florida team.

Holmes: 38 and 13.5 at Bona to 32.2 and 13.3 for Iowa St, who lost to Pitt in a play in game.

Osunniyi: 32.6 and to 11.3 to 18.3 and 8.2 at Iowa St.

St Bona went 14-18 without them last year. Had they stayed like our guys did 2 years ago, they very well might have pulled off what our guys did.

Your post here is well taken and on point as what could’ve been? Issue is how often will Mooney be able to possess and then cultivate his best group of players for one bid? Every five years? I think not.

It took what you and Hardt referred to as “magic” to even get that bid. With today’s CBB not likely a quality group of players will stay together for 3-4 years. I thought they underachieved last season. Getting the team up to speed quickly is not in Mooney’s DNA.

 

[8legs1dream]

Wishful thinking. I said my response was naive, but I do hope the other players don’t look
for someone that isn’t there.
Secondly, over the bast 8 or so years, what guard was worse than Nelson?

with the current landscape of college basketball we are never going to see 5 years from a talent like Gilly ever again though, sadly

 

[RichmondNative]

….we are never going to see 5 years from a talent like Gilly ever again though, sadly

Not until the NCAA grants infinite eligibility to play “college basketball”. With pay to play, why should there be an eligibility restriction - what does earning a degree have to do with it? /s

Until then 4 years is the max.

 

[97spiderfan]

JOC on how the Mooney model of relying heavily on player development is under threat. Several callbacks to Schmidt comments this past season after he lost his entire roster.

(And here we are at Memorial Day and we're still three schollies short. We don't appear to be alone in that though...looks like Mason, GW, and La Salle all still have three slots open as well.)

Spiders hoops won via player development. Is that now an outdated approach?

University of Richmond supporters may feel uneasy projecting a 2023-24 starting lineup that could include four, or five, players who transferred to UR, along with newcomers in pivotal roles.

richmond.com

Again of all Mooney's faults, this falls down on the list, but he literally couldn't answer his phone to leave a comment for JOC writing this article. JOC had to get comments on from it Mark Schmidt.

It just gives the appearance that no one is home, everyone is on summer break. How hard is it to make a comment on an article about us by our main beat writer. Not hard at all, but yet....

 

[Eight Legger]

It may not have completely worked out for all of the Bona guys, but that's not really the point. Unfortunately for schools like us, more often than not, those kind of guys are going to go when they have P6 opportunities. It doesn't matter if 100 guys before them have had less than stellar results -- kids are going to think their results will be different. And of course some will be, and they will thrive at a higher level.

 

[8legs1dream]

It may not have completely worked out for all of the Bona guys, but that's not really the point. Unfortunately for schools like us, more often than not, those kind of guys are going to go when they have P6 opportunities. It doesn't matter if 100 guys before them have had less than stellar results -- kids are going to think their results will be different. And of course some will be, and they will thrive at a higher level.

and some of them are going to go for the cash regardless of how their stats might be affected

 

[gospidersgo]

and some of them are going to go for the cash regardless of how their stats might be affected

I know of plenty of people in their 30's/40's/50's who continually jump between companies for an extra couple thousand dollars per year. Hard to expect that many 18-21 year olds being promised bigger bucks, plus a fresh start somewhere or step up in competition won't do the same.