At 16-6 and 10-2 in-league, it's been a solid season. We're not flashy, but we've got enough defense and rebounding to get by and, hopefully, sneak into the NT. As far as recruiting goes...we'll see.

Philip McKinlay (#172 overall, #32 C) - We needed at least one big guy. Three members of the frontcourt come back, but they'll all be seniors, and I don't want the cupboard totally bare. Hopefully, we're not done, but for now, this'll do.

McKinlay is far from a finished product, but in time, he'll be a very good big. His two main weaknesses, speed and on-ball defense, will get considerably better with practice, and he'll also turn into an excellent rebounder and shot-blocker with solid athleticism, too. I wish he shot free throws better, but in the grand scheme of things, that's minor considering everything else will turn out pretty well.

I promised him 10 minutes/game to bump off some lower-prestige teams, and he'll get that next year. He could start as a sophomore if we need him to, and I didn't have to seriously drain the war chest for him. All things considered, this is a pretty good get for us.

This season surpassed my expectations considerably. I'd hoped for 16-18 wins and a postseason berth somewhere. We wound up winning 23 games, including the CT. The ending was a first-round NT loss, which wasn't ideal, but all told, much more good than bad.

Meanwhile, in recruiting...

Earl Sprenger (#249 overall, #48 C) - Sprenger comes to us as an "I really hope he redshirts" guy. His potential is quite good, and down the road, he'll turn into a very good starter (though he won't ever be a great one). His athleticism is nearly topped out, which is unfortunate, but it's not like that's at a bad point, and with time, he'll be solid everywhere else it matters. Like McKinlay, I wish he was a better FT shooter, but I'll live with what we've got.

He's not going to play much this year, if at all. McKinlay's better than he is, and even he'll be behind several seniors. A redshirt year isn't a necessity, per se, but it would buy him some time since he might not see the floor at all. For the sake of this season, Sprenger wasn't a necessity. However, given that we graduate three frontcourt players next year, he's very helpful from a "roster construction" standpoint, since there's now one less big we need to recruit next season. It also, of course, helps that he'll be a useful player when all is said and done.

- - - - -

RECRUITING GRADE: B-/B.

I'm likely done and will need to take a walk-on, but that's okay. I got into a three-way battle for a JuCo guard who would've been a very good two-year starter for us. Ultimately, the roll came down to us, North Carolina, and NC State, and he chose the Wolfpack. That was annoying, but nothing I can't recover from. Ballenger likely moves from SF to SG, Justin Scott probably gets into the starting lineup, and Ryan Richards starts seeing even more time as our sixth man.

The bigger priority was getting some bodies in the frontcourt, and the recruits closest to me weren't great. I feel kind of bad, because for both McKinlay and Sprenger, I had to bump off the same lower-prestige, human-coached team (Kent State), and I don't enjoy doing that. Still, this was a necessity, and those guys were good enough to merit the investment. McKinlay, in particular, has a lot of room to grow, while Sprenger is raw and just needs time.

There weren't any home runs hit here. At a minimum, though, I got two guys that'll help me a fair bit down the road and dodged a few bullets along the way.

It's been a good season for the Spiders. We sit at 19-4 and 12-1 in the A10, which puts us on the NT bubble. We're gonna need a few good wins (or, at a minimum, no bad losses) to go dancing.

We have five scholarships to fill this time around. The first player signed, and this one was necessary...

John Corr (****, #43 overall, #9 PF) - I mentioned last season that we have three seniors in the frontcourt. Corr was promised the world, and he's going to turn into an outstanding player. He knows my defense, which is huge, and while his rebounding isn't great right now, that'll change, and quickly.

The only real limitation he'll have is as a shot-blocker, which is annoying but far from the end of the world. Outside of that, he's already an outstanding scorer, and he'll turn into a fantastic passer for a big guy, too. Athletically, he's already at a very strong point and could probably play some SF in a pinch if we ever need him to do that.

I had to fend off Seton Hall for Corr. We went to a flip, and I got lucky to win a 45-55 proposition. Corr probably won't be an NBA player, but he'll be a four-year starter for us, and he'll turn into quite a good one.

Frederick Frenette (#217 overall, #52 SF) - Frenette's position is a bit deceiving. He's listed as a SF, but he's really a PF with his athleticism and rebounding/defense potential. As mentioned with Corr's signing, replenishing the frontcourt with some depth was a priority this time around, and while Frenette's a bit of a project in some areas, he's going to turn into a pretty good player.

On the strong side, he'll be a top-notch rebounder and on-ball defender, with very good athleticism to back that up. I wish his shot-blocking ceiling was higher, but I can live with what we have. On the other hand, he's going to need LOTS of practice time dedicated to his offensive game. He's currently pretty useless there, but he WILL, at least, develop a pretty good perimeter game for a PF.

I wish I didn't need to promise him some time this year, but I did. He'd definitely benefit from another year of development. However, he'll at least be a good fit defensively and on the boards, even if we'll never run plays for him next season.

Zero complaints with our resume from this past season! We wound up 23-8 overall, with a good first-round NT win over Louisville. Unfortunately, we lost a second-round heartbreaker in OT to Baylor, but all told, we had a pretty great year.

Recruiting rolls on...

Kenneth White (#96 PG) - My primary focus this time around was on the frontcourt. Once I signed Corr and Frenette, most of the good guards were snapped up by higher-prestige schools. White, however, wasn't being targeted by any D1 programs, so I zeroed in on him.

He's far from perfect, but he's got plenty of appealing parts of his game. He knows my sets, he's going to be very fast, and he'll turn into a very good/possibly great defender in the seasons to come. Offensively, he's already a serviceable shooter, and his inside game will get a lot better. The downsides are limited room for growth in a few key categories (being almost topped out in perimeter and ball handling isn't ideal, and he's never going to be a good passer, let alone a great one). I'm also not crazy about his work ethic, which isn't prohibitively low but isn't as high as what I usually go for.

Thankfully, I didn't have to promise White anything in order to win a 65-35 flip with Florida Gulf Coast, a local D2 school. He won't play much as a freshman, but he does provide some depth. At worst, he'll be a useful rotational player, and given the stage of recruiting when I signed him, I'll take that.

One more signing...

Richard Hale (*, #162 overall, #26 C) - Hale was one of my original targets, and I'm happy I snagged him. He's a great athlete with a lot of room to grow, and he'll eventually turn into a first-class scoring threat with decent shooting ability for a big man. In a fun twist, he'll also turn into a very, very good free throw shooter, which isn't something that happens to most bigs.

His main limitation is that he won't be much of a better rebounder than he is right now. He's not bad coming in, but he'll never be elite, and that's probably why I was able to get him. I only had to battle one school for him; Georgia Tech came storming in late in round one. I promised him a start and 25 minutes, and that led to me winning a 55-45 flip.

He'd be better coming off the bench, for sure. However, Coff being versatile enough to play SF means I can put Hale into the starting lineup. He might be a bit out of place early on, but he's a very good long-term prospect, and I'm happy to have him.

- - - - -

RECRUITING GRADE: B.

There's a fair bit to like here, even though there were some anxious moments. Coff is going to develop into an outstanding player, and Hale won't be far off from that (even if he won't be an outstanding rebounder). Frenette provides some versatility, and White will eat some minutes at the guard spots without being a liability.

I'm expecting next season to be a rebuilding year. We're starting two freshmen and giving another playing time off the bench, and we only have two seniors (one of whom, Roger Brown, won't play a ton). Still, we're set up reasonably well going forward thanks to winning a few flips this time around, so I can't complain too much.

Lots of stuff to report here. I expected Richmond to struggle this past season given a very young starting lineup. However, after a 5-8 start I expected, we wound up winning 19 games and salvaging a PI spot to continue our postseason streak. This stunned me, and I'm optimistic because we have all five starters coming back next season. That starting five of Richards, Ballenger, Corr, Hale, and McKinlay could do plenty of damage.

The bad news is that recruiting was a big-time struggle this time around. We had three spots, I filled two, and it's the worst class I've had here in quite some time.

Lane Seidman (#101 SF) - Seidman was the one initial target I had that signed (more on the other struggles later), and it's not because he'll play right away. He's very raw. However, he's got very strong potential in most areas that matter, plus a high work ethic that ensures he'll reach it. Down the road, he'll be pretty fast for a small forward, as well as a pretty solid scorer and, at worst, a good defender (possibly better depending on just how high his potential is). He'll also be a decent ball handler and passer, and once he gets his speed up, he may very well see some time as a guard.

I envisioned Seidman as a "redshirt a year, sit a year" guy. This year, we've got some depth at SF, between Corr and Stephen Vigue. If he doesn't redshirt, he won't play much. If he redshirts and fulfills the role I have in mind for him, though, he should turn into an above-average starter by the time he's done here.

Jay Milo (#107 PG) - I haven't had the "lose every battle" scenario play out much recently, but it happened this season. I was in contention for a number of guards that would've seen time next season. I wound up offering scholarships to four other players. Three got snapped up by higher-prestige, major-conference programs in the first round of recruiting. A fourth was only considering me going into the late window, which was when North Carolina stomped in and won a 52-48 flip.

In need of someone just to fill a spot at the far end of my bench (ideally for this season and this season only), I went searching and settled on Milo. The nicest thing I can say about him is that he's not a total disaster. Even though he's topped out pretty much everywhere that matters, he's got some speed, and he'll be a competent pass-first point guard once he learns my offense. Defensively, he'll be a liability early on, but at least he's got some room to grow there. He's not a guy I'd want in normal years, but this isn't a normal year.

- - - - -

RECRUITING GRADE: D+/C-.

Seidman wasn't a bad get. He's not much now, but I can see a version of him that starts as a junior/senior and contributes to a good team. Milo, though...yeesh.

Richards and Ballenger are both seniors this coming season. Stephen Vigue, thankfully, has turned into a guy we can count on for big minutes off the bench, and he'll be the primary backup at PG, SG, and SF. Behind him, we have Kenneth White, who took a redshirt this year and at least made some strides, and Milo, who clearly isn't ready for prime-time. I hope my top two guards are ready to play a lot of minutes!

I'm thankful we didn't have to fill anything drastic this time around. However, next season has turned into a very important recruiting period. Replacing Richards and Ballenger with at least one guy who can start as a freshman is of paramount importance. If I can do that, we'll still be okay, but I don't like that I've backed myself into that corner.

To this point, it's been a "good, not great" season for Richmond. We're 18-7, 10-5 in-league, and very much on the NT bubble. It's not like we've had a bad year, but given how we finished last season and that we had everyone back, I was hoping for a bit more.

Thankfully, there's good news on the recruiting front, as we landed a guy who was a must-get.

Patrick Fowler (****, #53 overall, #9 PG) - Ryan Richards and Philip Ballenger graduate after this season. Stephen Vigue has been a really good sixth man and won't be a bad starter, but we needed another guy to come into the fold ready to play, and Fowler ticks a lot of boxes.

He knows my offense, which is a big plus, and while he's a pass-first guy now, his outside shot will get a lot better (to where he'll be able to play either guard spot very well). He's also going to turn into a very, very good defender, and his work ethic ensures we'll see a lot of improvement very quickly. Furthermore, he's going to be a very good inside player for a guard, which may allow him to play some SF down the road if we need him to.

Fowler had some of the best preferences of any recruit I've ever gone after, and I planted my flag pretty early. A-10 rival St. Joseph's tried to battle for him, but as it turns out, they were never a serious threat, and the "flip" I won was of the 71-29 variety. Fowler will be a four-year starter, and given his potential, it wouldn't surprise me if he got drafted down the line.

George Crespin (#253 overall, #43 PG) - Fowler was one of two primary, top-tier targets. The second was a JuCo guard who got descended upon by multiple power schools, so I shifted my focus and wound up on Crespin.

Crespin isn't perfect. He's got plenty of speed, but he's not a great athlete, he'll never be a top-tier defender, and his total lack of inside ability means we can't play him at SF, at all, ever. However, he's a very, very good shooter, and strong perimeter options were in short supply this time around. He's also going to be a solid passer and ball handler who can play either guard spot.

I wish we had more backcourt depth next season, because Crespin will likely play a bit more than he should. However, once he learns my sets, he'll have plenty of value and may even be a solid starter. Add in that him being a cheap signing meant I could focus resources on Fowler and make sure he got in, and I'll live with what I've got.

On the court, it was a bummer that got partially salvaged. Richmond was one of the "first four out" after a disappointing loss in the CT. However, we did go on a run in the PI and reached the Final Four before running into a Duke team that ABSOLUTELY should've been an NT team. I'm a bit disappointed, but winning three PI games wasn't bad.

One more scholarship to fill...

Larry Revilla (#199 overall, #52 PF) - McKinlay and Sprenger are both going to be seniors, so getting a frontcourt body to prepare for their graduations was pretty important. Revilla spawned three miles from campus, and while he won't play much (ideally, not at all) his first year, he's a solid developmental guy.

Right now, he's raw, and everything screams "redshirt a year, sit a year." Assuming he does that, he'll turn into a pretty good athlete, a very strong rebounder, and a guy who can score inside and shoot a bit. I wish he'd be a better defender, but he won't wind up horrible there, and his good speed for the position should help a bit.

At a minimum, he'll turn into a solid player, and his presence slightly lessens pressure on next year's recruiting period. He's no star, but I can live with what I've got.

- - - - -

RECRUITING GRADE: B.

Fowler was an absolute must-get for us. We had a big hole in the backcourt, and while getting two starting-caliber guards would've been ideal, I'm happy to at least get one. Stephen Vigue would've been better as a SF (which would've also allowed us to move John Corr back to PF), but he'll be competent as a starting SG. That does mean, though, that we need a big-time guard next season. Crespin probably won't be ready, Kenneth White isn't a starter, and I wish I'd have been able to cut Jay Milo but didn't have the bandwidth to do so. Needing one guard, however, is a lot better than needing two, and Fowler might be an NBA-quality player when he's done. If he hadn't signed, I'd have probably bolted for another job.

Crespin and Revilla, meanwhile, are depth guys who'll definitely be good role-players and could turn into more than that. Revilla redshirting would be a big help, for sure, and at a minimum, Crespin will be a strong sixth man who can play either guard spot. Guys like that have plenty of value, even if he won't be a star.

I couldn't afford another poor recruiting period. This was a significant improvement from last year, and while we may start slow next year, I think we'll be okay once Fowler develops a bit (and with his work ethic, that'll happen pretty quickly).

It's been a good season to this point. As of this writing, we're 19-6 overall, with enough good wins to put us on the right side of the NT bubble provided we don't screw things up in the CT.

Recruiting has been...interesting. I had three spots to fill, I've filled two of them, and I sincerely hope I'm done. John Corr is 50/50 to jump to the NBA early. If he doesn't, we've got a chance to be OK next year. If he does, we've got a big problem. Anyway...

Sylvester Green (**, #107 overall, #20 C) - There seemed to be a lot of ineligible players this time around, and Green is one of those (for now, at least). Still, I needed at least one big guy. McKinlay and Sprenger are both seniors, Hale and Frenette will be seniors next year, and the cupboard otherwise would've been pretty bare (especially if Corr leaves early; have I mentioned that I hope he stays?).

Green, however, is going to be a very good player, and him being ineligible significantly hurts his ranking, as he's definitely more of a *** sort of guy. He's already a very good athlete and a strong scorer, and he'll turn into a top-notch rebounder and, at a minimum, a very good defender (perhaps a great one). In recruiting him, I promised him a start and 25 minutes, which he'll absolutely get as a sophomore. If he magically becomes eligible, it's not ideal, but he knows my offense and won't be too much of a liability.

I had some opposition recruiting him; Wofford apparently did what I did with promises, and that led to a 57-43 flip, which I won. Being ineligible isn't ideal, but I like Green quite a bit.

Jason Place (**, #118 overall, #26 PG) - More imminent than the need for a big was the need for a starting-caliber guard. Unfortunately for me, I fell short here. I lost an expensive battle for a JuCo that would've been a very good fit but wound up at Iowa State.

Place, however, isn't a terrible player, even if he'll play way too many minutes early on. He's basically going to be a poor man's version of Phillip Ballenger from a few seasons ago. On the good side, he's going to be a defensive ace, with outstanding on-ball potential complemented by strong athleticism. Offensively, he won't be anything special, but he'll have enough scoring skills to not be useless, and his distributor abilities won't be terrible, either.

Providence briefly engaged in a battle for Place. Thankfully, Place's preferences lined up with what I had to offer very, very strongly, and I was in on him early. I had to promise him a start and 25 minutes; it's too much for where he is right now, but after losing that JuCo player, I was pretty desperate. That was enough to get the Friars off of him, and I got my guy. By the time he's done, he'll be very good for what he is, a defense-first guard that should act as our "put him on the other team's best guy" stopper.

David Hanlon (#249 overall, #41 C) - For a few reasons, David Hanlon turned out to be pretty important despite not being an A-level prospect. There's a doomsday scenario where Corr leaves early and Green either goes JuCo or remains ineligible. In that scenario, our frontcourt has Hale, Frenette, Larry Revilla, and nothing else.

Hanlon has his weaknesses. He's slow, even for a big guy, and he's never going to be a scorer. However, he's a decent athlete who's going to turn into a very strong rebounder and defender. We'll never run a play for him on offense, but what he WILL do is protect the rim off the bench and not be a liability in doing so.

Happily, I didn't have to pay a cent to get Hanlon to sign. He didn't get an offer from any other D1 program, and because he wanted to sign early, my offer was enough to get him over the line. He's not going to be a star, but he gives our frontcourt a chance to be solid next year even if the worst-case scenario I outlined above comes to fruition.

Lots of good news: Richmond won the A-10 tournament, got into the NT as a #9 seed, then knocked off Georgetown in overtime in the first round before falling to Kentucky (which advanced to the Final Four). 24-7 is a really good year, and it was nice to make some noise.

The off-court news is really good, too. John Corr, who was #63 on the big board and "on the fence," will return for his senior year. That was no certainty, and I'm pumped to have him back. In addition, Sylvester Green gained eligibility. We'll have to start him, which isn't ideal, but he's good enough to not be a liability, and thankfully he knows my offense from high school. With that...

RECRUITING GRADE: B/B+.

I came into the offseason preparing for a doomsday scenario in the frontcourt. I never saw Corr as a "leaves early" guy, but he was in the high-40's on the board earlier this season, so I'm thrilled he's coming back for his senior season. Green will be a very solid starter, and with Hale, Frenette, and Revilla coming back from this year's team, Hanlon may very well redshirt. It's not the end of the world if he doesn't, but with his work ethic, he'd get a lot better without losing eligibility.

I wish Jason Place didn't have to start. That JuCo guard was far and away my top priority in the backcourt, and losing him hurt. However, Place is another guy that'll be fine and just needs a little time. I think we'll have enough returning firepower to be OK early in the year, and once Place and Green get up to speed in the back half of the season, we'll have a chance to do damage. Having to replace Corr, Hale, and Frenette in recruiting is going to be tough, but at least there's some depth behind all three guys.

On the court, we lost quite a bit, even with Corr coming back. McKinlay was drafted, Vigue and Sprenger each played a lot of minutes, and we replaced them with freshmen (decent freshmen, but freshmen nevertheless). A 5-9 start was pretty painful, but we're 13-10 now after getting IQ's up to snuff.

Next season won't be easy, either, as we lose Corr, Richard Hale, and Frederick Frenette. However, I'm done recruiting nice and early, and I don't think things could've gone much better in a season where the crop of recruits just wasn't that good.

Jerry Scott (***, #89 overall, #19 PF, CT Mr. Basketball) - Scott was ineligible for a short time (and probably underranked by WIS because of it), but he got his test scores up a few days into the season. I think this helped me, because, for some inexplicable reason, I was the only coach (human or AI) to offer him a scholarship. I kept waiting for a big school to jump in, but none did, and I'm incredibly happy to have him.

Scott's already a very good athlete with great passing skills and solid speed for the PF position. He's going to turn into an outstanding rebounder, and depending on how high his perimeter ceiling is, he could turn into a very useful scoring threat (his low post number is topped out, but it's not in a bad place). His lone true short-term weakness is his on-ball defense, but that'll change, and while he'll be a just-OK shot-blocker, that's picking nits considering how good he'll be elsewhere.

Scott will start as a freshman next season. As a unit, our frontcourt will be very young, with three sophomores and two freshmen (more on the second one later). There may be some growing pains, but the Scott/Green starting duo should be a very good one.

Robert Kinsey (**, #110 overall, #23 SG) - I said earlier that this was a very bad crop, and Kinsey was the one guard I actively wanted. It wasn't really a need this time around, but we'll have two senior guards graduating next year, and being proactive is never a bad thing. B+ prestige West Virginia swooped in to try to snag him, but I wound up winning a 48-52 flip.

Kinsey is a bit raw. He's not very fast for his position, and his defense needs to improve. However, those two things will change in time, and if you switch him to SF, his short-term issues suddenly aren't as problematic. When he's topped out, he'll be a solid shooter, an excellent ball-handler, and a pretty fantastic rebounder for a guard. Ultimately, he'll develop into a guy that can play both guard positions and SF, and that versatility is a huge plus

I don't think Kinsey will be elite or anything, and he's probably a hair overranked because of how lousy the recruits were this time around. However, he'll be very good at whatever we need him to do when all is said and done. He'll play quite a bit off the bench next year, as I promised him 15 minutes a game, but once he improves on defense, he won't be a liability at all.

Anthony Morgan (#193 overall, #36 C) - Morgan finishes out the class, and while he's not a bad player (far from it), I hope he redshirts. He's not a great rebounder, he doesn't know my sets, and his on-ball defense needs to get better. However, his potential is good-to-great everywhere it counts. That's especially true in both scoring areas, and while he's a just-OK athlete that won't get better in that regard, he's got the potential to be a major scoring threat in the seasons to come.

I debated between Morgan and another developmental big that's still out there as of this writing. Ultimately, Morgan only had a few D-prestige schools on him, and I was able to win a 68-32 flip over one of them (New Hampshire) without promising anything. It's not the end of the world if he doesn't redshirt, but him doing so would even out my classes a bit and give him more time to reach his lofty potential.

- - - - -

RECRUITING GRADE: A.

I'm grading on a bit of a curve here, because after a few seasons of decent recruit crops, this one was dreadful.

I got lucky to land Scott without a battle. I got even luckier to land Kinsey IN a battle with a higher-prestige school from a bigger conference, with a bigger war chest. I guess I got a bit lucky to land Morgan, too, even though the flip was in my favor (and would've been even more tilted that way if he'd waited another cycle to sign).

There'll be some growing pains next season. However, while we lose two starters from this year's team (plus a key reserve), we lose zero starters next season. Kenneth White plays about 10 minutes per game, and the less said about Jay Milo, the better. The two classes before this one were pretty good, and this one might be the best of the bunch (especially considering the lack of viable options).

As a coach, I can only work with what the game gives me, and I feel like I maxed things out. In a normal year, this is a B+/A- class, but this wasn't a normal year, and I genuinely don't think I could've done much better than I did.

Been a bit since I've updated this, but it's time to bring it back.

Last season's Richmond team went 12-16. We were young, with zero seniors playing truly meaningful minutes, and we played like it while missing the postseason for the first time in 14 years. Even worse, we completely struck out in recruiting. With only two scholarships to fill, this wasn't the end of the world, but it WAS annoying (especially since one player who would've been an outstanding depth guy signed with Virginia in a 50/50 flip).

This season, we're a bit better, if very bubbly. At 15-8 with a few good wins, we've got a chance to go dancing. Recruiting is far from over (we've got five scholarships to fill), but we're already doing much better than last season.

William Mickelsen (***, #77 overall, #17 SG) - Mickelsen may be a hair overranked, but he'll play significant minutes right away. As it stands now, he's got decent athleticism and speed, is a solid defender who knows my M2M set, and figures to be a very good scorer with some versatility to his game. All of that means he'll fit in from the jump, but the problem is he doesn't have a ton of room to grow in certain areas. While he'll get a bit faster/a bit better defensively and become an asset on that end of the floor, he's almost topped out offensively everywhere that matters.

I promised him 15 minutes per game, and he'll get that with ease. In fact, depending on how the rest of recruiting goes, he may even start. Put him at SF, and his "decent" athleticism and speed become very good for that position (and his less-than-stellar ball handling becomes much less of a problem). He's not going to be a star, but he'll likely be a very good complementary sort of player who can get stops on one end and make open shots on the other if someone else is double-teamed. For what he is, I like Mickelsen just fine, and I'm a bit surprised I was alone on him for most of recruiting (Virginia Tech offered him late, but he signed before they could sink too much time/attention/money into him).