Spiders Sound Off

Tom flies solo from Northern Virginia after Richmond’s 90–81 loss to JMU in the second scrimmage of the preseason. The final score made it look closer than it felt: JMU repeatedly got into the lane, while the Spiders struggled to defend one-on-one.

There were bright spots, including hot first-half shooting from McCaffrey and Kaiser and a stronger showing from Harper. Tom breaks down what worked, what needs attention before the season opener, and why the defense has to improve.

Plus: a beautiful but very loud arena, a denied media pass, the fading Richmond–JMU basketball rivalry, memories of Steve Hood and Kent Culuko, and a question for listeners: is there a worse conference name than “the American”?

Don't worry, Porter returns soon.

A 20–12 lead was fun. The rest? Not so much.

Tom welcomes back Richmond alum and season ticket holder Rob Boyle to unpack the Spiders’ 96–53 scrimmage loss at UVA. From a promising opening stretch to cold shooting, defensive breakdowns and questions about size inside, they discuss what concerned them—and what can still be learned from a rough night in Charlottesville.

Plus: Aiden Argabright’s importance to the offense, first impressions of the newcomers, what Richmond needs to show against JMU, and a look ahead to Atlantic 10 Media Day.

Along the way: catching up with Aaron Roussell, the perks of Weird Al tickets, and UVA’s surprisingly persistent commitment to Vanilla Ice.

Who’s making a case for minutes as Richmond basketball approaches tip-off? Tom goes solo to recap the October 1 reception and men’s and women’s scrimmages, sharing what stood out—and what we shouldn’t read too much into just yet.

On the men’s side: a possible smaller starting lineup, Will Harper’s strong showing, Andrew Ball’s contributions, and why freshman Sam Simmons could push his way into the rotation.

For the women, Tom discusses Harriet Ford and Josie Fontana sharing the floor, a promising addition to Rayne Wright’s offensive game, and the competitiveness on display under Coach Alisa Kresge.

We also look ahead to UVA and JMU and discuss Richmond’s A-10 schedule. Meanwhile, Porter serves a very unofficial suspension for getting our episode count wrong.

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Two practices, plenty of new faces, and a season full of questions. Tom and Porter share their firsthand impressions of Richmond’s men’s and women’s basketball teams.

On the women’s side, an aggressive defense and an emphasis on fundamentals offer an early look at Alisa Kresge’s approach. We discuss the players who caught our attention, how the rotation could take shape, and balancing optimism with realistic expectations.

On the men’s side, we get our first look at several newcomers and tackle the big questions: Who can become an elite shooter? Will improved size translate into better defense and rebounding? And who will emerge alongside the returning core?

Plus: our preseason All-A-10 predictions, where Richmond’s nonconference schedule stacks up across the league, and what we hope to learn from October’s scrimmages.

Subscribe and join us for the countdown to tipoff. Go Spiders!

Coach Will Gipe returns to tell Tom and Porter how Richmond finds, evaluates, and lands future Spiders. From discovering Chad Cook to reconnecting with Jaden Schultz, Gipe shares the stories behind the recruiting process and explains why relationships, basketball IQ, and fit still matter in an era of agents, money, and constant roster turnover.

We discuss how past Spiders help sell the program, why the transfer portal has changed scouting, and what roughly 70 days on the recruiting trail looks like.

Then we turn to the team and what encourages him about this group.

Missed Part 1? Catch our conversation with Gipe about the challenges of building Richmond’s nonconference schedule.

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Why can’t Richmond get more big-name opponents into the Robins Center? There’s a lot more to it than picking up the phone.

Tom and Porter welcome Coach Will Gipe for a candid look at the business behind the Spiders’ nonconference schedule. Gipe explains how guarantee games work, why Power Four opponents are increasingly difficult to land, and how NET rankings and financial incentives shape the matchups fans actually get to see.

We also discuss how the Virginia Tech game came together, exhibitions against UVA and JMU, and why the William & Mary rivalry matters—even when the coaches would rather not face their friends. Plus, Gipe shares his path from Southwest Virginia to Virginia Tech and a decade on Chris Mooney’s staff.

Coming in Part 2 on Monday: recruiting, agents, the transfer portal, and a closer look at Richmond’s freshmen.

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Richmond women’s basketball players Ally Sweeney and Rayne Wright join Spiders Sound Off to take us inside a whirlwind offseason and preview a new era under head coach Alisa Kresge.

Ally and Rayne revisit the tension of Selection Sunday, the NCAA Tournament loss to Nebraska and the shock of Aaron Roussell’s departure. They explain why Ally chose to finish her career at Richmond, how Rayne is embracing a larger leadership role and what fans can expect from Kresge’s faster offense and aggressive defense.

They also discuss growing up with basketball-coach dads, Rayne’s connection to Spider defensive great Tony Dobbins, the growth of Richmond’s home crowds and two teammates poised to make some noise this season.

Tom and Porter go inside the numbers with Ryan Carlson, co-creator of Insight GM, a new college basketball analytics platform designed to look forward instead of backward.

Ryan explains how Insight GM uses its RQI metric to evaluate roster construction, transfer portal additions and projected team performance — and then puts the model to the test on the Richmond Spiders.

Why does the model love Jamie Kaiser? How much better does Richmond look after its offseason overhaul? Where do the Spiders fit in an incredibly tight A-10? And could a healthy, productive Jason McCaffrey be the wild card that blows up the projections?

Plus: why St. Louis could be better than other models think, the A-10's "messy middle," Vanderbilt and Nebraska as potential sleepers, the limitations of preseason rankings, and how analytics are changing the way college basketball programs build rosters and prepare for games.

Spider Sound Off — Richmond basketball talk from Spider fans, for Spider fans.

Bill Dooley has seen Richmond basketball from nearly every perspective imaginable—as a player, assistant coach, head coach, recruiter, alumnus and lifelong fan.

In this episode of Spiders Sound Off, Bill takes us through his remarkable journey, including:

• Why he transferred to Richmond
• Playing for Dick Tarrant
• Becoming an assistant coach during Richmond's rise to national prominence
• Behind-the-scenes stories from the NCAA Tournament upsets over Indiana and Syracuse
• Coaching against David Robinson and Navy
• How the three-point line changed college basketball
• Taking over for Dick Tarrant at just 33 years old

If you love Richmond basketball history, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Richmond basketball legend Grant Golden joins Spiders Sound Off for one of our most memorable conversations yet. Grant reflects on the incredible journey that took him from a frightening heart condition as a freshman to becoming one of the greatest players in Richmond history.

We walk through every chapter of his career:

• His recruitment to Richmond and why the Spiders always felt like home.
• The on-court collapse that nearly ended his career before it really began.
• Battling through two difficult rebuilding seasons while standing behind Coach Chris Mooney during the program's toughest moments.
• The magical 2019-20 team whose NCAA Tournament dreams were erased by COVID.
• Playing through the chaos of the pandemic season, including quarantines, false positive tests, and beating Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
• The unforgettable 2022 Atlantic 10 Tournament championship, NCAA Tournament victory over Iowa, and why that championship meant more because of everything the team endured.

This is the definitive conversation about one of the greatest careers in Richmond basketball history.

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