Richmond won a second straight A-10 CT, and even though we got bounced in the first round of the NT, it was one of the most rewarding seasons I've had in this game. I figured we'd win 16-18 games and maybe, if we were lucky, contend for a PI spot. Instead, we won 23, advanced to the big one, and moved up to a B prestige.

As good as all that was, though, winning the most insane flip I've ever been part of may be even better.

Daniel Cooper (****, #43 overall, #8 SG) - I needed to take a really big swing. Michael Michael moved from SF to SG and performed shockingly well despite mediocre "guard stats," but he's graduating, and Christopher Linsey will be a senior next year. With Larry Snelson and Gary Florio both being role players at this point, and Jeff Lowery needing some more time, backcourt depth going forward was sorely lacking.

Cooper was less than 300 miles from campus in western Pennsylvania, which is reasonably far from any of the heavy hitters, so this was where I took my stand. It's easy to see why. He's already an outstanding scorer that knows my offense, and once he understands the M2M defense we run, he'll be an asset on that end of the floor, too. He'll get a little faster, which is good, and his BH/passing numbers will mean we can play him at either guard spot. In a lot of ways, he's very similar to Sean Lynch, though maybe a better distributor in exchange for not as much rebounding/LP ability.

UConn and UNC each went after him, too. I threw EVERYTHING at him, including promises and nearly 1,800 attention points. That got me a 25% chance to get him come flip time, and somehow, some way, the dice fell in my favor. He'll start from day one and turn into a phenomenal player for this level.

We're done, and if I've ever been happier with a recruiting class in my HD career, I don't know when.

Bradley Isaac (****, international so unranked) - As I said when talking about Arthur Walsh, we lose a lot in our frontcourt this year. Furthermore, Paul Day and Damon Keller will be seniors, so we needed reinforcements.

Isaac might be a touch overranked by the star system, though if you were to call him a *** guy, I wouldn't object. He's already an outstanding inside scorer with room to improve his outside shooting, and he's an outstanding passer for a big guy. He'll turn into a good rebounder, if not a great one, and while his defense and shot blocking aren't great now (and might be a bit of a problem early on when I have to play him 10 minutes/game), they'll improve a lot with time.

The reason I imagine I got him without much of a fight is his athleticism. It's not like it's terrible, but it's a bit lower than one would prefer and it means he likely won't ever be a star. Still, if that gets up around 60 (which it should), he'll be a very, very good player, and his above-average speed for the position should help compensate for some of that. I really like him, and he'll be a very valuable piece moving forward.

Franklin Holliday (#234 overall, #52 PG) - If you've read this thread (and several other ones I've put together), you know I love finding undervalued guards and turning them into small forwards, where some guard weaknesses aren't nearly as big of a deal. That's the case with Holliday, who looks like a carbon copy of Michael Michael. Change his position from PG to SF, and he simply looks far, far better.

I love his defense, and he's going to turn into a SF with good ATH/speed that can be a stopper on that end of the floor. His inside game will improve to complement his OK outside shot, and if his passing ability shoots up as high as it can, he may still have some guard play in his future.

I wish I didn't have to play him as much as I'll need to early on. I was alone on him into the late recruiting window, but NC State decided to drop in. To ward them off, I promised a start and 20 minutes (which means, yep, we'll be starting three freshmen next year). He'll be a liability briefly, but at least he knows our offense, and he's going to be a very good player down the line so I don't mind some short-term pain.

- - - - -

RECRUITING THOUGHTS

I legitimately don't know how this class could be any better. All four incoming freshmen will top out no worse than "very good starters," with Cooper having star potential and Walsh and Isaac topping out not far from that. Holliday's going to turn into a strong player, too, even if it'll take some time, and Baley balances out my classes to where I can breathe just a little easier.

We'll be down next year, most likely, even with Linsey and Day being very good starters. However, we'll be far more competitive than we had any right to be going into recruiting, and any sort of rebuild shouldn't be as painful as prior ones I've had here.

GRADE: A+.

We are indeed down this season, as I predicted, but the "down" isn't as bad as it could be. We're 13-10, 9-4 in the A-10, and could conceivably finish a few games over .500. That would be far from bad considering we've got three freshmen in the starting lineup (and another, Bradley Isaac, playing big minutes off the bench out of position at SF instead of his natural PF spot!).

Recruiting is well underway. We've got three spots to fill this time around, and here we go...

Steve Stem (#233 overall, #43 PG) - This year's crop of recruits was...weird. There were a lot of solid, unspectacular "depth" options, and very few stars. Stem isn't a star, to be sure, but he reminds me a ton of Larry Snelson, who's played big minutes all three years and won't be out of place starting next season.

His scoring won't get better, but he's already a very good shooter with a solid inside game for a guard, so that's just fine. He'll turn into an excellent ball handler and, likely, a decent passer, which puts him in play for time at PG, SG, and SF. His defense will turn out just-OK, and I do wish he'd be a bit faster, but it's not like either of those traits will be awful down the line, either.

In a perfect world, I'll be able to redshirt him next season and give him some more time to grow. If that happens, he'll give us a bunch of ways we can use him down the line once he tops out as a pretty good player. He's not the home run a few recruits last season were, but I like him just fine.

And we're done!

Robert Burke (***, #86 overall, #15 SG) - There's no other way to say it, he's overranked. When I said this was a weird crop of recruits, I wasn't blowing smoke.

Burke, thankfully, didn't require any promises coming in, and I was able to snag him pretty cheaply. He's not without value. He's going to be a very good scorer, and he knows our offensive and defensive sets. The thing is, he's way more of a small forward given his speed, and what he does, Holliday is going to do better for quite a while. Burke will still be a good rotational player all four years, and there's value to that, but he's never going to be a star or live up to the absurd ranking.

The prize of the group is...

Greg Blood (**, #115 overall, #24 C) - We lose Paul Day, who's turned into a very good starter, and Damon Keller, who was barely ranked for his position but got redshirted and developed into a very good #3 big. Reinforcements are vital, and that's where Blood comes in.

He's already a very good rebounder, and he'll turn into an excellent one. His defensive skills will shoot up in time, and I like that he's got room to grow with his speed and wing stats. That could give him dimensions some bigs don't have. Offensively, he's just okay. He's not going to be a world-class scorer, and his athleticism is close to being topped out, but he's capable inside and could capitalize if another big is double-teamed.

I promised him 10 minutes a game. That turned out to be necessary, as Nebraska and La Salle both offered him right before he signed. With only four bigs next year, he and Bradley Isaac will play a lot in relief of Demarest and Walsh. None of those players will be seniors next year, which means our frontcourt is going to be tough for years to come. That's a good feeling.

- - - - -

RECRUITING THOUGHTS

Is it the banner class of a year ago? No. Still, this is far from bad. Stem and Burke are fine for what they are, and Blood has the potential to be an extremely strong big guy.

I wish there were more guard options between "stud" and "depth chart fodder." As it turned out, though, my first choice was descended upon by two high-prestige programs, so I audibled. Stem will be fine with some time, and while Burke may not ever start, he'll be a decent small forward and see significant minutes most of the time.

GRADE: B. The two wings are C+/B- types, but Blood brings everything up a few ticks.

This past season: Richmond went 17-12 and got knocked out of the PI in the first round. We had a few good wins, but stumbled a few times down the stretch. We do, however, return four of five starters next season. I expect us to be very, very good, and perhaps some new blood will help.

Dan Green (#209 overall, #42 C) - It's likely we'll move Bradley Isaac back to SF next season. This pool of recruits was, as usual, pretty poor on the guard side, so Franklin Holliday will go back to guard after two seasons at SF.

Isaac going elsewhere means we need some frontcourt depth. Enter Green, who needs a little time but will be a very solid addition. He's raw right now, but will turn into a solid athlete, a good defender/shot-blocker, and a very good inside scorer. His rebounding won't get any better than it is right now, but it's fine as it is, and coupled with athleticism that will improve considerably, he won't be a liability.

Green isn't the top-level prospect some of his frontcourt mates are. However, he's a good (if not great) get for us that'll play some minutes right away and develop into a strong (if not top-class) starter.

EDIT (11/20/23): Green turned out to be our only signing. We had one more scholarship to offer but lost a 55-45 flip to NC State for a guy who would've been a pretty excellent player. There was nobody left I felt comfortable offering, since it was so late. He'd have been a great get, but I can live with what we've got (and honestly, after winning flips for Cooper, Walsh, and Holliday a few seasons ago, I was due to lose one!).

This is almost certainly the best Richmond team I've ever had. This season's Spiders are 19-3, ranked #13 nationally, and potentially set up to do some damage in the postseason. For the first time, though, my best player (Daniel Cooper, he of the magical 50-25-25 flip) is an underclassman likely to leave for the NBA, so work needs to be done on the recruiting trail.

Patrick Caudill (*, #148 overall, #23 SF) - Bradley Isaac's been very good as a SF this season, but that's not his true position. He's a natural PF, and he'll be moving back there for his senior year. Robert Burke, who signed a few seasons ago, is a decent backup, but won't ever turn into more than that.

This led me to Caudill, who's a bit raw now but will turn into, at worst, a very, very good starter. He's already a passable inside scorer, and he'll turn into a solid defender who can be a threat in a variety of ways. I wish he was a little faster, but Isaac is slower and he's been fine.

I had to promise him a start and 25 minutes/game in a battle with Georgetown. Thankfully, that worked, as I won a 59% flip. There may be some initial growing pains, but some of those will be dulled by his knowledge of our offensive and defensive sets. He won't be a total liability as a freshman, and his ceiling is high enough to where I'm OK with living up to what was promised.

William Nicholson (#247 overall, #45 PG) - Stop me if you've heard this one before, but this year's guards stunk. My initial target was a **** PG who would've started right away regardless of Cooper leaving for the NBA early. Unfortunately, several A prestige teams descended upon him, and while I would've battled one, I couldn't justify battling a bunch.

That led me to work down my list, and I landed on Nicholson, who's nowhere near as good but won't be bad. He's going to be an OK "three and D" guy, with excellent outside shooting, good speed/athleticism, and solid defensive skills. It also helps that I didn't have to promise him anything; all I needed to do was bump off a low-prestige Sim, and that proved pretty easy. Nicholson reminds me a bit of Larry Snelson, who was a perfectly acceptable complementary piece to some good teams and wasn't totally out of place as a starter his senior season.

I do wish he was a better passer. That has the potential to be a problem. Still, for what he is, he's okay, and I could've done much, much worse (I imagine a bunch of human-coached teams will have to!).

One more; if this is it for this class, I'll be pretty happy, but I think we'll need to be active in Round 2, unfortunately.

Gary Cole (#230 overall, #67 PF) - Russell Demarest is the one senior starter we lose. Bradley Isaac moving back to PF helps fill that gap, but he and Arthur Walsh will be seniors next year. Getting at least one big was vital, and Cole will be a very good fit...eventually.

Right now, he's raw. He's a good athlete and a solid defender, but his rebounding and low post abilities need time. Thankfully, they'll grow by leaps and bounds, and he'll eventually turn into an excellent big guy (possibly with enough versatility to play some SF, too). He just needs time to grow, and he'll get that here. Thankfully, he's another guy I didn't have to promise anything to!

If Cooper improbably comes back, Cole's almost certainly redshirting. If he leaves, it depends how Round 2 of recruiting goes. Either way, he's not much to look at now, but in a few seasons, he'll be a very good player.

We finished 24-6, but unfortunately ended the year with a pair of overtime losses. A third hit came when Daniel Cooper declared for the NBA Draft, where he'll likely be a first-round pick. That opened up another scholarship, and with that came a bizarre situation.

Melvin Wilkerson (#120 C) - Wilkerson wasn't my first choice. That distinction went to a point guard that would've been a VERY fun, high work ethic, "redshirt a year, sit a year" project. That project was also offered by Binghamton...and shunned both D1 programs for a D2 school that won a three-way flip.

Wilkerson isn't going to be a star, and it's likely he won't be a starter, but he's got some redeeming qualities. He's going to be a very solid rebounder, a decent scorer, and a pretty good passer for a big guy assuming he tops out. His lowish work ethic is a problem, as is his on-ball defense (which I'm hoping is somewhat covered up by his shot-blocking). I also wish he was faster, but provided he sticks to center, that won't be too much of an issue.

As a role-player, he'll be fine. That's especially true because we don't need him to play much at all this coming year, with Walsh, Isaac, Greg Blood, Dan Green, and maybe Gary Cole ahead of him on the depth chart. I wish that point guard had signed, especially given what seems like an annual dearth of backcourt options, but as fallback plans go, this isn't bad.

- - - - -

RECRUITING THOUGHTS

Round one of recruiting went really well. Caudill and Cole will both turn into very good starters, and Nicholson will be solid for what he is. It would've been nice to land the **** guard I talked about, but that wasn't a rational battle for me to fight.

Had Cooper stayed, we would've been in position to do some damage again next season. We'll still be okay (a Walsh/Isaac frontcourt has real potential), but his exit leaves a pretty big hole. Wilkerson isn't terrible, and is certainly much better than a walk-on, but I wish we didn't have to sign someone.

GRADE: B-/B. This seems about right. It's not like I could've done a whole lot better, and at least I got a few guys that'll fit as starters down the road.

On the court, we've been okay. Not great, but okay. We're 15-8, with an RPI hovering around 100 and a few chances to get that up. Cooper leaving early really hurt and killed any chance at an NT berth. What's there still isn't bad, and the Isaac/Walsh frontcourt is a genuine strength, but this season could've been SO much better.

On the plus side, recruiting has started with a bang. This is good, because we graduate four of five starters, will likely be pretty bad next year, and desperately need a strong class.

Douglas White (**, #112 overall, #24 PG) - We return a grand total of two guards. One of them, Steve Stem, didn't redshirt when he should have and lost all chance to be a high-impact starter down the line because of it. The other, William Nicholson, is a freshman this year and needs more time.

Initially, I targeted a **** player that, of course, was descended upon by most of the Big East. I pivoted down my list, and White, thankfully, didn't get any serious interest from human-coached teams. He's got the potential to be a fantastic offensive weapon. He'll be pretty fast, and his maxed-out work ethic ensures he'll hit his very high scoring potential quickly. He'll also rebound well enough for a guard to potentially play some SF at some point.

The bad news is, he's a lousy defender coming in and his ceiling isn't particularly high in that regard. Just how high that ceiling is will determine where he's most effective. I think he'll still be a pretty good player, though, and it's never a bad thing to have a guy with elite scoring potential who's guaranteed to reach it.

Matthew Ebbert (*, #126 overall, #34 PF) - The last recruiting period saw us get two frontcourt players, which helps a lot given Isaac and Walsh both being seniors. While Gary Cole is redshirting and will likely be a force for us in the future, though, Melvin Wilkerson won't ever start. This meant getting another guy who could play some minutes was pretty important, and Ebbert was the only frontcourt player I targeted at all, whatsoever.

Right now, he's raw, but he's a fantastic developmental prospect. He'll turn into a very good athlete with a lot of speed for a frontcourt position, and he's got "very high" potential everywhere it counts. It's conceivable he could max out in rebounding and low-post scoring, while also being a good on-ball defender with surprising wing stats. He reminds me a ton of Isaac, actually, and that's a guy who's done very well here.

I wish I didn't have to play him 10 minutes a game next year. Having said that, I'm seeing next season as a rebuilding year, so it's not like that'll kill us. He's going to be a really, REALLY good player down the road, and the idea of a Cole/Ebbert frontcourt is a pretty tantalizing one.

We limped to a 16-11 finish. Simply put, we didn't have enough offensive firepower to do significant damage.

Round two of recruiting underway...

Quincy Jones (#219 overall, #43 PG) - First and foremost, Quincy Jones will be nicknamed "The Producer" from the moment he steps on campus. Sometimes, the low-hanging fruit tastes the best.

Anyway, I went into round two as part of two flips. I won one and lost one, so it wasn't a total loss. Jones is raw and needs time. He's not a polished defender, and his traditional guard stats need work. However, he's got very high potential in several key areas and a strong work ethic to match. In time, he'll be a very, very good guard that can play either PG or SG, and his rebounding/low-post numbers aren't terrible, so he may see some time at SF, too.

Had I won both flips (the other was for a guy who would've started from day one), Jones would've almost certainly redshirted. We may not have that luxury now, and that's not ideal, but at the same time, Jones's ceiling is pretty high, and he's a strong get for us.

I thought I'd need to take a walk-on, but I managed to fill my last scholarship with a decent player.

Joseph Hughes (#184 overall, #47 PF) - I was flying totally blind on Hughes. I saw a few other human-coached programs show interest, and as it turns out, there was a reason for that. Hughes has a fantastic offensive ceiling, and he's going to turn into a great athlete with enough speed to play some SF. That's a good thing, because he's not a great rebounder (and that's his one main weakness).

Getting Hughes required some pretty wild strokes of luck. James Madison was interested enough to merit a "very high" designation, but they'd filled all their scholarships and never offered him. I wound up coming in one cycle before Florida State did and had just enough recruiting money for a home visit. That pushed us over the line.

I'm going to try to redshirt Hughes this coming year. With his work ethic, it'd do a lot of good, and it's not like he'd play a lot with what's turned into a pretty crowded frontcourt. Once he develops, he'll be a pretty strong player.

- - - - -

RECRUITING THOUGHTS

There's no use sugarcoating it: We're going to be pretty bad next year. Losing four starters is never fun, and backcourt depth is a real issue. I had hoped to bring in a guy who would've been an instant starter at PG to mitigate some of that, but a third of the ACC descended upon him, making for a five-way flip won by Miami (at 12% odds!).

Having said that, this is a pretty good recruiting class, if not a great one. Ebbert, in particular, is a really exciting frontcourt prospect with loads of potential. White's defense is an issue, but he'll grow a ton his freshman year, and while Jones needs some time, he'll wind up being a useful, versatile guard who can eventually be a good, solid starter. Hughes could use a redshirt year, but once he fully develops, he'll be a legitimate offensive weapon.

Getting guys who could've started right away would've made this an A-tier class. That's not what this is, and we'll probably pay for that next season. Still, I could see all four of these guys starting for a really good team down the line, so I can't be upset about it. They just need time.

GRADE: B/B+.

Not a good on-court season for the Spiders, as we're clearly feeling the effects of losing a bunch of guys from last year's team. As I type this, we're 8-14, but started the season 2-10 and have actually shown some improvement as the year's gone on. Eight guys are sophomores or younger, so I always figured this year would be a challenge.

Recruiting's been a mixed bag so far. First, the good...

Wayne Keegan (**, #129 overall, #27 PG) - I had two primary backcourt targets in recruiting. Keegan signed, and that's good because, while he needs some time, he'll be a very good point guard. The bad news is, the **** guard I went all-in on came down to a flip, which I lost to Dayton. It was 54-46 in Dayton's favor, and it didn't go my way. Them's the breaks.

Keegan, though, is a strong signing. He's going to be exceptionally fast and a great defender, as well as a top-notch ball handler. His athleticism is solid, he'll rebound fairly well for a guard, and he's got some inside game, which one doesn't usually see at the PG spot. I wish he was a better shooter (though the ATH/LP combo means he won't be a bad dribble-drive guy), and he'll be a just-OK passer. Having said that, the positives are really good here, and given how hard it is to find good guards some years, I'm more than happy to have him in the fold.

I promised Keegan 10 minutes, partially to ward off a minor challenge from another human-coached team, and he'll get that (especially with the other primary target not signing). In the short term, he may be a bit of a liability, but he'll be good enough down the line to where I can stomach some growing pains.

Hooked a pretty big fish!

Douglas Opitz (****, #49 overall, #13 PF) - Opitz wasn't an initial priority, but he gives us a full frontcourt rotation, plus a guy who's fast enough to spell Caudill at the SF spot. I had to promise him 15 minutes, then get lucky and win a 54-46 flip over Pittsburgh, but after all of that, I'm pretty happy to have landed him.

I can see why a lot of the bigger schools passed on him. His low-ish athleticism isn't ideal, and other than rebounding (and hopefully defense), he's not going to get a ton better than he is right now in most categories that matter. Where he is right now, though, is pretty darned good. He's an outstanding scorer who knows my offense, and I believe he's got some M2M knowledge, too, given his preferences.

Four stars might be a bit of a reach, but I like Opitz a lot. He'll play a ton of minutes from the jump and not be out of place. With Cole, Ebbert, and now Opitz, our frontcourt is going to be a genuine strength for quite a while.

I have never had more fun with a young team than I did at the back end of last season. After a 2-10 start, we fought to 8-14, then somehow reeled off seven wins in a row to get to the CT finals. We definitely got better as the year went on, and while we couldn't beat St. Bonaventure in that game, salvaging a 15-15 season after a 2-10 start is an all-time memory for me.

It was enough to keep our B- prestige, and we finished a strong recruiting class with a fun project...

Micheal Evans (#175 PG) - I'd exhausted my recruiting funds in round one, so I needed to find something cheap. Fortunately, Micheal Evans (and yes, the first name is spelled correctly) was right in Richmond and nobody else offered him a scholarship.

Evans won't play much his first two years. My plan is to redshirt him as a freshman, and he'll be at the bottom of the depth chart the following season. However, that will give him some time to develop into a useful option. He'll turn into a very strong defender with good athleticism and speed, and while his offensive numbers won't be great, he won't be a liability for short stretches of time. For what he is, he's absolutely fine, and given my situation, I could've done a lot worse.
Losing out on the **** PG hurts (especially given that he landed with a team we'll play twice a year). However, everything else worked to perfection. Keegan is going to turn into a very, very good guard, and Opitz will play meaningful minutes from the jump. Evans, meanwhile, will get a ton better, and there are worse things to land when totally out of money than a guard who'll be a solid rotational piece down the line (especially when you've got enough depth to give him time to develop).

We've got a bunch of pieces coming back from a team that finished the year very, very strongly. Two of these guys will be key contributors pretty quickly, and a third won't be bad with time. It's not an A/A+ class, but it's not tremendously far off, either.

GRADE: B+.