# 2017–18 Richmond Spiders men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Richmond Spiders men's basketball team represented the University of Richmond during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by 13th-year head coach Chris Mooney and played their home games at the Robins Center Richmond as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 12–20, 9–9 in A-10 play to finish in a four-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 7 seed in the A-10 tournament, they defeated Duquesne in the second round before losing to St. Bonaventure in the quarterfinals.

## Previous season

The Spiders finished the 2016–17 season 19–11, 13–5 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for third place in the conference. They defeated George Washington in the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament before losing to VCU in the semifinals. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated Alabama and Oakland before falling to TCU in the quarterfinals.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| ShawnDre' Jones | 3 | G | 6'0" | 165 | Senior | Houston, Texas | Graduated |
| T. J. Cline | 10 | F/C | 6'9" | 230 | RS Senior | Plano, Texas | Graduated |
| Chase Fletcher | 12 | F | 6'7" | 220 | Senior | Dallas, Texas | Walk-on; graduated |
| Marshall Wood | 24 | F | 6'8" | 215 | RS Senior | Rustburg, Virginia | Graduated |
| Jesse Pistokache | 30 | G | 6'3" | 205 | Sophomore | Mission, Texas | Transferred to Salem International |
| Kwesi Abakah | 34 | F | 6'8" | 240 | Grad Student | Suwanee, Georgia | Graduated |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Tomas Verbinskis #67 SF | Weston, Florida | The Sagemont School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 21, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72 ||||||
| Bryce Schneider SG | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | Myrtle Beach High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Oct 16, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Jacob Gilyard PG | Kansas City, Missouri | The Barstow School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Sep 12, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Nathan Cayo SG | Montreal, Quebec | College Jean-De-Brebeuf | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Oct 13, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Phoenix Ford SF | Saint Petersburg, Florida | Saint Petersburg High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Nov 7, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR Rivals: NR ESPN: NR ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals.com 2017 Richmond Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017. "Scout.com 2017 Richmond Commitments". Scout.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017. "ESPN 2017 Richmond Commitments". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017. ||||||

## Future recruits
### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Souleymane Koureissi SF | New Rochelle, NY | Iona Preparatory School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 31, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 77 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals.com 2018 Richmond Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017. ||||||

## Preseason

In a poll of the league’s head coaches and select media members at the conference's media day, the Spiders were picked to finish in eighth place in the A-10. De’Monte Buckingham was named to the conference's preseason second team.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 7:00 pm, NBCSWA+ | | Delaware | L 63–76 | 0–1 | 18 – Buckingham | 6 – Tied | 4 – Gilyard | Robins Center (7,201) Richmond, Virginia |
| Nov 13, 2017* noon, NBCSWA | | Jacksonville State | L 61–94 | 0–2 | 13 – 3 Tied | 6 – Golden | 4 – Golden | Robins Center (6,805) Richmond, Virginia |
| Nov 20, 2017* 5:00 pm | | vs. UAB Cayman Islands Classic Quarterfinals | W 63–50 | 1–2 | 26 – Golden | 7 – Golden | 5 – Stansbury | John Gray High School (650) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| Nov 21, 2017* 7:30 pm | | vs. No. 12 Cincinnati Cayman Islands Classic Semifinals | L 48–75 | 1–3 | 12 – Gilyard | 7 – Buckingham | 3 – Buckingham | John Gray High School (1,400) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| Nov 22, 2017* 5:00 pm | | vs. Louisiana Cayman Islands Classic | L 76–82 | 1–4 | 24 – Golden | 9 – Buckingham | 8 – Buckingham | John Gray High School (850) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| Nov 25, 2017* 6:00 pm, Stadium | | Georgetown | L 76–82 | 1–5 | 28 – Buckingham | 10 – Golden | 3 – Tied | Robins Center (7,201) Richmond, Virginia |
| Nov 29, 2017* 7:00 pm, NBCSWA+ | | Vermont | L 65–71 | 1–6 | 14 – Sherod | 7 – Fore | 4 – Tied | Robins Center (4,615) Richmond, Virginia |
| Dec 2, 2017* 4:00 pm | | at Wake Forest | L 53–82 | 1–7 | 16 – Golden | 9 – Buckingham | 4 – Golden | LJVM Coliseum (6,591) Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Dec 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Old Dominion | L 60–79 | 1–8 | 12 – Tied | 6 – Buckingham | 6 – Gilyard | Ted Constant Convocation Center (5,390) Norfolk, Virginia |
| Dec 10, 2017* 2:00 pm, NBCSWA+ | | James Madison | W 74–71 | 2–8 | 23 – Gilyard | 7 – Buckingham | 5 – Golden | Robins Center (6,524) Richmond, Virginia |
| Dec 19, 2017* 7:00 pm, MASN | | Bucknell | L 78–86 | 2–9 | 22 – Buckingham | 8 – Tied | 5 – Buckingham | Robins Center (5,501) Richmond, Virginia |
| Dec 23, 2017* 1:00 pm, ACCN Extra | | at Boston College | L 73–78 | 2–10 | 17 – Golden | 10 – Golden | 6 – Tied | Conte Forum (5,538) Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts |
| A-10 regular season |||||||||
| Dec 30, 2017 4:30 pm, NBCSN | | Davidson | W 69–58 | 3–10 (1–0) | 22 – Sherod | 10 – Golden | 2 – Tied | Robins Center (6,560) Richmond, Virginia |
| Jan 3, 2018 7:00 pm | | at Fordham | L 65–69 | 3–11 (1–1) | 12 – Johnson | 16 – Buckingham | 4 – Gilyard | Rose Hill Gymnasium (1,106) Bronx, New York |
| Jan 6, 2018 8:00 pm | | at Saint Louis | L 62–69 | 3–12 (1–2) | 24 – Golden | 8 – Tied | 6 – Buckingham | Chaifetz Arena (7,291) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Jan 9, 2018 7:00 pm, Stadium | | Dayton | L 81–87 | 3–13 (1–3) | 17 – Johnson | 7 – Buckingham | 5 – Tied | Robins Center (5,137) Richmond, Virginia |
| Jan 13, 2018 4:30 pm, NBCSN | | George Washington | W 78–68 | 4–13 (2–3) | 24 – Golden | 8 – Buckingham | 5 – Gilyard | Robins Center (6,727) Richmond, Virginia |
| Jan 17, 2018 7:00 pm, Stadium | | at VCU Capital City Classic | W 67–52 | 5–13 (3–3) | 17 – Golden | 9 – Buckingham | 8 – Gilyard | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, Virginia |
| Jan 20, 2018 2:30 pm, NBCSN | | La Salle | W 81–74 | 6–13 (4–3) | 18 – Tied | 9 – Buckingham | 4 – Tied | Robins Center (6,686) Richmond, Virginia |
| Jan 24, 2018 7:00 pm | | at Duquesne | W 77–73 | 7–13 (5–3) | 28 – Sherod | 9 – Golden | 6 – Buckingham | Palumbo Center (1,786) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Jan 28, 2018 2:00 pm, NBCSN | | at Davidson | W 66–63 | 8–13 (6–3) | 24 – Golden | 14 – Sherod | 4 – Tied | John M. Belk Arena (4,412) Davidson, North Carolina |
| Feb 3, 2018 4:30 pm, NBCSN | | George Mason | L 75–79 | 8–14 (6–4) | 32 – Sherod | 11 – Sherod | 5 – Gilyard | Robins Center (7,201) Richmond, Virginia |
| Feb 7, 2018 9:00 pm, CBSSN | | VCU Capital City Classic | W 77–76 | 9–14 (7–4) | 18 – Tied | 9 – Golden | 6 – Gilyard | Robins Center (7,201) Richmond, Virginia |
| Feb 10, 2018 4:00 pm | | at St. Bonaventure | L 88–97 | 9–15 (7–5) | 26 – Sherod | 9 – Sherod | 6 – Gilyard | Reilly Center (5,480) Olean, New York |
| Feb 13, 2018 8:30 pm, CBSSN | | at No. 16 Rhode Island | L 67–85 | 9–16 (7–6) | 21 – Sherod | 7 – Golden | 4 – Buckingham | Ryan Center (7,019) Kingston, Rhode Island |
| Feb 17, 2018 6:00 pm, NBCSWA+ | | Saint Louis | L 66–72 | 9–17 (7–7) | 19 – Sherod | 7 – Buckingham | 5 – Gilyard | Robins Center (7,201) Richmond, Virginia |
| Feb 21, 2018 7:00 pm, Stadium | | at George Washington | L 77–103 | 9–18 (7–8) | 21 – Buckingham | 6 – Golden | 5 – Buckingham | Charles E. Smith Center (2,542) Washington, D.C. |
| Feb 24, 2018 6:00 pm, NBCSWA | | Saint Joseph's | L 70–72 | 9–19 (7–9) | 20 – Sherod | 10 – Buckingham | 5 – Tied | Robins Center (7,201) Richmond, Virginia |
| Feb 28, 2018 7:00 pm, MASN2 | | UMass | W 90–65 | 10–19 (8–9) | 26 – Golden | 11 – Golden | 6 – Tied | Robins Center (5,618) Richmond, Virginia |
| Mar 3, 2018 7:00 pm, MASN | | at George Mason | W 93–79 | 11–19 (9–9) | 25 – Sherod | 8 – Golden | 5 – Tied | EagleBank Arena (5,895) Fairfax, Virginia |
| A-10 tournament |||||||||
| Mar 8, 2018 6:00 pm, NBCSN | (7) | vs. (10) Duquesne Second round | W 81–68 | 12–19 | 20 – Gilyard | 9 – Golden | 7 – Buckingham | Capital One Arena (6,514) Washington, D.C. |
| Mar 9, 2018 6:00 pm, NBCSN | (7) | vs. (2) St. Bonaventure Quarterfinals | L 77–83 | 12–20 | 25 – Fore | 9 – Golden | 5 – Buckingham | Capital One Arena (7,664) Washington, D.C. |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source: