Robins Center Faithful Chime in
Richmond is off to a blistering start, so I felt it necessary to interview some fans to see what they thought so far. I interviewed 3 different people asking them a series of questions about the team so far. I want to start off by saying that this was extremely fun to do, and I’m hoping to do more work like this in the future.
Spider Report Card – Fan #1
The first person I spoke with was Sheri. She regularly watches and attends games at the Robins Center, and she is very pleased with their hot start. I asked her how satisfied she was with the overall atmosphere for home games so far. Her response was “the fans are very engaged which makes the games more exciting”. Through 6 games this season in front of the home crowd, I have to agree with her and say that the fans have been tremendous so far. I then asked her about the idea that Jacob Gilyard could be in contention for A-10 Player of the Year and what she thought about that. “I think that he is very deserving of this so far, and while watching him play, I can see how he could earn this. The last question I asked Sheri was who is your favorite Spider, and why? Her answer was “Blake Francis because he plays with passion every play of the game and gives 100%. He seems to be a great team player”.
Spider Report Card – Fan #2
The next Richmond fan who I spoke with was Joshua (@jslatee on Twitter). When asked how many games per year he normally attends, he said “around 10-12”. I asked him about what he thought of the overall atmosphere so far. “I think the atmosphere of the crowd has been very good so far this year. A good crowd atmosphere helps the team win games”. I then dug a little deeper and asked him his thoughts on Chris Mooney. He replied with “I think Mooney is a fantastic coach. With such a young team as the Spiders have this season, I think he is doing a great job getting everyone together after a rough season last year”.
Spider Report Card – Fan #3
The final Spider fan I spoke with was Jerry. He has watched Richmond very closely this year, and he had some interesting things to say. When asked about Jacob Gilyard possibly being in contention for A-10 Player of the Year, he hit on how “he’s developed into a leader and has really improved his shot from last season”. In Gilly’s 3rd season with Richmond, his 3-point production has continued to increase. His freshman year, he hit 58-151, sophomore year he went 74-204, and currently sits at 26-49 in 2019-2020. One thing that Jerry pointed out when asked about the crowd at the Robins Center, he stated that “winning is always fun, and the crowd is electric as the fans get just as fired up on offense as they do on defense”. The last question I asked Jerry was who was his favorite player, and why? He said Jacob Gilyard because of “how hard he works on both sides of the ball”.
Overall Outlook
I only got the chance to speak with 3 Richmond fans, but the general consensus on this season seems to be fairly optimistic. Hopefully I will get the chance to write more articles such as this one, as it allows me to see what the fans in the community think of how Richmond basketball is doing. For all things Richmond Spiders & A-10 related, be sure to follow @AustinDaisey11 & @A10talk on Twitter, as well as joining our website at www.a10talk.com.