Atlantic 10 Sleeper: Richmond Has a Route Into the Top Five

2026-10-01

Richmond is eighth in MMH's Atlantic 10 projected order, matching Blue Ribbon's conference forecast. That makes the Spiders a genuine sleeper candidate: a top-five finish would be a substantial step forward after a 5–13 conference season, without requiring a title run. The bet rests on a new interior scorer and a transfer group with complementary skills. Official A-10 standings

Why the leap is plausible

The central addition is Amon Dörries, a 6-foot-11 center who scored 16.2 points per game and shot 54 percent at Bucknell as a freshman. He earned second-team All-Patriot League and all-rookie honors; Blue Ribbon lists him among the league's leading newcomers. Richmond has long valued players who can make decisions from the frontcourt. Dörries' scoring touch gives this version a potential interior focal point, provided he adjusts to the size and pace of Atlantic 10 frontcourts. Richmond transfer announcement

He will not have to generate every shot. Derin Saran started all 35 games at UC Irvine last season, averaging 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Jamie Kaiser Jr. made 29 starts at Butler and supplied 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, while Andrew Ball averaged 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds at Monmouth. Returning wing Collin Tanner adds familiarity with Chris Mooney's system. A plausible early rotation puts Saran and Dominick Stewart in the backcourt, Kaiser on the wing, Ball and Dörries up front, with Tanner among the first alternatives. Those roles are projections, not announced starters. Saran and Stewart · Kaiser bio · Ball bio · Richmond roster

What could hold the Spiders back

The new players bring production from the Patriot League, Big West, Big East and CAA, and the A-10 will test how well their roles fit. Dörries will face bigger, more physical frontcourts than many of the ones he saw at Bucknell. Richmond also needs dependable perimeter defense and enough ballhandling when Saran sits. If opponents take away interior touches and make the guards manufacture shots late in the clock, an eighth-place finish will be easier to understand.

The early tell

Watch whether Saran and Dörries develop a productive two-man game and whether Kaiser, Stewart and Tanner turn those touches into clean perimeter shots. If the defense holds up while the new offense becomes connected by conference play, Richmond can reach the league's crowded top five. That is the sleeper case. Last season's individual numbers establish what each arrival has done; they are not projected 2026–27 averages.