University of Richmond senior Kevin Hovde broke his ankle during a recent Spiders workout and is expected to miss at least 10 weeks, according to UR coach Chris Mooney. Surgery was performed. Hovde, 6-6 and from Kennett Square, Pa., played in 24 games last season for the 20-16 Spiders, averaging 5.8 minutes. “It’s so disappointing because of how hard he works and how much he cares about this program,“ Mooney said. “For a guy who was a walk-on and became a scholarship player, it’s just terrible luck for him in his senior year that that would happen.“

The Atlantic 10 Conference media day for men’s basketball is a week from today, after which the University of Richmond officially will be recognized as a championship contender—at least on paper. UR probably will be handicapped as the 14-team league’s third-place finisher, behind Dayton and Xavier. In four previous seasons with Chris Mooney as coach, the Spiders never have been so respected in October.

In a day or two, Jamal Brunt will begin making phone calls that lead to the University of Richmond’s basketball schedule. The 2010-11 schedule, that is. Think scheduling takes a while? Brunt, a UR assistant coach and former guard at Randolph-Macon College, is the point man for Spiders’ scheduling. “You can’t just call North Carolina, get a home-and-home and you’re done,“ said Richmond coach Chris Mooney. “There’s an incredible amount of legwork that goes into who has games [to schedule], dates, availability, how you want your schedule to be.

University of Richmond basketball coach Chris Mooney said he wanted his 2009-10 team challenged by a demanding schedule. The Spiders, with four starters back and Dan Geriot returning from a knee injury, will be. They’ll be playing what could be considered the toughest schedule in program history. In games apart from its 16-game Atlantic 10 Conference obligation, UR will meet Florida, Wake Forest, South Carolina, Mississippi State and maybe Missouri in addition to Virginia Commonwealth and some other traditional opponents. The Spiders’ A-10 schedule is expected to be released in mid-August.

About 60 seconds after the University of Richmond announced a contract extension for men’s basketball coach Chris Mooney yesterday, his boss made clear the program’s ambitious goals. Said Spiders Athletic Director Jim Miller: “We expect to consistently and successfully compete for Atlantic 10 championships and earn post-season opportunities that will enable the University of Richmond to be recognized nationally as fielding quality basketball programs.“

The University of Richmond has extended the contracts of men’s basketball coach Chris Mooney and women’s basketball coach Michael Shafer. UR announced the extensions at a news conference this afternoon.

The University of Richmond today is expected to announce a contract extension for men’s basketball coach Chris Mooney. Mooney, 36, is in the fourth year of the five-year deal to which he agreed when hired. Details of the extension were unknown last night. A multiyear extension is likely, though neither Mooney nor UR Athletic Director Jim Miller could be reached for comment.

A three-point motivational speech is available for University of Richmond coach Chris Mooney, if he needs it, before the Spiders play tonight at Charlotte. 1. UR will qualify for the NCAA field only by winning the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament next week in Atlantic City, N.J., and a bid to the 32-team National Invitation Tournament is unlikely. But the Spiders (7-7, 15-14) still may be a postseason team.

In three college seasons, Ryan Butler demonstrated he can score, dish eye-catching assists, handle the ball, rebound and defend inside and out. But the 6-7 redshirt junior from Douglas Freeman High experienced difficulty putting the package together, until recently. Butler got his first start of the season Wednesday because of an ankle sprain suffered by 6-9 sophomore Justin Harper. Butler responded with 11 points and five rebounds in 31 minutes in a 71-67 win over Duquesne.

UR’s advantage tonight at Massachusetts in an Atlantic 10 Conference game would appear to be that the Minutemen (2-4, 7-12) have a first-year coach, Derek Kellogg. But Kellogg previously dealt with UR and its Princeton-style offense, which he recognized as “unique in this league.“ Kellogg came to UMass after nine seasons as a Memphis assistant. Memphis beat visiting Richmond 80-63 early last season. The Tigers led 40-39 at halftime. The score was tied with 11 minutes left.

In the Harper household of Chesterfield County, well-rounded offspring make happy parents. Ollie and Linda Harper encourage their three children to develop diversified portfolios. The eldest, 19-year-old Justin, played saxophone in Meadowbrook High’s marching and jazz bands, earned a 3.35 grade-point average there, starred in basketball, was Meadowbrook’s male scholar-athlete of the year and was named the school’s homecoming king.

“Stay together,“ advised University of Richmond forward Ryan Butler after Saturday’s 71-67 loss to St. Bonaventure. That’s the Spiders’ mindset as they entertain Rhode Island tonight because they experienced a distressful, dysfunctional, disorderly finish so disturbing that it could be disabling in their next date. UR lost a seven-point lead in the final three minutes against the Bonnies, marking the third time this season that Richmond fell as a result of ineffective closing.

As practice was ending Tuesday, University of Richmond basketball coach Chris Mooney announced “We are changing!“ Music began blaring in the Robins Center, and the Spiders clapped and hollered, as if linebackers priming for a football game’s first collision. One player stood under the basket. Fifteen feet away, another player started dribbling, accelerated to nearly full speed, lowered his right shoulder, and slammed into the stationary Spider’s chest.

Two perspectives on Chris Mooney: 1. Extend his contract now. 2. A decision on that subject requires more time and evidence. These viewpoints regarding the University of Richmond basketball coach circulate among hoops fans and UR administrators as the school studies whether Mooney’s contract will be extended, when that should happen and how many additional years may be appropriate. Mooney is 3½ seasons into the five-year deal he signed when hired.

On a night when the University of Richmond plays for a national championship in football, the school has a chance to make headlines in men’s basketball, too. It’s not every day that a Top 10 opponent comes to town, but UR (5-4) hosts 10th-ranked Wake Forest (9-0) tonight at 7 o’clock. An hour later, in Chattanooga, Tenn., Richmond meets Montana for the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision title.