With four games in 10 days, it's compete, repeat for busy Spiders
Don?t contact Nick Sherod after 10:45 p.m. He?ll be sleeping.
This may seem unusual, seeing as how Sherod is a University of Richmond freshman and college students are known for hitting the rack later than most folks. Sherod, a Spiders basketball player from St. Christopher?s, said he knows the need for restorative shut-eye, especially these days.
With Thursday night?s 75-59 loss at Dayton, UR began a stretch in which it plays four Atlantic 10 games in 10 days. Sherod said he will focus on rest, nutrition, hydration, academics and practice, without much time for anything else.
?I?ve never experienced anything like this,? the 6-foot-4 Sherod said of the crowded slice of the Spiders? schedule. ?And college basketball is hard as it is.?
The Spiders (11-7, 5-1) meet George Mason (12-6, 2-3) on Sunday afternoon at the sold-out Robins Center, where Richmond will play Rhode Island on Wednesday and Duquesne on Saturday.
?You hit these stretches during the season when games seem to pile up on you. This is one of them for us,? said UR coach Chris Mooney.
The undersized Spiders depend heavily on 3-pointers. They missed 18 of 20 from beyond the arc at Dayton. Sherod can help end that trend. Known for his 3-point shooting, Sherod began the season in a slump (24.2 percent from 3-point distance in nonconference competition) and continues his escape (38.5 percent from 3-point distance in league play).
?As the season has gone on, I?ve gotten more relaxed and that?s allowed me to be more aggressive and make more shots,? Sherod said. ?At the beginning of the year, I was very tense and focused on doing everything so well that I wasn?t doing anything well. I was trying to be perfect.
?I really tried to be a lot more relaxed going into the games, and I think that has helped me a lot in terms of making shots.?
George Mason hasn?t played since Jan. 14.
?Basketball is a game where you love to have a rhythm of playing regularly, although I did feel like because we?re such a young team (the break was welcome),? said second-year GMU coach Dave Paulsen. ?We had a really good run there in November and December, and then we?ve had some slippage issues, just on some defensive rotations, defensive focus, offensive execution.?
The Patriots? top six players consist of two seniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
The three-game homestand offers Richmond the opportunity in a comfortable environment to return to the level of play that led to its first 5-0 league start since 1989.
Don?t contact Nick Sherod after 10:45 p.m. He?ll be sleeping.
This may seem unusual, seeing as how Sherod is a University of Richmond freshman and college students are known for hitting the rack later than most folks. Sherod, a Spiders basketball player from St. Christopher?s, said he knows the need for restorative shut-eye, especially these days.
With Thursday night?s 75-59 loss at Dayton, UR began a stretch in which it plays four Atlantic 10 games in 10 days. Sherod said he will focus on rest, nutrition, hydration, academics and practice, without much time for anything else.
?I?ve never experienced anything like this,? the 6-foot-4 Sherod said of the crowded slice of the Spiders? schedule. ?And college basketball is hard as it is.?
The Spiders (11-7, 5-1) meet George Mason (12-6, 2-3) on Sunday afternoon at the sold-out Robins Center, where Richmond will play Rhode Island on Wednesday and Duquesne on Saturday.
?You hit these stretches during the season when games seem to pile up on you. This is one of them for us,? said UR coach Chris Mooney.
The undersized Spiders depend heavily on 3-pointers. They missed 18 of 20 from beyond the arc at Dayton. Sherod can help end that trend. Known for his 3-point shooting, Sherod began the season in a slump (24.2 percent from 3-point distance in nonconference competition) and continues his escape (38.5 percent from 3-point distance in league play).
?As the season has gone on, I?ve gotten more relaxed and that?s allowed me to be more aggressive and make more shots,? Sherod said. ?At the beginning of the year, I was very tense and focused on doing everything so well that I wasn?t doing anything well. I was trying to be perfect.
?I really tried to be a lot more relaxed going into the games, and I think that has helped me a lot in terms of making shots.?
George Mason hasn?t played since Jan. 14.
?Basketball is a game where you love to have a rhythm of playing regularly, although I did feel like because we?re such a young team (the break was welcome),? said second-year GMU coach Dave Paulsen. ?We had a really good run there in November and December, and then we?ve had some slippage issues, just on some defensive rotations, defensive focus, offensive execution.?
The Patriots? top six players consist of two seniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
The three-game homestand offers Richmond the opportunity in a comfortable environment to return to the level of play that led to its first 5-0 league start since 1989.
