• Was named an assistant coach at Air Force under current
Richmond head coach Chris Mooney. There, McGeehan helped the
Falcons win 18 games in 2004-2005, when Air Force boasted the best
scoring defense in the country.
• Promoted to Associate Head Coach at Richmond last
season. The Spiders went on to win 20 games and advanced to
the College Basketball Invitational CBI semifinals.
• Prior to joining Mooney at Air Force, McGeehan was the head
coach at Springfield High School in Erdenheim, PA.
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NCDS: Kevin McGeehan, Assoc. Head Coach - Richmond ("Home Court")
By: Kevin McGeehan, Assoc. Head Coach - Richmond
Home Court is a huge advantage in college basketball, every night teams capitalize on playing in familiar surroundings to shoot a higher percentage from the field, line and long distance, to come up with a loose ball they may not have gotten... in general, to play with a confidence that is harder to capture and maintain on the road. There is something about the home fans rallying behind the team that makes positive things happen. It may be something about sleeping in your own bed or the familiarity with the gym but I think the 6th man, is the single greatest factor.
This past Saturday, Spider fans gave us everything they had and it inspired the team to play a great game against No. 17 Temple. Our fans, who braved a snow storm to root on the Spiders made us all proud. I think home court advantage is something that builds, the excitement is always relative to the team's success but I think that it grows with each game. The Robins Center is a beautiful, on campus arena that we are so glad to have as our home, when we have a crowd like we did Saturday it's a tough place to play. That is the essence of home court advantage and it helped the Spiders knock off the Owls.
We often talk about how much tougher and better you have to be on the road. As we prepare to head to Rhode Island for a game versus the Rams, we have constant reminders of trying to overcome the Home Court Advantage. Yesterday and today we will pump in crowd noise as we prepare for Rhode Island's pressure, which is only intensified by their 6th Man. We need to be able to play as a team and handle Rhody's pressure with very little ability to communicate in the moment. The mental toughness it takes to succeed on the road is something which only comes from experience and concentration. We as coaches can pipe in crowd noise as much as we want but nothing can replicate a ball that bounces the wrong way or a call that goes against you and the crowd's reaction to it. The good teams, teams that can win on the road, respond with toughness when things don't go their way. There is a confidence in each other that helps you get through the difficult times.
With two road games in a row, URI and Bonnies, let's hope we can be mentally tough to fight through two very distinct home court advantages.
SPIDER FANS, bring it on the 17th when we get back to the ROBINS CENTER!
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