Richmond landed guard Jacob Gilyard and forward Grant Golden on the 2021-2022 preseason All-Atlantic 10 first team, while forward Tyler Burton was named to the second team, along with VCU forward Vince Williams Jr.
Richmond was tabbed second, and VCU fourth, in the predicted order of finish for the A-10.
Defending league champ St. Bonaventure received all 28 first-place votes to top the preseason poll.
The honor is the program-record third preseason first team All-A-10 selection for Gilyard, who was named to the team in 2019 and 2020 as well, and he was also named to the conference’s Preseason All-Defense Team Wednesday for a fourth straight year.
Gilyard enters the season with 358 career steals, 27 behind the Division I career record held by Providence’s John Linehan.
Golden is now a four-time preseason honoree, having been picked to the first team in 2018 and the second team in 2019 and 2020. He enters the season as the sixth-leading scorer (1,739 points) and fifth-leading rebounder (792) in Richmond history.
This is the first preseason selection for Burton, who was named the Most Improved Player in the Atlantic 10 last season after averaging 12.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He is the 17th different Spider to earn preseason All-A-10 honors at Richmond.
Williams was honored following a breakout junior campaign in 2020-2021. The 6-foot-6 small forward was named to the All-A-10 third team last spring after he averaged 10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
He is the Rams’ leading returning scorer and rebounder in 2021-2022.
VCU forward Hason Ward was named to the All-Defensive Team following a sophomore campaign in which he averaged 6.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He was named to the league’s All-Defensive squad in March for his efforts.
Ward started the final 11 games of the 2021-22 season and averaged 7.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in those contests.
The Rams return four starters, including Williams and Ward, from last year’s 19-7 squad that earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and reached the A-10 Championship Game. VCU finished 10-4 in the A-10 regular season in 2020-21, a half-game behind St. Bonaventure.
VCU will tip off its 2021-22 season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 when it hosts St. Peter’s at the Stuart C. Siegel Center at 7 p.m.
Richmond returns 15 of its 16 players from last year’s 14-9 team that reached the NIT Quarterfinals. The Spiders will open their season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at the Robins Center against North Carolina Central.
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