Roussell Honored as Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year
04/03/2025 | Women's Basketball
HOPEWELL, N.J. – Richmond women's basketball head coach Aaron Roussell has been named the 2025 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year, presented by Her Hoop Stats. The award, now in its second season, recognizes the most outstanding mid-major head coach in the country.
Roussell led the Spiders to one of the most successful seasons in program history, finishing with a 28-7 record and securing Richmond's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with a dominant 25-point win over Georgia Tech in the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
The Spiders earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament—the second-highest seed in program history, trailing only 1991 when Richmond was a No. 7 seed—thanks to a strong non-conference slate. Richmond posted a 10-5 record against the nation's 22nd-most difficult non-conference strength of schedule, according to Warren Nolan.
Richmond established itself as one of the most dominant teams in the country statistically, ranking as the best mid-major program based on multiple advanced metrics. The Spiders finished with the No. 3 offense in the nation by points per possession (PPP), the No. 1 most efficient offense by true shooting percentage (TS%), and the best defense of any team with a 110+ offensive rating, according to CBBAnalytics and Synergy. Additionally, Richmond was:
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One of only three mid-majors ranked in the top 10% nationally in both offense and defense (CBBAnalytics Adjusted Net Rating)
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The No. 4 team in the nation in three-point percentage (CBBAnalytics)
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The No. 1 most efficient jump-shooting team in the country, with a gap between them and No. 2 equivalent to the gap between No. 2 and No. 9 (Synergy)
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The No. 2 most efficient ball-screen offense in the country (Synergy)
Richmond was also one of just two programs—alongside UConn—with three players ranked in the top 50 of individual efficiency (by player PPP, Synergy, min. 300 possessions).
In Atlantic 10 play, the Spiders set a program record with 17 consecutive wins from Jan. 5 to March 7, en route to their second-straight A-10 regular-season championship. Prior to Roussell's tenure, Richmond had not won a regular-season conference title in 22 seasons in the league.
Roussell climbed to third all-time in career wins at Richmond, closing the season with an overall record of 122-64 across six seasons. Over the last two years, his teams have combined for 57 victories.
The Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award honors a head coach from one of the 26 conferences deemed to be mid-major. Coaches from the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC, as well as Oregon State and Washington State due to the Pac-12's evolving membership, were ineligible for the award. Interim head coaches were also eligible, with total games coached taken into consideration.
A 20-person preseason watch list was announced in October, followed by a midseason watch list of 10 in January and five finalists in March. Candidates were evaluated on overall season performance, including postseason success, along with recruiting, preseason expectations, injuries, and tactical coaching.