Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Richmond F Maggie Doogan

Richmond lost to St. Joe’s 50-49 in the A-10 women’s tourney but still earned an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Spiders had a losing season in 2020 but have now had 5 straight winning seasons in a row and are heading back to the NCAA tourney for the 2nd year in a row. Yesterday HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Richmond F Maggie Doogan about being named conference POY and making the NCAA tourney.

You are from Broomall, PA: what made you choose Richmond? I was ready to get out of my little town and experience something different. When I came here to campus I fell in love with the school/people and saw myself fitting in both on/off the court: it was a no-brainer.

In 2023 you were named to the conference All-Rookie team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I had a lot of veterans who had been in the system for a while and helped me. The coaching staff was also great: helping me find my way and move me along slowly but surely.

Last year you led the team with 15.6 PPG: what is the secret to being a great scorer? It is just about the people around me. Our offense is focused on finding the cutter and making the open 3, so I credit my teammates for finding me.

In the 2024 NCAA tourney you scored 15 PTS in a loss to Duke: what did you learn from that loss that you think will help you this year? The Blue Devils came out in the 2nd half with a new energy and we did not adjust that well. This year we will try to stay grounded and play our game. We had that level of competition in December vs. Alabama/Tennessee so we will be ready.

You played several other tourney-caliber teams this year including Fairfield/William & Mary/Oklahoma State/Columbia/Texas/Tennessee/Alabama: which of them impressed you the most? Tennessee has been phenomenal this season and their fast pace made it tough for us. It is still cool that we were able to compete with all these teams.

Last January you scored a career-high 37 PTS including the game-winning layup with 1 second left to clinch a 2-PT win over George Mason (www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OlpI4B7UgA): where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It was a very cool moment. We could not have fans in our gym back then due to a water crisis so it was pretty empty, but it is still a cool memory to make a buzzer-beater.

Earlier this month you were named conference POY (the 1st for the Spiders in 35 years): what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It is a great honor but I cannot take all the credit because my teammates/players helped put me in positions to succeed.

You were also named to the All-Conference 1st-Team and All-Academic Team: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? My professors are great with that. I received a lot of emails this week along the lines of, “Congrats on making the tourney, let me know if you need anything.” Their flexibility has helped me succeed.

In the A-10 tourney title game you scored 5 PTS including a go-ahead shot with 3.7 seconds left, but Laura Ziegler made a jumper at the buzzer to give St. Joe’s a 50-49 win (www.instagram.com/couchcoachlive/reel/DG8ybqFPPXk): where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career, and did it at least soften the blow to hear your team’s name called on Selection Sunday? That has to be right at the top. I am from Philly so I know a lot of their coaches/players, which made it worse. It is still great to make the NCAA tourney so I am not too upset about it anymore.

How do you feel about being a #8 seed, and what do you know about Georgia Tech? To be a #8 seed without winning our conference tourney is a huge testament to what we have done this year. We will be prepared, listen to our coaches, and I am excited to play Georgia Tech.