This post from BucFan1990 on the ETSU fan forum sums it up for good mid major coaches, including Bob Richey.
https://csnbbs.com/thread-894408-page-5.html
90RE: Thread to talk about if/when we lose Forbes.(Use this one)
“I know that Forbes loves it here, and it's a great situation. However, I think the 1 major thing that would(will eventually) drive him away is the fact that the So-Con is a 1 bid league. It was be extremely stressful to know that year-after-year, your first 30 games mean nothing. Essentially, he could win 25 games a year, slip up in the tourney, and not go to the NCAA Tournament. If he goes to a power conference, he can win half his conference games, and still sneak in a bid.
I think this year's team was a very good team, and certainly NCAA Tourney worthy, but if they had lost the championship, I don't think they'd have made it. I thought last year would have been a good test for a So-Con at-large. I wanted to see UNCG lose the championship to see if they'd get an at-large, but they got the automatic bid with the championship.
I hope he stays, but I certainly understand the desire to go elsewhere.”