BEST SMALL, NON-DAILY —2017 Virginia Press Association The independent press of Virginia Commonwealth University
October 30, 2017 • Vol. 59, No. 10
THE BASKETBALL ISSUE
Will Wade gone • New coach • New players • Loss to Liberty • Doug Brooks gone • Fourth place in the A-10 preseason poll • Not enough grit • Samir Doughty gone • Lack of depth • Lost recruits • Mo Alie-Cox gone • Kenpom predicting a dip • On the job training • Lack of shooters • Coaching position a stepping stone • Ugly play • Torey Burston gone • Shallow guard rotation • Jordan Burgess gone • Tension between Wade and players • Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed gone • First-round loss in the tournament • JeQuan Lewis gone • Not a primetime team • Four returning players • Nine new players • Fourth in A-10 preseason rankings • Will Wade gone • New coach • New players • Loss to Liberty • Doug Brooks gone • Fourth place in the A-10 preseason poll • Not enough grit • Samir Doughty gone • Lack of depth • Lost recruits • Mo Alie-Cox gone • Kenpom predicting a dip • On the job training • Lack of shooters • Coaching position a stepping stone • Ugly play • Torey Burston gone • Shallow guard rotation • Jordan Burgess gone • Tension between Wade and players • Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed gone • First-round loss in the tournament • JeQuan Lewis gone • Not a primetime team • Four returning players • Nine new players • Fourth in A-10 preseason rankings • Will Wade gone • New coach • New players • Loss to Liberty • Doug Brooks gone • Fourth place in the A-10 preseason poll • Not enough grit • Samir Doughty gone • Lack of depth • Lost recruits • Mo Alie-Cox gone • Kenpom predicting a dip • On the job training • Lack of shooters •
Backs against the wall New-look Rams face more doubts than ever
FADEL ALLASSAN Managing Editor at Large ZACH JOACHIM Sports Editor
It’s about time, isn’t it? After another whirlwind offseason, VCU men’s basketball returns with a new coach, a new squad and what appears to be a set of new stumbling blocks.
The team’s season ended last March with an 85-77 loss to the No. 22 Saint Mary’s College of California in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Then-senior guard JeQuan Lewis’ 30 point effort was not enough to lift the Rams past the Gaels. Despite the loss, VCU extended its streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament bids to seven. The Rams finished the season with a 26-9 record — their 11th
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straight season with 24 wins or more. Only the University of Kansas can boast the same streak of sustained excellence. “We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t tough,” said coach Will Wade after the game. “Got a good way about us. You can never knock us out. I love these guys.” Despite these assurances, Wade ended his time with the Rams less than a week later when he took the gig at Louisiana State
University — the second time in three years a VCU coach traded the helm on Broad Street for life in the deep south. An offseason filled with question marks loomed -- familiar territory for RamNation. Enter Michael Rhoades. The legendary Final-Four assistant coach returns to Richmond in the form of savior for the embattled Black and Gold. After former coaches Wade and Shaka Smart
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used the VCU job as a stepping stone to “higher places,” Rhoades’ Richmond roots forestalls a sense of pride and stability Ram fans have yearned for. Have we finally found our man? Is HAVOC cometh in earnest? Only time and results will tell. “We’re gonna play fast,” Rhoades said at his introductory press conference. “We’re gonna play exciting, we’re gonna get after people — and we’re gonna win.”
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Rhoades’ relief
Meet the squad
Liberty letdown
New coach Mike Rhoades has already fostered a deep relationship with the VCU community through his humanitarian efforts.
With only four returning players, the Black and Gold have a lot of new faces ready to represent the river city.
The Rams recieved an early gut-check in the form of a charity exhibition loss at the hands of Liberty University.