VCU to A-10 Billboard
http://www.timesdispatch.com/sports...cle_e403e7ad-d718-54ea-8769-39af21d035a6.htmlThe executive committee of Virginia Commonwealth University’s board of visitors on Tuesday approved an amended plan to build a basketball practice facility with a significantly increased price tag on the north side of Marshall Street next to the Siegel Center.
The 60,000-square-foot facility will house two gyms — one each for men’s and women’s basketball — and support facilities and will cost $25 million.
The project originally was approved in the 2011 capital plan as a privately funded, $14.5 million single gym in the Siegel Center parking lot near the Bowe Street parking deck.
An overview from the executive committee meeting said that when new athletics director Ed McLaughlin arrived in 2012, he determined a second gym was necessary because of Title IX requirements.
The only site big enough was on the north side of Marshall Street, according to the overview. McLaughlin said previously the university was exploring options for a site.
The overview states “VCU has had a long standing agreement that it would not cross to the north side of Marshall Street unless invited by the neighborhood association.
Discussions and negotiations were entered into with the Carver Area Civic Improvement League. In December 2013, the civic association voted 17-1 to invite VCU to build on the Marshall site. Both of the land owners are willing sellers.”
A Carver representative could not be reached.
McLaughlin declined to answer questions about the site and funding sources until the school holds a media conference scheduled for Monday. No state funds will be used, VCU spokeswoman Anne Buckley said.
Buckley said university officials would not comment on real estate transactions.
Construction is expected to start in the spring and take about 20 months.
VCU announces new $25M practice area for Rams basketball team
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) -The Rams will soon have a new $25 million facility to practice at
VCU made the announcement Monday. The 60,000-square foot structure will be built near the Siegel Center, and will have practice courts for the men's and women's basketball teams.
$14.5 million of the facility will come from private donations, with the rest coming from non-state funding.
The men's basketball team has 24 wins and seven losses this season. They are 12-4 in the conference and have won every game at home.
The team has seen a surge in popularity under coach Shaka Smart after a 2011 run to the Final Four, where they toppled the number-one seeded Kansas Jayhawks 71-61. The Rams saw its 50th straight sell out last weekend.
One piece of conventional wisdom in sports says it is difficult to beat a team three times in a season.
Actually, it’s not. There usually are reasons one team beats another twice during the regular season. Those reasons have a great deal to do with talent and matchups.
Just ask the VCU Rams. Friday night in a quarterfinal game of the Atlantic 10 tournament at the Barclays Center, VCU did the not so difficult.
They beat the Richmond Spiders for the third time this season. And the third time might have been the easiest of the three victories for the Rams.
VCU won 71-53.
The Rams are a tough matchup for the Spiders. VCU wants to run and press. Richmond does not.
The Rams want to attack the offensive glass. The Spiders would rather get back on defense.
When Richmond has the game going its way, it can stay with VCU.
When the Rams have the game going their way, few teams in the A-10 can stay with VCU.
Richmond had a bad night in just about every category. Almost all of that was attributable to VCU.
The Rams played so well that senior starting forward Juvonte Reddic’s foul trouble wasn’t a factor. All it meant was backup Mo Alie-Cox got the chance to jam in a power dunk that threatened to take several Spiders with it.
When VCU plays as it did Friday, the rest of the A-10 should take note. The Rams played as if they had bigger things in mind than hitting the trifecta against Richmond.
The Rams came here to win, just as they go everywhere to win.
More than 120,000 people watched the VCU Rams men’s basketball team battle St. Joe’s in the A-10 title game Sunday, according to a preliminary Nielsen ratings report. Final Nielsen numbers should be released later Monday.
Despite the Rams loss, ratings for the VCU game surpassed the competing NASCAR on Fox and NHL on NBC combined.
Ratings peaked about 2:45 Sunday afternoon with a 12 rating/21 share.
That means 21 percent, or 68,000 households, in the Richmond television market were tuned to the game at that time.
VCU’s ratings might have been more impressive had another state school, the University of Virginia, not been playing at the same time on a different channel. Virginia defeated Duke to win the ACC title Sunday afternoon.
The game was broadcast on both ESPN and the Richmond CW. The combined rating of that game on two channels equaled that of the VCU game on CBS 6, according to a preliminary Nielsen ratings report.