The VCU Rams - Page 7 - Basketball Forum : Professional and College Basketball Forums

vcurams05 · 09-26-2012, 12:01 PM

While its not their official fight song, but the one they are recognized with, UVA's "Good ole Song" they play after a rare touchdown score sounds like they are all in a funeral procession for their team. I think we can all agree on that.

SpiderInTheMixingBowl · 09-26-2012, 02:53 PM

The one thing that comes across in the SEAL training pics is that none of these guys is ready to compete in a Highland Games caber toss. One dude per tree.

DistrictBaller · 09-26-2012, 03:02 PM

The objective isn't as much strength as it is fostering teamwork and mental toughness. Coach Smart attributed much of our success in March to John McGuire and his program:

If you look at the interviews of our guys in this year's video they also explain what they get out of it:

DistrictBaller · 09-28-2012, 09:50 AM

Our 2012-2013 roster has been updated if any of you want to check it out:

http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/roster

**BigE** · 10-01-2012, 07:58 AM

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1yw...eference-Guide

DistrictBaller · 10-01-2012, 07:42 PM

Paul Klee who is a voter in the men's basketball AP Top 25 has VCU #20 in the country right now. His ballot is due in late October but this is how his is looking right now:

http://www.illinihq.com/sports/illin...on-top-25.html

Quote:

Paul Klee again will be a voter in the men’s basketball AP Top 25. Our basketball writer’s preseason ballot is due in late October – but here’s how it is shaping up:

Quote:

20. VCU — Look for ESPN analyst Stephen Bardo to call some of Shaka Smart’s games in A-10

DistrictBaller · 10-02-2012, 09:43 AM

VCU made the 2012-2013 Sporting News Preseason Top 25 at #25:

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-bas...ourcy/slide/25

Quote:

#25: Virginia Commonwealth

The Rams’ NCAA tourney success has provided coach Shaka Smart’s program the necessary momentum to upgrade from CAA to A-10 competition. With seven key contributors from a balanced attack back, including senior point guard Darius Theus, and a strong freshman class, including top-100 recruit Melvin Johnson, there’s no reason this team shouldn’t immediately contend for the A-10 title in its first year in the league. — Scott Smith

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-bas...a-commonwealth

Quote:

Reasons to Believe:

The returning Rams. Bradford Burgess, last year’s leading scorer, is the only significant loss from a team that went 29-7 and beat Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament before losing a nail-biter to Indiana. Seven other key contributors from a balanced attack are back, including senior point guard Darius Theus, whose experience directing the offense will be invaluable. Sophomore guard Treveon Graham, a reserve who played in all 36 games, could be ready for an increased role after standing out in VCU’s four-game summer exhibition trip to Italy.

The Burgess legacy. Jordan Burgess, Bradford’s younger brother, offers the same kind of strong frame (6-5, 205) and baseline game as his sibling. A four-star recruit, Burgess will be expected to help replace the 32.3 minutes, 13.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game his brother produced last season.

Staying Smart. In just three years as VCU’s coach, Shaka Smart has successfully implemented his “wreaking havoc” approach of relentless fullcourt pressure. His Rams have been at their best in the postseason, winning the College Basketball Invitational in 2010, reaching the Final Four in 2011 and getting to the NCAA’s Round of 32 last March despite returning only one starter. Smart deftly blends 10 to 11 players into his rotation, and in March the Rams are usually able to wear down opponents.

Quote:

REASONS TO WORRY

Conference upgrade. VCU’s new league, the Atlantic 10, had the seventh-best conference RPI last season; the Colonial was ranked 15th. The A-10 also presents plenty of challenges winning away from home. In addition to the obvious tough road trips to big arenas—Xavier, Dayton and Saint Louis—there are a number of small, bandbox-type venues in this league where the fans are right on top of teams and can make life miserable for the visitors.

3-point woes. The Rams ranked seventh among Division I teams in 3-point attempts—but they weren’t nearly as successful making them. They hit 33.4 percent of their tries, finishing outside the top 200. Making matters worse, Bradford Burgess was their second-best outside shooter (36.7 percent).

Board stiffs. The Rams had good athletes and decent size (7-0 D.J. Haley, 6-9 Juvonte Reddic, 6-6 Burgess) along the front line last year, but it wasn’t reflected in their rebounding statistics. They finished 246th in rebounding margin (minus-1.8), coming up with only 33.5 rebounds per game.

Quote:

IMPACT NEWCOMER

G Melvin Johnson, freshman. The Rams received a significant midsummer boost when the 6-3 Johnson, a consensus top 100 recruit, joined VCU after Miami granted him a release from his letter of intent. Johnson, who’s from the Bronx, is considered an excellent 3-point shooter and was also recruited by Marquette, Georgetown and Villanova. Smart says Johnson can “put the ball in the basket at a high rate.”

BOTTOM LINE

The Rams’ NCAA tourney success has provided Smart’s program the necessary momentum to upgrade from CAA to A-10 competition. With most of the rotation back and a strong freshman class, there’s no reason this team shouldn’t immediately contend for an A-10 title.

DistrictBaller · 10-02-2012, 11:18 AM

Shaka Smart interviewed with Tim Brando of CBSSports.com on the Tim Brando Show to discuss the upcoming season:

paulxu · 10-02-2012, 11:49 AM

I'm not sure VCU can bring any more havoc to Xavier than we've already had in the last 10 months...but I'm looking forward to the games. I would guess that if Shaka gets into the second weekend there will be strong efforts to lure him away.

DistrictBaller · 10-02-2012, 11:52 AM

There have been a number of strong efforts to lure him away already.

Turning down 2.5+ million for 8 years from Illinois was pretty eye-opening. I agree that there will be more to come in the future though.

We've got a special one right here.

Bona Wolf for Pope · 10-02-2012, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DistrictBaller

There have been a number of strong efforts to lure him away already.

Turning down 2.5+ million for 8 years from Illinois was pretty eye-opening. I agree that there will be more to come in the future though.

We've got a special one right here.

My favorite thing about Smart (and Stevens, for that matter), is that he really doesn't seem interested in jumping at money. I hope they are both around for a while.

DistrictBaller · 10-02-2012, 12:51 PM

Remember, this man turned down Harvard, Yale, and Brown as an academic admit with a near perfect SAT score to play basketball at Kenyon College because he felt it was the 'right fit' for him and a special coach and father figure in Bill Brown recruited him. Brown left after his freshman year of college and he was devastated. He talks about that often.

This guy really is wired a lot differently, if turning down 2 million per year from NC State after a Final Four graduating 4 of his top 5 scorers, or Illinois at 2.5 million for 8 years the year after didn't already indicate that. He has several goals at VCU that he wants to accomplish and he is building something pretty unique here in a place where he is very happy.

That's not to say he's a VCU lifer, but he's not going to jump just because the opportunities are available for him to do that.

DistrictBaller · 10-05-2012, 08:31 AM

VCU cracked NBC Sports Preseason Top 25 at #21. Saint Louis (#22) and St. Joe's (#24) also cracked the top 25.

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspor...o-21-vcu-rams/

Quote:

Outlook: It’s almost impossible to underrate VCU at this point.

They are 18 months removed from playing in the Final Four. They have a head coach that gets massive, high-major contract offers about as often as I get a cup of coffee. They parlayed that success into an invitation from the stronger Atlantic 10, and have since been crowned a favorite to win one of the deepest, most balanced conferences in the country despite it being their first season in the league. Heck, we ranked them 21st nationally. That’s quite a measure of respect.

And still, it feels like the Rams are going to end up being better than projected heading into this season.

Shaka Smart runs a system at VCU much the same way that Bo Ryan does at Wisconsin or that John Thompson III does at Georgetown. Smart loves to press, and while some programs do that specifically do speed up the tempo or to force the offense to burn time off of the shot clock on every possession, the Rams have one goal in mind defensively: force turnovers. They led the nation in both steal percentage and defensive turnover rate in 2011-2012, according to Kenpom, a stat that shouldn’t change all that much this season given the fact that the Rams bring back all but one member of last season’s team.

Quote:

Predictions?: Simply based on the strength of what is coming back, the Rams are going to be competing for the Atlantic 10 title and, most likely, heading to the NCAA tournament with a more favorable seed than they have in the last two seasons. There is room for them to grow, especially if Graham — and the younger Burgess — can adequately take on the “power forward” role on this team and, as a team, they improve their accuracy from deep. With how wide open college basketball is this season, a return to the Final Four is not out of the realm of possibility if those things happen, although I think winning the A-10 and reaching the Sweet 16 are more realistic goals (expectations?).

**BigE** · 10-05-2012, 04:53 PM

VCU introduces new Rodney the Ram

Some Rodney makeovers through the years, starting with a 1983 version (left)
And ending with the newly introduced 2012 edition (far right)

In 2010 VCU asked fans what a new Rodney the Ram should look like. Two years later…introducing your new Rodney.

Rodney has seen a number of makeovers over the years, going from an odd semi-realistic ram to several variations of his recent cartoonish look.

VCU fans (nearly 1300 of them) voted on changes for a new Rodney, which resulted in a slimmed down head and newly sculpted horns.

Rodney’s website said, “respondents favor a well-rounded mascot personality — not too silly but not too scary — with “fun-loving and wild” and “fierce” selected as the most popular adjectives to describe a new Rodney”.

Rodney’s horns got the biggest facelift, as fans wished to make them less “mouse- or shrimp-like and more realistic”.

http://www.vcuramnation.com/2012/10/...+Ram+Nation%29

urmite · 10-05-2012, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DistrictBaller

Our 2012-2013 roster has been updated if any of you want to check it out:

http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/roster

09-26-2012, 12:01 PM	#91 (permalink)
vcurams05 Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 220 Rep Power: 832	re: The VCU Rams While its not their official fight song, but the one they are recognized with, UVA's "Good ole Song" they play after a rare touchdown score sounds like they are all in a funeral procession for their team. I think we can all agree on that.

09-26-2012, 02:53 PM	#92 (permalink)
SpiderInTheMixingBowl Veteran Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 1,728 Rep Power: 348163	re: The VCU Rams The one thing that comes across in the SEAL training pics is that none of these guys is ready to compete in a Highland Games caber toss. One dude per tree.

09-26-2012, 03:02 PM	#93 (permalink)
DistrictBaller Veteran Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 1,121 Rep Power: 47196	re: The VCU Rams The objective isn't as much strength as it is fostering teamwork and mental toughness. Coach Smart attributed much of our success in March to John McGuire and his program: If you look at the interviews of our guys in this year's video they also explain what they get out of it: __________________ "We will wreak havoc on our opponent's psyche and plan of attack." - VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart Last edited by DistrictBaller; 09-26-2012 at 03:09 PM.

09-28-2012, 09:50 AM	#94 (permalink)
DistrictBaller Veteran Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 1,121 Rep Power: 47196	re: The VCU Rams Our 2012-2013 roster has been updated if any of you want to check it out: http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/roster __________________ "We will wreak havoc on our opponent's psyche and plan of attack." - VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart

10-01-2012, 07:58 AM	#95 (permalink)
BigE Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 4,085 Rep Power: 436299	re: The VCU Rams http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1yw...eference-Guide

10-02-2012, 11:18 AM	#98 (permalink)
DistrictBaller Veteran Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 1,121 Rep Power: 47196	re: The VCU Rams Shaka Smart interviewed with Tim Brando of CBSSports.com on the Tim Brando Show to discuss the upcoming season: __________________ "We will wreak havoc on our opponent's psyche and plan of attack." - VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart

10-02-2012, 11:49 AM	#99 (permalink)
paulxu Veteran Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,358 Rep Power: 309022	re: The VCU Rams I'm not sure VCU can bring any more havoc to Xavier than we've already had in the last 10 months...but I'm looking forward to the games. I would guess that if Shaka gets into the second weekend there will be strong efforts to lure him away. __________________ *...he went up late, and I was already up there.*

10-02-2012, 11:52 AM	#100 (permalink)
DistrictBaller Veteran Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 1,121 Rep Power: 47196	re: The VCU Rams There have been a number of strong efforts to lure him away already. Turning down 2.5+ million for 8 years from Illinois was pretty eye-opening. I agree that there will be more to come in the future though. We've got a special one right here. __________________ "We will wreak havoc on our opponent's psyche and plan of attack." - VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart

10-02-2012, 12:51 PM	#102 (permalink)
DistrictBaller Veteran Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 1,121 Rep Power: 47196	re: The VCU Rams Remember, this man turned down Harvard, Yale, and Brown as an academic admit with a near perfect SAT score to play basketball at Kenyon College because he felt it was the 'right fit' for him and a special coach and father figure in Bill Brown recruited him. Brown left after his freshman year of college and he was devastated. He talks about that often. This guy really is wired a lot differently, if turning down 2 million per year from NC State after a Final Four graduating 4 of his top 5 scorers, or Illinois at 2.5 million for 8 years the year after didn't already indicate that. He has several goals at VCU that he wants to accomplish and he is building something pretty unique here in a place where he is very happy. That's not to say he's a VCU lifer, but he's not going to jump just because the opportunities are available for him to do that. __________________ "We will wreak havoc on our opponent's psyche and plan of attack." - VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart

10-05-2012, 04:53 PM	#104 (permalink)
BigE Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 4,085 Rep Power: 436299	re: The VCU Rams VCU introduces new Rodney the Ram Some Rodney makeovers through the years, starting with a 1983 version (left) And ending with the newly introduced 2012 edition (far right) In 2010 VCU asked fans what a new Rodney the Ram should look like. Two years later…introducing your new Rodney. Rodney has seen a number of makeovers over the years, going from an odd semi-realistic ram to several variations of his recent cartoonish look. VCU fans (nearly 1300 of them) voted on changes for a new Rodney, which resulted in a slimmed down head and newly sculpted horns. Rodney’s website said, “respondents favor a well-rounded mascot personality — not too silly but not too scary — with “fun-loving and wild” and “fierce” selected as the most popular adjectives to describe a new Rodney”. Rodney’s horns got the biggest facelift, as fans wished to make them less “mouse- or shrimp-like and more realistic”. http://www.vcuramnation.com/2012/10/...+Ram+Nation%29

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode