2017–18 VCU Rams men's basketball team

The 2017–18 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams were led by Mike Rhoades in his first season as head coach at VCU. The Rams played their home games at Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

2017–18 VCU Rams men's basketball
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record18–15 (9–9 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaStuart C. Siegel Center
Seasons
2017–18 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Rhode Island 15 3   .833 26 8   .765
St. Bonaventure 14 4   .778 26 8   .765
Davidson 13 5   .722 21 12   .636
Saint Joseph's 10 8   .556 16 16   .500
VCU 9 9   .500 18 15   .545
Saint Louis 9 9   .500 17 16   .515
George Mason 9 9   .500 16 17   .485
Richmond 9 9   .500 12 20   .375
Dayton 8 10   .444 14 17   .452
Duquesne 7 11   .389 16 16   .500
George Washington 7 11   .389 15 18   .455
La Salle 7 11   .389 13 19   .406
Massachusetts 5 13   .278 13 20   .394
Fordham 4 14   .222 9 22   .290
2018 A10 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

A chain of lost recruiting classes, coaching personnel changes, losses against low RPI teams, no wins against Top 50 RPI teams, and a graduating core of players resulted in a downturn in the team's fortunes. The team finished the season 18–15, 9–9 record in A-10 play to finish in a four-way tie for fifth place. The season was the 18th consecutive season the program finished with a winning record. As the No. 8 seed in the A-10 tournament, the Rams defeated Dayton in the second round[1] before losing to Rhode Island in the quarterfinals.[2]

The Rams failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010, and failed to achieve a 20-win season for the first time since 2006. On March 11, 2018, Ed McLaughlin, the Athletics Director announced that VCU had declined an invitation to play in the College Basketball Invitational tournament.[3] This marked the first season since 2006 the Rams did not play in a postseason tournament.[4]

Previous season

edit

The Rams finished the 2016–17 season 26–9, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in second place. VCU defeated George Mason and Richmond in the A-10 tournament to advance to the championship game, where they lost to Rhode Island. They earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West Region. There they lost to No. 7 Saint Mary's in the first round.

Head coach Will Wade resigned on March 20 to take the head coaching position at LSU following the firing of Johnny Jones.[5] Wade was the head coach for the two seasons, making him VCU's shortest tenured head coach since Benny Dees.[6][7] On March 21, the school hired Rice head coach Mike Rhoades, who had been the associate head coach under Shaka Smart from 2009 to 2014.[8]

Offseason

edit

Departures

edit
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
JeQuan Lewis 1 G 6'1" 180 Senior Dickson, Tennessee Graduated
Samir Doughty 2 G 6'4" 185 Freshman (redshirt) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Transferred to Auburn[9]
Doug Brooks 5 G 6'4" 200 Senior Lake Wales, Florida Graduated
Mo Alie-Cox 12 F 6'7" 250 Senior (redshirt) Alexandria, Virginia Graduated
Torey Burston 14 G 5'8" 180 Senior (redshirt) Richmond, Virginia Graduated
Marquell Fraser 15 G 6'5" 205 Freshman Hamilton, Ontario Transferred to Midland College[10]
Jordan Burgess 20 G/F 6'5" 225 Senior (redshirt) Midlothian, Virginia Graduated
Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed 23 F 6'9" 240 Senior Alexandria, Egypt Transferred to TCU[11]

Transfers

edit
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Marcus Evans 2 G 6'2" 195 Sophomore Chesapeake, Virginia Transferred from Rice. Will be eligible to play in 2018–19.[12]
Khris Lane 4 F 6'6" 225 RS-Senior Richmond, Virginia Transferred from Longwood.[13]
Mike'l Simms 13 G 6'5 220 Freshman Highland Springs, Virginia Transferred from Cowley Community College.[14]
Xavier Jackson 14 G 6'3 Sophomore Hinesville, Georgia Transferred from Sheridan College.[15]
Corey Douglas F 6'8" Sophomore Louisville, Kentucky Will attend Tallahassee Community College for the 2017–18 season and will then transfer to VCU. Spent the 2016–17 season at Rice.[16]

2017 recruiting class

edit
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Marcus Santos-Silva
PF
Taunton, MA Vermont Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Sep 21, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 73
Sean Mobley
PF
Melbourne, FL Montverde Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sep 25, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 80
Lewis Djonkam
PF
Springfield, VA Hargrave Military Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Apr 26, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: N/A
Tyler Maye
PG
Farmville, NC Farmville Central High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) May 11, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "VCU 2017 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.

2018 Recruiting class

edit
US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
P. J. Byrd
PG
Houston, TX George Bush High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 169 lb (77 kg) Sep 6, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: NR
KeShawn Curry
SG
Jacksonville, FL Fork Union Military Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oct 2, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: NR
Vince Williams Jr.
SF
Toledo, OH St. John's Jesuit 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 204 lb (93 kg) Oct 4, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

edit
2017–18 VCU Rams men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 De'Riante Jenkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Hargrave Military Academy Eutawville, South Carolina
G 1 Mike'l Simms 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS So Cowley Community College Richmond, Virginia
G 2 Marcus Evans (I)   6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Rice Chesapeake, Virginia
F 4 Justin Tillman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Pershing High School Detroit, Michigan
F 5 Sean Mobley 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Montverde Academy Melbourne, Florida
G 10 Jonathan Williams 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr St. Benedict's Prep Richmond, Virginia
F 11 Issac Vann 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Maine Bridgeport, Connecticut
G 12 Dylan Sheehy-Guiseppi 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr St. Francis Prep (Michigan) Lake Havasu City, Arizona
G 13 Malik Crowfield 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Riverside Academy LaPlace, Louisiana
F 14 Marcus Santos-Silva 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Fr Vermont Academy Taunton, Massachusetts
G 15 Xavier Jackson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Sheridan College Hinesville, Georgia
F 21 Khris Lane 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr Longwood Richmond, Virginia
F 22 Lewis Djonkam 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Hargrave Military Academy Springfield, Virginia
G 25 Tyler Maye 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Farmville Central High School Farmville, North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Preseason

edit

In a poll of the league's head coaches and select media members at the conference's media day, the Rams were picked to finish in fourth place in the A-10.[17] Justin Tillman was named to the conference's preseason first team.[17] Tillman and Jonathan Williams were named to the preseason All-Defensive team.[17]

Schedule and results

edit
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 26, 2017*
7:00 pm
Liberty
Hurricane Relief Exhibition
L 69–85  N/A
 14  Crowfield   6  Vann   5  Williams  Siegel Center (3,497)
Richmond, VA
Nov 3, 2017*
7:00 pm
Virginia Union W 98–74  N/A
 21  Lane   8  Lane   6  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, MASN
Grambling State W 94–65  1–0
 14  3 Tied   10  Tillman   5  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Nov 13, 2017*
7:00 pm, MASN
North Florida
Maui Invitational Mainland game
W 95–85  2–0
 27  Tillman   8  Tied   8  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Nov 17, 2017*
4:00 pm, CBSSN
Virginia L 67–76  2–1
 19  Vann   8  Tillman   8  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Nov 20, 2017*
2:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. Marquette
Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinals
L 83–94  2–2
 17  Crowfield   7  Tillman   6  Williams  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
Nov 21, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. California
Maui Invitational Tournament consolation 2nd round
W 83–69  3–2
 27  Jenkins   11  Jenkins   8  Williams  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
Nov 22, 2017*
5:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. Michigan
Maui Invitational Tournament 5th place game
L 60–68  3–3
 13  Lane   8  Lane   2  Tied  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
Nov 28, 2017*
7:00 pm, MASN
Appalachian State W 85–72  4–3
 21  Tillman   6  Tied   7  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Dec 2, 2017*
7:00 pm, MASN
Old Dominion
Rivalry
W 82–75  5–3
 28  Tillman   9  Santos-Silva   9  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Dec 5, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
Texas L 67–71  5–4
 22  Tillman   10  Tillman   7  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Dec 9, 2017*
3:00 pm, FOX
at No. 19 Seton Hall
Never Forget Tribute Classic
L 67–90  5–5
 20  Tillman   8  Tillman   6  Williams  Prudential Center (9,112)
Newark, NJ
Dec 16, 2017*
6:00 pm, WTVR
Bucknell W 85–79  6–5
 26  Tillman   7  Tillman   6  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Dec 19, 2017*
7:00 pm, MASN
Winthrop W 68–53  7–5
 22  Tillman   11  Tillman   6  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Dec 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, WTVR
VMI W 75–65  8–5
 19  Tillman   13  Tillman   9  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Atlantic 10 regular season
Dec 30, 2017
12:30 pm, NBCSN
Fordham W 76–63  9–5
(1–0)
 23  Tillman   14  Tillman   5  Vann  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Jan 3, 2018
7:00 pm
at Saint Joseph's L 81–87 OT 9–6
(1–1)
 22  Tillman   12  Tillman   5  Jenkins  Hagan Arena (3,518)
Philadelphia, PA
Jan 6, 2018
2:00 pm, NBCSN
at La Salle W 80–74  10–6
(2–1)
 20  Jenkins   10  Tillman   5  Williams  Tom Gola Arena (2,312)
Philadelphia, PA
Jan 9, 2018
8:00 pm, Stadium
Duquesne W 78–67  11–6
(3–1)
 21  Williams   17  Tillman   4  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Jan 12, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at Dayton L 79–106  11–7
(3–2)
 26  Tillman   12  Tillman   6  Jenkins  UD Arena (12,507)
Dayton, OH
Jan 17, 2018
7:00 pm
Richmond
Capital City Classic
L 52–67  11–8
(3–3)
 12  Tillman   9  Tillman   2  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Jan 20, 2018
12:30 pm, NBCSN
George Washington W 87–63  12–8
(4–3)
 18  Jenkins   8  Tillman   4  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Jan 23, 2018
9:00 pm, CBSSN
at Saint Louis W 75–74 OT 13–8
(5–3)
 25  Tillman   12  Tillman   5  Williams  Chaifetz Arena (5,649)
St. Louis, MO
Jan 27, 2018
2:00 pm, CBSSN
at George Mason
Rivalry
W 84–76  14–8
(6–3)
 25  Lane   12  Lane   6  Williams  EagleBank Arena (7,028)
Fairfax, VA
Feb 2, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 22 Rhode Island L 68–81  14–9
(6–4)
 22  Tillman   6  Tillman   4  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Feb 7, 2018
9:00 pm, CBSSN
at Richmond
Capital City Classic
L 76–77  14–10
(6–5)
 21  Tillman   4  Lane   4  Jenkins  Robins Center (7,201)
Richmond, VA
Feb 10, 2018
6:00 pm, CBSSN
Dayton W 88–84 OT 15–10
(7–5)
 37  Tillman   8  Tillman   5  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Feb 14, 2018
7:00 pm, CBSSN
Davidson L 63–74  15–11
(7–6)
 22  Tillman   8  Tillman   7  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Feb 17, 2018
4:00 pm, Stadium
at George Washington L 56–80  15–12
(7–7)
 11  Tillman   13  Tillman   4  Williams  Charles E. Smith Center (3,979)
Washington, D.C.
Feb 21, 2018
7:00 pm, MASN
at Massachusetts W 82–78  16–12
(8–7)
 26  Tillman   13  Tillman   7  Mobley  Mullins Center (3,322)
Amherst, MA
Feb 24, 2018
8:00 pm, CBSSN
St. Bonaventure L 63–68  16–13
(8–8)
 20  Tillman   10  Tillman   7  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Feb 28, 2018
7:00 pm, MASN
George Mason
Rivalry
L 80–81  16–14
(8–9)
 20  Simms   11  Tillman   6  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Mar 3, 2018
2:00 pm, WTVR
at Fordham W 83–58  17–14
(9–9)
 18  Tillman   13  Tillman   4  Crowfield  Rose Hill Gymnasium (2,325)
Bronx, NY
Atlantic 10 tournament
Mar 8, 2018
12:00 pm, NBCSN
(8) vs. (9) Dayton
Second Round
W 77–72  18–14
 15  Tillman   10  Tillman   5  Tied  Capital One Arena (6,483)
Washington, D.C.
Mar 9, 2018
12:00 pm, NBCSN
(8) vs. (1) No. 25 Rhode Island
Quarterfinals
L 67–76  18–15
 23  Tillman   15  Tillman   7  Williams  Capital One Arena (7,321)
Washington, D.C.
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Dayton vs. VCU - Game Recap - March 8, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  2. ^ "VCU vs. Rhode Island - Game Recap - March 9, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  3. ^ "Health top factor in VCU's decision to pass on postseason". Richmond Times-Dispatch. richmond.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  4. ^ Epps, Jr., Wayne (March 11, 2018). "For the first time in 11 years, VCU won't play postseason basketball". Richmond Times-Dispatch. richmond.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  5. ^ "VCU's Will Wade hired as next coach at LSU". ESPN. March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  6. ^ "Benny Dees Coaching Record". Sports Reference. sports-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  7. ^ Parrish, Gary. "LSU hires VCU's Will Wade as coach". CBS Sports. CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  8. ^ "VCU moves quickly to hire Mike Rhoades from Rice to fill coaching vacancy". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  9. ^ "VCU transfer Samir Doughty officially signs with Auburn". AL.com. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  10. ^ Young, Tai (June 30, 2017). "Former VCU F Marquell Fraser is transferring to Midland". @TaiYoungVC. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  11. ^ "Ahmed Hamdy signs with TCU hoops as grad transfer from VCU". Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  12. ^ Times-Dispatch, TIM PEARRELL Richmond. "High-scoring guard Marcus Evans follows Mike Rhoades to VCU". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  13. ^ Times-Dispatch, Tim Pearrell Richmond. "Longwood basketball graduate Khris Lane transferring to VCU". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  14. ^ Morton, Matt (June 2, 2017). "JUCO transfer Mike'l Simms commits to VCU – VCU Ram Nation". VCU Ram Nation. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  15. ^ Shelton-Eide, Mat (July 7, 2017). "VCU gets commitment from JUCO guard Xavier Jackson – VCU Ram Nation". VCU Ram Nation. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  16. ^ Shelton-Eide, Mat (June 18, 2017). "Corey Douglas commits to VCU – VCU Ram Nation". VCU Ram Nation. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c "Rhode Island Picked to Win A-10 Men's Basketball". Atlantic 10 Conference. Atlantic10.com. October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
edit