Our 2011-12 CAA preview series continues today with a look at the VCU Rams.

2010-11 in review: Virginia Commonwealth University stunned the basketball world last season and made it to the Final Four after sneaking into the tournament with a First Four selection. The Rams were one of three CAA teams in the tourney (Old Dominion, George Mason), and beat No. 11 seed USC, No. 6 seed Georgetown, No. 3 seed Purdue, No. 10 seed Florida State, and most importantly, No. 1 seed Kansas. The Rams’ Cinderella run came to an end when they lost to no other than No. 8 Butler, a former Cinderella themselves. After finishing the season 28-12 and fourth in the CAA with a 12-6 record, the Rams knocked out top-seed George Mason in the conference tournament. VCU lost to Old Dominion 70-65 in the conference championship, but that did not discourage coach Shaka Smart and his crew from getting to Houston. After losing the first game of 2011, VCU won nine straight conference games from Jan. 5-29. However, after Northeastern snapped VCU’s streak Feb. 2, the Rams crawled to a 3-4 finish, losing its last four conference games before entering the conference tournament.

Against Northeastern: VCU welcomed the Huskies to Richmond Jan. 15 and won 73-64. Junior Bradford Burgess scored 26 points to lead the Rams, wiping out a 17-point perfect shooting performance by junior Joel Smith.  Northeastern tailed by just three with three minutes to play, but VCU put the game away with a 10-0 run. The Huskies got their revenge Feb. 2 when they upset VCU 91-80. That’s right – Northeastern beat a team in the regular season that advanced to the Final Four. The Huskies were riding a three-game winning streak and Chaisson Allen led the offense with 26 points. Junior Jon Lee added a career-high 23 points to help NU erase a 43-36 halftime deficit and pick up the big win.

Key Losses:

• Jamie Skeen – The departure of the six-foot-nine inch Skeen leaves VCU without its leading scorer from last season. After starting 39 of 40 games last year, Skeen averaged 15.7 points per game and shot 42 percent from beyond the arc. After transferring from Wake Forest, Skeen amassed 838 points and 412 rebounds in two seasons and his 15.7 ppg ranked sixth in the CAA.  It’s not often that VCU plays deep into March and is slated against top-seed Kansas, but the Rams will certainly miss Skeen’s 26-point, 10 rebound performance at the grandest stage in college hoops. VCU will need someone to step up to replace Skeen much like Skeen stepped up after Larry Sanders graduated and was entered the NBA.
• Brandon Rozzell – Rozzell is the Rams’ go-to sixth man, starting just four of the 32 games he played in, while racking up 25.3 minutes per game. The Richmond native averaged 11.5 points per game and led the team with 78 3-pointers. Head coach Shaka Smart referred to Rozzell and classmate Ed Nixon as the “Energy Brothers,” and the guard’s vigor will be missed at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Rozzell played games at the Rams’ gym throughout high school and he is more than comfortable there. Rozzell has 23 career double-digit performances at VCU, and 16 of them came at home.
• Ed Nixon – The other half of the “Energy Brothers” appeared in 40 games last season – making 39 starts. After bursting onto the scene with a breakout junior year, Nixon averaged seven points per game. Nixon had a bigger impact on the defensive side of the game and was regarded as one of the premier perimeter defenders in the conference.
• Joey Rodriguez – Last, but certainly not least. Rodriguez started in all 40 games last season and averaged 10.4 points per game. You can call Rodriguez the Iron Man – he hadn’t missed a game in over three seasons, playing 102 straight games. Despite suffering the bumps and bruises that trouble everyday players, Rodriguez toughed it out and played 33.6 minutes per game. VCU will miss its biggest facilitator of the offense, as Rodriguez dished out 208 assists last season to lead the CAA, a whopping 50 assists ahead of Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins. Rodriguez also led the team with an 81.6 free-throw percentage. Like Nixon, the Rams lose a key defender in Rodriguez, who led the squad with 61 steals and helped VCU average a conference-best 8.2 per game.

Key Returns:

• Bradford Burgess – Move over Joey Rodriguez, there’s a new Iron Man. Burgess, the team’s lone senior, is only the second player in school history to start 100-plus consecutive games from the beginning of his career. Burgess has played 110 straight games, and set a school record with 1,380 minutes played last season – there’s no question he’s the go to guy in 2011-12. After averaging 14.3 points last season, Burgess will lead the offense this season. The 6-6 guard /forward pulled in 251 rebounds last season, which was second best on the team behind Skeen. Burgess is a huge threat from the 3-point line and is fifth in VCU history with a 41.4 career percentage. Burgess helped Skeen carry VCU to the Final Four, averaging 15.7 points and seven rebounds per game in the tournament.
• Darius Theus – Theus is just one of three juniors on this year’s squad and will likely take over the starting point guard role in lieu of Joey Rodriguez. Theus started seven games last season but appeared in all 40, and averaged 15.4 minutes per game. Theus won’t post the 200-plus assists Rodriguez dished out last season, but after recording 84 last season, expect Theus to land somewhere between 135-150. With a relatively young backcourt, Theus will be instrumental in facilitating the ebb-and-flow of the offense.
• D.J Haley – Haley is the first seven-footer to play at VCU in nearly a decade, and the sophomore center will certainly be an impact player for the Rams. Last season, Haley started the final nine games, including the six NCAA tournament games. He only scored 41 points last season, but Haley boasts a 54.5 field goal percentage that could bode well under the basket. Haley will see a significant increase in playing time from his 7.7 minutes per game last year, and VCU can only hope Haley carries his strong finish into 2011.
• Juvonte Reddic – Like Haley, Reddic is a returning sophomore that brings some high to the Rams frontcourt. Standing at 6-9, Reddic looks to be a contributor on the glass. The Winston-Salem, N.C. native averaged 3.5 points per game and 1.9 rebounds, but he started 12 games and appeared in 36, garnering 11.2 minutes per game. Reddic displayed flashes of potential in the postseason, shooting 11-20 in tournament play.
• Rob Brandenberg – Brandenberg, a sophomore guard, didn’t start any games last season but appeared in 39. He averaged 4.9 points per game and 1.7 rebounds. Bradenberg will battle for the role of a starter this season. The Gahanna, Ohio, native doesn’t bring the strongest stat line to the table, but he is very athletic. At 6-2, he posseses a 43’ inch vertical leap and a 6-7 wingspan and will be a good fit for a quick VCU offense.

2011-12 Outlook:

It’s safe to assume that VCU won’t replicate its NCAA tournament run of last season or its No. 6 national ranking. The Rams return with a young team with just one senior in Bradford Burgess, and it’s very possible that three sophomores will be in the starting lineup. Along with Burgess, Theus is a veteran leader amongst a young team. VCU welcomes six freshmen to the team this season, so expect guys like Teddy Okereafor and Briante Weber to add depth to a backcourt that will miss Joey Rodriguez and Brandon Rozzell. The Rams success is heavily dependent on how the younger players progress, but the future is promising.  Haley and Reddic started a combined 23 games last season and have experience playing deep into the season. VCU will have to work the ball hard to replicate the 72 points per game it averaged last season, which as second best in the CAA. However, Burgess is a strong 3-point threat and Haley and Reddic have the potential to be a strong one-two punch in the paint. And despite graduating top-defender Nixon, Theus is on pace to find his way into the record books with 81 steals in two seasons. If not already, a lot of eyes will be on VCU after its Final Four run last season. VCU is on track for a Top 5 conference finish, and their late-season experience will serve them well in the CAA tournament.

–Anthony Gulizia

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