VCU Ramblings
Tim Pearrell
Jan 15, 2007
Thoughts and notes as VCU prepares to take on UNC Wilmington and Old Dominion:
* Several of VCU’s players made a point of walking around the Siegel Center and acknowledging the fans after Saturday’s 85-77 victory over Towson. The game drew a crowd of 6,463. “Coach [Anthony Grant] huddled us up after the game and said we should show our appreciation,“ VCU guard Jamal Shuler said. “They are our sixth man. They give us the energy we need.“
* How many points would Towson’s Gary Neal have scored had he not spent the first part of the game letting his teammates get involved? Neal didn’t score until the game was almost 12 minutes old. He then poured in 33 points in 28 minutes. In three games against VCU dating to last season, Neal has averaged 35 points. All were losses. The game he didn’t play in against the Rams—because of an injury—Towson won 59-57.
* Is there a better point guard in the CAA than VCU sophomore Eric Maynor? He’s smart with the ball while being creative, which is tough to do. He breaks down defenses, hangs in the air until he finds somebody open, nails that trademark runner in the lane, scores, plays defense, stays out of foul trouble, hits foul shots and is tireless. Maynor is the one guy VCU can’t do without. He’s averaging 34.1 minutes.
* Grant got his first technical against William and Mary, then said after the game he was “probably out of line.“ Maybe. But from a seat on press row, Grant had a beef. VCU’s Michael Anderson had position on a rebound, went after the ball and got called for a foul. Livid, Grant came several feet onto the floor.
* VCU redshirt freshman T.J. Gwynn sported a new, closely cropped ‘do before going out and scoring 22 points against William and Mary last week. Gwynn had been going mostly with a braided look. “I just looked at it from an image point of view,“ he said. “I don’t want to say it was a bad image. It just wasn’t for me.“
* It will be interesting to see how teams fare the second time around against VCU’s fullcourt pressure and traps. Towson had 22 turnovers in the first meeting but just 13 in the rematch. Many of those turnovers came in halfcourt sets.
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Best of luck to VCU as they take on the ODU Monarchs!! We will be in the stands cheering you on!! This is my first year as a VCU parent and fan… and what fun it is!! Eric Maynor is the best point guard that I have seen in CAA!! He is a real leader! But the TEAM WORK on the court is what I love!!! KEEP it up RAMS!!
Sarah Bell
Jan. 19, 2007 at 08:53 AM
You folks should mention:
The VCU Rams received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this week. The Rams got two votes in the AP rankings and one in the ESPN/USA TODAY poll. The Rams are also now ranked #7 in the latest mid-major college basketball rankings.
VCU took over sole possession of first place in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) at 6-0 after sweeping all three league games last week. It is the best CAA mark ever for VCU. The Rams are also the only Division I team to have a 7-0 record in away games.
VCU senior B.A. Walker became VCU’s career leader in three-pointers earlier this season. Walker has 221 career treys, taking the top spot on the VCU list on Nov. 18 against the College of Charleston.
The Rams are the CAA’s lone unbeaten team after victories over Northeastern (64-44), William & Mary (88-77) and Towson (85-77) last week. VCU, which is off to its best start ever in CAA play, has won five in a row and 12 of its last 13 contests. The Rams’ 14-3 overall record is their best since 1984-85 when they finished the year ranked #11 in the country.
VCU shot a season-high 59.5% from the floor in snapping W&M’s seven-game win streak. The Rams also made 17 straight free throws in the final seven minutes against the Tribe and were 24-of-27 in the second half against TU. Sophomore guard Eric Maynor averaged 17.0 points and 5.7 assists for the week, highlighted by a team-best 22 points and six assists versus Towson. Freshman forward T.J. Gwynn came off the bench with a career-high 22 points and five steals at W&M and he averaged 11.3 ppg for the week while shooting 73.3% from the floor. Senior guard Jesse Pellot-Rosa, who has posted double-digit scoring efforts in 15 of his past 16 games, scored 20 points at W&M and netted 16 against Towson. Senior guard B.A. Walker, who scored 12 versus the Tigers, is 19th on VCU’s career scoring list with 1,209 points. The Rams, who top the CAA in turnover margin (+6.6 tpg), have forced 20 or more turnovers eight times and have not committed more turnovers than their opponent in a game this season. Thirteen of VCU’s 14 wins have been by eight or more points while the Rams’ three losses have been by a combined total of seven points. VCU, which is 7-0 on the road for the first time in school history, hosts UNCW and Old Dominion this week.
(Most of these facts came from the CAA webpage)
Pat Geary
Pat Geary of Alexandria, VA
Jan. 15, 2007 at 09:01 PM
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