VCU at Akron on December 29th, 2011

[Districtballer]

Hey Zips fans!

It seems we've gotten to know each other fairly well over the last several seasons of playing each other.

The VCU non-conference schedule was released recently and we are playing at the JAR on December 29th to close out our non-conference portion of the regular season (with the obvious exception of the Bracketbuster). I know Shaka hates the fact that he has to go coach against Keith who was one of several mentors that he had a chance to grow under. I'm told Keith is of the same mind in that regard. I don't think we'll see these teams play again after this as long as Shaka is still in Richmond, but that is not out of disrespect, but quite the opposite. The Bracketbusters have made us almost regular season opponents these last few years! There are a number of good posters on this board such as Dave In Green and Zips Watcher and I tip my cap to you. Nice having the opportunity to discuss some basketball with you all again.

Thought I'd give you the lowdown on us in the spirit of good sportsmanship and competition. Unless you've lived under a rock, I assume you know how last season went for us. It was great and I genuinely hope you guys get to experience something like that in the future. Just an amazing experience. We lost a lot off of that squad and while a lot of our CAA rivals are pegging us to be rebuilding this year, we'd like to think we'll still be quite competitive. We graduated 4 of our top 5 scorers (point guard Joey Rodriguez, big man Jamie Skeen, sharpshooter Brandon Rozzell, and defensive stopper Ed Nixon). On the surface it looks like we should take a big step back.

We return one stud off of that squad in Bradford Burgess. He has been a starter from the moment he stepped on campus for us and averaged 14.3 ppg and 6.3 rpg as a 6'6, 216 pound guard with a 6'9 wingspan. He can play the 1-4 and is the next VCU player on the NBA radar. You've seen Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders who both ended up being top-20 NBA draft picks. We're hoping Brad can join them as a first-rounder after this season. He has received a lot of national attention and attended both the Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp and the Kevin Durant Skills Academy this summer. He was also invited to try out for Team USA at the World University games but recently sprained an ankle in a summer league game that prevented him from heading out there. NBADraft.net currently has him going with the #41 pick to Golden State in their 2012 mock draft http://www.nbadraft.net/2012mock_draft . Here is a highlight tape of his from this past season:

He dropped 23 and 8 on Purdue in the round of 32, scored 26 against Florida St. in the Sweet Sixteen including the game-winner, and had 15 and 9 in the Final Four against Butler. Down the stretch he was one of our best players on the floor. We're looking for him to take over and be the undisputed leader of this team this season.

We were actually quite young outside of our starters last season which made our run all the more remarkable. We have a couple of really nice young players who should be factors this year.

Rob is from Gahanna, Ohio and was also recruited and offered by the Zips in the Class of 2010. He was playing behind some really good players, but when Brandon Rozzell had a wrist injury mid-way through the season, he stepped up big time with a 22-point game against William & Mary and a 23-point performance against Georgia State a couple of games later. He's supposedly taken some tremendous strides this off-season and should start at the 2 for us. He has a 44' inch vertical and a 6'7 wingspan. He actually blocked Chris Singleton's shot at the buzzer to seal VCU's win over Florida St. He's a big fan-favorite for us. I think you guys will like his game, he's an exciting player to watch.

Juvonte Reddic is a 6'9, 225 PF who also showed some very nice flashes of excellence last year. Like Rob he played behind talented upperclassmen, but has tremendous upside. He dropped 12 points on All-American JuJuan Johnson of Purdue in the Round of 32 and has BCS athleticism and a nice 15-20 foot jumper. He was offered by Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Georgetown out of high school. We're looking at him to step into the starting lineup and make an impact. DJ Haley is a 7-foot, 250-pound freshman who actually started for us in the NCAA tournament and is a serviceable big who is strong and hustles hard. He's not very skilled at this point, but his size and motor are impressive. You can actually see the 3 freshmen doing their thing in the Purdue game where they got time because we were blowing them out. Rob is #23, Juvonte is #5, and DJ Haley is #33:

At the point we have Darius Theus, a rising junior who backed up Joey Rodriguez. There are a number of people who worry about his ability to run the team as he looks very good in some games, and then can have very bad moments as well. He stepped up big in the Florida State game when Joey was in foul trouble with 8 points and 6 boards but had 6 turnovers as well. He has great size as a 6'3 point guard and is formidable going to the rim. He can NOT shoot from outside though. He is very poor from behind the 3-point line and quite frankly to this point has been a liability in that regard. He looks very good and smooth otherwise. He has a very nice handle and first step. Here's a look (He's #10):

--> from the 1:43-2:05 mark, 2:12-2:17, 2:30-2:43, and 2:48-2:55

The point guard position is the one that is probably the most uncertain. Coincidentally this is the most important position on the floor. There have been rumblings that Rob Brandenberg may play the point as well as two incoming freshmen in 6'4 Teddy Okereafor

and 6'3 Briante Weber

who were recruited to play the point. By the time we play you guys that question should be settled.

Another big newcomer that may effect the line-up is redshirt freshmen Reco McCarter. He was our most highly-touted freshmen recruit with offers from NC State, Oklahoma, Georgia, Clemson, and Virginia Tech but redshirted to get stronger:

We have a lot of young talent (mostly freshmen and sophomores). They are inexperienced but VERY talented. Shaka has been bringing in a different type of player to VCU and we're seeing a lot of flashes of very special play from these young guys. A lot is unknown and I'm certain there will be bumps in the road this season, but we'll be a formidable squad by the end of the year if I had to guess.

For the first time, I think we probably lose this game. The combination of our youth and being on the road combined with what seems like the Zips looking to be on the rise will be our undoing. My perspective is to use the non-conference schedule to train our young guys for the real season. An at-large for our guys this year is very unlikely, so we'll have to win it the old-fashioned way anyway. Teams like the Zips will be good tests for us. Hopefully we'll be in good shape for when we face you. Either way, it'll be a good game. I'm sure it will have high entertainment value. Hopefully you guys fill up the place and have a better atmosphere this time around. I know we're not a name around Ohio, but hopefully the Final Four run will give some buzz for you guys to sell some tickets.

Feel free to fill us in over at VCURamNation.com on the Zips! Hope the information was helpful and informative to you all.

[GoZips]

What a difference when your hated coach (Shaka Smart) runs your team to the Final Four.

All of a sudden Shaka is a darling. Tell the truth, Baller, you and the rest of your fans were

ready to tar and feather Shaka midway through last season. Frankly, I would not blame Shaka

for shaking Richmond dust from his heels and taking a better job.

A couple of years ago I posted on your boards that you would love Shaka as your coach. The

VCU fans ran me off the boards as, and I quote, "an idiot who knows nothing about basketball".

I am still waiting for an apology.

As for VCU and Akron playing home and homes. I think other wise. Both teams benefit from

such a series.

[Districtballer]

What a difference when your hated coach (Shaka Smart) runs your team to the Final Four.

All of a sudden Shaka is a darling. Tell the truth, Baller, you and the rest of your fans were

ready to tar and feather Shaka midway through last season. Frankly, I would not blame Shaka

for shaking Richmond dust from his heels and taking a better job.

A couple of years ago I posted on your boards that you would love Shaka as your coach. The

VCU fans ran me off the boards as, and I quote, "an idiot who knows nothing about basketball".

I am still waiting for an apology.

As for VCU and Akron playing home and homes. I think other wise. Both teams benefit from

such a series.

Quite the opposite. There are still a number of our fans who have questions about his coaching ability. As a motivator, he is unparalleled. We finished 5th in the CAA with the #15 pick in the NBA draft and 4th in the conference this year with a team that had the talent to make it to the Final Four. There were justified concerns about it with the level of talent we had on our roster. There are high expectations at VCU and yes there were definitely a contingent of fans that were unhappy with how February went. Outside of 4-5 posters, no one wanted him out. Many expressed discontent however, and rightfully so. We lost 4 of our last 5 regular season games, again with what ended up as a Final Four team. There will be serious questions from any legitimate fan base when that happens.

Well Shaka doesn't feel the same way as you do, fortunately for us. He signed an 8-year 1.2 million/yr contract and has a $800,000 buyout on it this year. He turned down an offer from NC State at almost 2 million a year so he obviously sees something at VCU. I personally never 'tarred and feathered' him, but there were a couple of guys who were critical of him. I won't deny that. I take it as a sign that we have a strong fan base that actually cares. I'd rather have that than an empty stadium and apathy around the program.

If you want an apology, go over there and ask for one. I don't know what you want me to do about that.

The VCU-Akron series won't continue from what I understand as long as Shaka coaches at VCU. That is unless the Bracketbusters pair us yet again. We've never had a home-and-home other than the obligatory return games from the Bracketbuster, and I don't think you'll see one either. As many have said here before, there is little regional interest for VCU in Ohio, no one either knows or cares who we are. I think the same is probably true in Virginia for Akron.

[Districtballer]

I'm trying to remember the time when anyone insulted you after you recommended Shaka.

Turns out it didn't happen. In fact, no one even replied to your post.

http://boards.caazone.com/showthread.php?p...859#post1053859

[GP1]

Quite the opposite. There are still a number of our fans who have questions about his coaching ability. As a motivator, he is unparalleled. We finished 5th in the CAA with the #15 pick in the NBA draft and 4th in the conference this year with a team that had the talent to make it to the Final Four. There were justified concerns about it with the level of talent we had on our roster.

This is a very good observation. Winning washes the sin of losing away. The sins go away, but the sinners remain to possibly sin again. It seems to me VCU and Akron are in a similar position. Both did not do as well in the regular season as they would have liked and fans should get upset when their team doesn't perform up to expectations. While VCU made a big splash in the post season, UofA did well in the post season by winning the MAC.

Whether you are a fan of VCU or UofA, your expectations for next season should be similar. It would be inexcusable for either of these teams to perform poorly in their ooc schedule or conference schedule. VCU has momentum and Akron has talent. Both fan bases should expect big things from their teams next year starting from day one. Basketball season starts in November, not March.

With the talent the Zips now have, my expectation is for them to have the best season in the history of the program. We have the best team in the MAC and we should get over on a declining league in a big way next season. Anything short of that will be a shame.

[Districtballer]

Exactly. Just read this thread after our 70-53 win the last time we met up: http://zipsnation.org/forums//index.php?showtopic=17281

It sounds like Zips fans are doing exactly the same thing VCU fans were being accused of with Shaka.

Another interesting tidbit is that DJ Haley our 7-footer was on his official visit the last time that we played and subsequently committed to us.

Also some pretty hilarious quotes in there in hindsight as well:

I think VCU will find itself a VERY average team once Larry Sanders is gone, similar to the step back they've taken after Maynor left, only worse. Larry Sanders altered that game the way Zeke has altered some MAC games and will alter all games in the future. Our guys were pulling up for 10ft jumpers instead of driving to the hole, being intimidated from 10 feet away. I can see Akron being in the same boat in a few years after they begin to depend on Zeke as the enforcer in the middle. We're not there yet, but we will be.

EDIT: In no way am I saying that VCU is not the better team here, but take a look at those stats. To me it seems the Zips were more intimidated at the environment. That could be more of a problem for us than anything. Shooting 30% from the field, 20% from 3-land, and leaving 8 points at the line is not this teams usual. If we hit near our averages, and we were getting PLENTY of good looks, and the Zips are right in this game all 40 minutes instead of for about 3 of them.

Homer rationalizations aside, that very average team once Larry Sanders left ended up going to the Final Four.

That means you guys probably have a good shot at taking the game that season. VCU will graduate Larry Sanders, Jamie Skeen, Joey Rodriguez, Ed Nixon, and Brandon Rozell. 4 of those guys started against the Zips last night and Brandon who came off the bench scored double-digit points...but you can bet I'll be back then talking the game up just the same as before. As things look right now, I would expect Akron to win that game fairly easily with a young and inexperienced VCU team coming in 2011-2012. Rob Brandenberg, our 2010 recruit out of Columbus Ohio at Gahanna Lincoln will have a bit of a homecoming as far being close enough for his folks to come out, so that will be nice for him as a sophomore. We'll be young, but still pretty talented and should give you a good game up there. I wouldn't guarantee a win like I have in the past though until I see how our current underclassmen progress next season. A lot can change in that time.

...and here I am saying the same thing as I did then.

Having seen our freshmen now and how good they can be, I think we'll give you a good game. I still don't predict a W because we are so young and the JAR is a tough place to play. It seems that Dambrot is also changing up the makeup of your team to a more full-court style like we play. Should be interesting to see how we match-up. It will be a good measuring stick for what is a very young team.

[Dave in Green]

Always good to read your posts here, Districtballer. On every sports forum there are trash talkers and there are straight shooters. You've always been a straight shooter here, and I always feel as if I've learned something after reading one of your posts.

You give a really good, detailed assessment of VCU's current team. Anyone who thinks Shaka's teams are going to fade with the graduation of a star or a few strong players is fooling themselves. He's proven that he has the ability to attract good talent to VCU and get the most out of them on a consistent basis, so I always expect the Rams to be tough. I was pulling hard for VCU in the NCAA tournament after the Zips were eliminated.

You pointed out the question marks for your team this season, and you also seem to be aware of all the question marks the Zips have. We are fortunate to have Zeke Marshall back for two more seasons, and hoping this is the season he fully realizes his potential to become a dominant center. We are also fortunate that power forward Nick Cvetinovic is coming back for his senior season instead of turning pro in Serbia. We think last season's backup PG, Alex Abreu, has the potential to be similar to your Joey Rodriguez. But we have many transfers and inexperienced young players who will have to fit in quickly for the Zips to be competitive early in the season.

But I think you already know all of this, as you appear to be a good student of opposing teams and have probably read our discussions about this year's team on this forum.

At this point, having attending only one of the Zips early practice sessions, I'm encouraged. The potential to be better than last season is definitely there. I believe this edition of the Zips may have more individual talent than any past Zips team I've seen. But they have to fully realize that individual talent, and more importantly they must mesh together as a team.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how they match up against a talented young team led by a coach who's proven he has what it takes to take a midmajor to the Final Four.

[mes102]

Exactly. Just read this thread after our 70-53 win the last time we met up: http://zipsnation.org/forums//index.php?showtopic=17281

It sounds like Zips fans are doing exactly the same thing VCU fans were being accused of with Shaka.

Another interesting tidbit is that DJ Haley our 7-footer was on his official visit the last time that we played and subsequently committed to us.

Also some pretty hilarious quotes in there in hindsight as well:

I think VCU will find itself a VERY average team once Larry Sanders is gone, similar to the step back they've taken after Maynor left, only worse. Larry Sanders altered that game the way Zeke has altered some MAC games and will alter all games in the future. Our guys were pulling up for 10ft jumpers instead of driving to the hole, being intimidated from 10 feet away. I can see Akron being in the same boat in a few years after they begin to depend on Zeke as the enforcer in the middle. We're not there yet, but we will be.

EDIT: In no way am I saying that VCU is not the better team here, but take a look at those stats. To me it seems the Zips were more intimidated at the environment. That could be more of a problem for us than anything. Shooting 30% from the field, 20% from 3-land, and leaving 8 points at the line is not this teams usual. If we hit near our averages, and we were getting PLENTY of good looks, and the Zips are right in this game all 40 minutes instead of for about 3 of them.

Homer rationalizations aside, that very average team once Larry Sanders left ended up going to the Final Four.

That means you guys probably have a good shot at taking the game that season. VCU will graduate Larry Sanders, Jamie Skeen, Joey Rodriguez, Ed Nixon, and Brandon Rozell. 4 of those guys started against the Zips last night and Brandon who came off the bench scored double-digit points...but you can bet I'll be back then talking the game up just the same as before. As things look right now, I would expect Akron to win that game fairly easily with a young and inexperienced VCU team coming in 2011-2012. Rob Brandenberg, our 2010 recruit out of Columbus Ohio at Gahanna Lincoln will have a bit of a homecoming as far being close enough for his folks to come out, so that will be nice for him as a sophomore. We'll be young, but still pretty talented and should give you a good game up there. I wouldn't guarantee a win like I have in the past though until I see how our current underclassmen progress next season. A lot can change in that time.

...and here I am saying the same thing as I did then.

Having seen our freshmen now and how good they can be, I think we'll give you a good game. I still don't predict a W because we are so young and the JAR is a tough place to play. It seems that Dambrot is also changing up the makeup of your team to a more full-court style like we play. Should be interesting to see how we match-up. It will be a good measuring stick for what is a very young team.

Congrats!!! You want a cookie now? How about a cake? or how about a donut? or how about becoming the president?

Jokes put to side, I disagree with you about a couple things.

1. Who cares if you win your conference? I rather have a coach get me to the Final Four than to win your conference. A lot of schools win their conference, but how many of them make it to the Final Four? Not many...

2. I believe a regular season series would be great for both programs. You're not going to get Big East, Big Ten, SEC, and ACC teams to come to your place constantly. So you'll have to get some mid-majors on your schedule.Why not play a school that would get you ready for CAA play, and it gets Akron ready for MAC play. You have to face reality, and reality is you have a coach that has now been in the Final Four. He'll be hungry to get that taste again...

[Captain Kangaroo]

Quite the opposite. There are still a number of our fans who have questions about his coaching ability. As a motivator, he is unparalleled. We finished 5th in the CAA with the #15 pick in the NBA draft and 4th in the conference this year with a team that had the talent to make it to the Final Four. There were justified concerns about it with the level of talent we had on our roster. There are high expectations at VCU and yes there were definitely a contingent of fans that were unhappy with how February went. Outside of 4-5 posters, no one wanted him out. Many expressed discontent however, and rightfully so. We lost 4 of our last 5 regular season games, again with what ended up as a Final Four team. There will be serious questions from any legitimate fan base when that happens.

Well Shaka doesn't feel the same way as you do, fortunately for us. He signed an 8-year 1.2 million/yr contract and has a $800,000 buyout on it this year. He turned down an offer from NC State at almost 2 million a year so he obviously sees something at VCU. I personally never 'tarred and feathered' him, but there were a couple of guys who were critical of him. I won't deny that. I take it as a sign that we have a strong fan base that actually cares. I'd rather have that than an empty stadium and apathy around the program.

If you want an apology, go over there and ask for one. I don't know what you want me to do about that.

The VCU-Akron series won't continue from what I understand as long as Shaka coaches at VCU. That is unless the Bracketbusters pair us yet again. We've never had a home-and-home other than the obligatory return games from the Bracketbuster, and I don't think you'll see one either. As many have said here before, there is little regional interest for VCU in Ohio, no one either knows or cares who we are. I think the same is probably true in Virginia for Akron.

Love this post. Can't beat intelligent fans who say their team is playing poorly when it is playing poorly...and gush over it when it's playing well.

Outside of 4-or-5 posters, I think everyone welcomes your comments here. Actually, other than one, I think everyone does. Thank you for your participation here.

I look forward to the December 29th match up. I hope it is picked up by ESPN. It should be a showcase Midmajor match up. Which is of course, the best kind of college basketball match up.

[Districtballer]

Exactly. Just read this thread after our 70-53 win the last time we met up: http://zipsnation.org/forums//index.php?showtopic=17281

It sounds like Zips fans are doing exactly the same thing VCU fans were being accused of with Shaka.

Another interesting tidbit is that DJ Haley our 7-footer was on his official visit the last time that we played and subsequently committed to us.

Also some pretty hilarious quotes in there in hindsight as well:

I think VCU will find itself a VERY average team once Larry Sanders is gone, similar to the step back they've taken after Maynor left, only worse. Larry Sanders altered that game the way Zeke has altered some MAC games and will alter all games in the future. Our guys were pulling up for 10ft jumpers instead of driving to the hole, being intimidated from 10 feet away. I can see Akron being in the same boat in a few years after they begin to depend on Zeke as the enforcer in the middle. We're not there yet, but we will be.

EDIT: In no way am I saying that VCU is not the better team here, but take a look at those stats. To me it seems the Zips were more intimidated at the environment. That could be more of a problem for us than anything. Shooting 30% from the field, 20% from 3-land, and leaving 8 points at the line is not this teams usual. If we hit near our averages, and we were getting PLENTY of good looks, and the Zips are right in this game all 40 minutes instead of for about 3 of them.

Homer rationalizations aside, that very average team once Larry Sanders left ended up going to the Final Four.

That means you guys probably have a good shot at taking the game that season. VCU will graduate Larry Sanders, Jamie Skeen, Joey Rodriguez, Ed Nixon, and Brandon Rozell. 4 of those guys started against the Zips last night and Brandon who came off the bench scored double-digit points...but you can bet I'll be back then talking the game up just the same as before. As things look right now, I would expect Akron to win that game fairly easily with a young and inexperienced VCU team coming in 2011-2012. Rob Brandenberg, our 2010 recruit out of Columbus Ohio at Gahanna Lincoln will have a bit of a homecoming as far being close enough for his folks to come out, so that will be nice for him as a sophomore. We'll be young, but still pretty talented and should give you a good game up there. I wouldn't guarantee a win like I have in the past though until I see how our current underclassmen progress next season. A lot can change in that time.

...and here I am saying the same thing as I did then.

Having seen our freshmen now and how good they can be, I think we'll give you a good game. I still don't predict a W because we are so young and the JAR is a tough place to play. It seems that Dambrot is also changing up the makeup of your team to a more full-court style like we play. Should be interesting to see how we match-up. It will be a good measuring stick for what is a very young team.

Congrats!!! You want a cookie now? How about a cake? or how about a donut? or how about becoming the president?

Jokes put to side, I disagree with you about a couple things.

1. Who cares if you win your conference? I rather have a coach get me to the Final Four than to win your conference. A lot of schools win their conference, but how many of them make it to the Final Four? Not many...

2. I believe a regular season series would be great for both programs. You're not going to get Big East, Big Ten, SEC, and ACC teams to come to your place constantly. So you'll have to get some mid-majors on your schedule.Why not play a school that would get you ready for CAA play, and it gets Akron ready for MAC play. You have to face reality, and reality is you have a coach that has now been in the Final Four. He'll be hungry to get that taste again...

Your comments are taken in stride good sir.

Here's my take on your comments. This just my opinion obviously, but I think it has merit.

1. We're not going to go to the Final Four every year as much as I'd like to think that. Going just the one time was overwhelming enough. We had certainly played our way out of the tournament in almost every one else's mind. Heck, our team didn't even meet up for Selection Sunday because they didn't think we had a shot. We had the computers numbers, but had lost 4 of our last 5 regular season games and fell short in the conference tournament. We had resigned ourselves to the fact that we needed to win that to dance. ODU fans chanted "NIT! NIT!" as we walked off the floor in the CAA Championship game. Obviously in hindsight, it's easy to say that those reactions are unjustified. I would have loved to see the state of these boards if something similar happened to Akron with a similar caliber team.

We graduate all of Anthony Grant's recruits except Brad Burgess and it remains to be seen if that magical March was us catching lightning in a bottle, or a result of real growth in Shaka's coaching. No one's saying they don't want him. We're just acknowledging the reality that he is still very young with a lot of growth to come. It's insanely exciting that he has room to grow since he has a 10-1 postseason record and won a CBI championship and went to the Final Four in his 2nd year. Just for context though, Anthony Grant's 3 years prior to Shaka coming in set a high bar in CAA play. We finished 1st in the CAA all 3 years of his tenure and went to the NCAA's twice sandwiched around a NIT berth when we choked in the conference semi's after winning the conference by 3 games in the regular season. Our fans are/were used to being at the top of the pack and we quickly slipped to the 4-5 range with a ton of talent. That combined with Shaka's youth, and it was easy to ask questions. Obviously the Final Four changed that, but hindsight is 20-20. We still don't know if he has made the adjustments to effectively manage a squad over the regular season as opposed to a 4-5 game stretch. Like it or not, both are important parts of a HC's toolbox. We all believe he can make those strides and I think he will. He's a bright young star in the profession.

2. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but it is standard coaching practice not to coach against former players or assistants whenever possible. Coaches don't like to do it. If it is at all in their control they generally avoid it. It's not a hard and fast rule, but it is widely observed. I have it on pretty good authority that Shaka is uncomfortable with coaching against KD and was disappointed we had to face each other besides the big RPI discrepancy which has been hashed and rehashed and I know you guys don't care about. The series isn't going to continue past this year barring another Bracketbuster matchup which I assume wouldn't happen. I know our AD lobbied for a better bracketbuster game this year and pointed to our matchup the year before as being screwed and ESPN agreed and actually bumped us up to play at Wichita State, the #1 Missouri Valley team at the time. It worked out fabulously for us and might have been the win that got us in the tournament. Akron is a decent program that in or around the top 100 range nowadays and definitely not a bad game by any means. It's just not going to be a resume builder for us. I'm not trying to say that we are going to be a resume builder game for you either, probably not. For us to make OOC games worthwhile we have to play teams that are in the top 50 RPI and mix them up with winnable games. Akron is a team that is neither a good win or a bad loss that the selection committee will really notice, but at the same time you have the talent to give us trouble and beat us. I hope you don't take offense to that and see what I'm trying to get at. We need signature wins and Akron was never really a signature win for us in any of the years we've played. It was a decent game, but we can get those in a lot of places without having to go to Ohio. Teams that our fans are fairly familiar with. I imagine a lot of your fans feel the same way about VCU, in fact, your fans have told me this on several occasions already. For the few die-hards here, yes there is some familiarity, but Joe Blow in Akron couldn't care less.

I assume it's because you guys usually have a weak OOC schedule with some D2's thrown in that you would like a VCU-Akron series. I don't blame you. That said we've always been pretty good about scheduling. We have a home and home with Big East member South Florida. They are coming into Richmond this year. We're starting up a home and home away with Alabama this season. We recently split a home and home with Oklahoma. We're playing teams like Western Kentucky and UAB in home and homes, teams that our fan base are very familiar with from past conference affiliations that are just as comparable to Akron. It just makes more sense for us to schedule teams that will bring fans in. We also usually end up playing in a pretty good preseason tournament that nets us neutral court games against BCS opponents. Last year we played in the preseason NIT, beat Wake Forest by 30 points on their home floor, lost by 5 to Tennessee, and then beat UCLA at Madison Square Garden. I'm sure with more aggressive scheduling from Keith, you guys will not have any problems. I just don't see VCU in that future as long as Shaka is here, which I hope is for a good while.

[Districtballer]

Rivals named Rob Brandenberg one of 12 breakout back court players in the country for next season. He's the only non-BCS player on the list and one of two players pictured. We're expecting him to make a big jump this year and it seems some of the national publications do as well.

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1246601

Rob Brandenberg, VCU:: The highlight of Brandenberg's freshman season likely came when he blocked a shot at the buzzer to preserve VCU's NCAA Southwest Regional semifinal overtime victory over Florida State. That represented just the most prominent example of how the 6-foot-2 guard can harass teams with his 6-7 wingspan. Brandenberg also can make an impact on offense, as he exceeded the 20-point mark twice last season while filling in for the injured Brandon Rozzell. Brandenberg finished his freshman season averaging 4.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 13.7 minutes, but he should exceed those totals this season because he almost certainly will move into the starting lineup. VCU must replace starting guards Joey Rodriguez and Ed Nixon from its Final Four team.

[Districtballer]

Our 2011-2012 roster just went up the other day. For those of you who like to scout your opponent (like me), have at it!

2 Briante Weber --- G --- Fr.--- 6'3--- 160

5 Teddy Okereafor --- G --- Fr.--- 6'3--- 190

10 Darius Theus --- G --- Fr.--- 6'3--- 200

11 Rob Brandenberg--- G--- So.--- 6'2--- 180

15 Juvonte Reddic --- F ---So. ---6'9 --- 235

20 Brad Burgess --- G/F--- Sr. ---6'6 --- 225

21 Treveon Graham --- G ---Fr. ---6'5 --- 215

23 Jarred Guest ---F --- Fr. ---6'8 --- 210

24 Heath Houston --- F---R-Fr.---6'8 ---230

25 Reco McCarter ---G---R-Fr.---6'7 ---190

30 Troy Daniels ---G --- Jr. ---6'4 --- 200

33 DJ Haley --- F --- So.---7'0 --- 250

34 David Hinton ----F---R-Jr.---6'9 --- 235

It seems like we have a number of similarities. The team is young with 6 freshmen (2 of them who redshirted). We are a pretty tall squad with our shortest player at 6'2 in Rob Brandenberg. We have 5 forwards over 6'8 and a 7-foot, 250-pounder. We have 3 guards above 6'5 in Treveon Graham, Reco McCarter, and Brad Burgess. We are built to press with long and very athletic types. Most of our guys have pretty long wingspans (ie. Rob is 6'2 but has a 6'7 wingspan) which allow them to play taller than their heights. We have 10 underclassmen on this squad and will be as young as ever, but maybe more talented than we've ever been before. All of these players with the exception of Brad Burgess are now players that Shaka Smart recruited to VCU. It will be interesting to see how he fares with his own players running his preferred system.

FWIW, TheHoopsReport.com is doing it's preseason top 68 team countdown. VCU just came up at #47 and the write-up on the Rams can be viewed here:

http://thehoopsreport.com/article.aspx?id=781

Quite frankly a little shocked that we are ranked in the top 50 in the preseason since we lost so much from last year. I'll chalk it up to Final Four respect. I do think we have the talent to be there at the end of the season, I just didn't think preseason publications would give us that kind of credit. Hopefully they are right. Would be nice for you guys to get a top 50 RPI opponent in the JAR this season.

[Districtballer]

Our roster has been updated with updated for all our players up to this year and includes some video highlights of each returning player and introductory 'get to know' videos of each of our 4 freshmen and 2 red-shirt freshmen. It's a nice way to acquaint yourselves with a future opponent. The photos haven't been updated from last year because our photo shoot got delayed to Tuesday, so our returners have their old pictures from last year up and our freshmen don't have their pictures up yet. Other than that it's got pretty much everything you'd want to know. http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/roster

[Dave in Green]

Thanks, Districtballer. This will be a big game for the Zips, and it makes it a lot easier to check out the opposition with you keeping us updated.Do you do this on the forums of all of VCU's opponents, or do you have soft spot in your heart for the Zips?

[Districtballer]

Thanks, Districtballer. This will be a big game for the Zips, and it makes it a lot easier to check out the opposition with you keeping us updated.Do you do this on the forums of all of VCU's opponents, or do you have soft spot in your heart for the Zips?

I usually do this for most of our OOC opponents, but I definitely find it easier posting with you guys since we've played basically every year for the last 4 years or so. The level of familiarity with some of you makes it easy to update and I have taken in an interest in Zips basketball now that we've been exposed to each other so much. I won't pretend the Shaka connection didn't help that. It's usually the week of the game when I post on opposing boards but I enjoy some of the discourse here with some knowledgeable mid-major fans. I like to talk basketball with like-minded people and there are definitely some guys here I don't mind doing that with.

[Z.I.P.]

FWIW, TheHoopsReport.com is doing it's preseason top 68 team countdown. VCU just came up at #47 and the write-up on the Rams can be viewed here: http://thehoopsreport.com/article.aspx?id=781Quite frankly a little shocked that we are ranked in the top 50 in the preseason since we lost so much from last year. I'll chalk it up to Final Four respect. I do think we have the talent to be there at the end of the season, I just didn't think preseason publications would give us that kind of credit. Hopefully they are right. Would be nice for you guys to get a top 50 RPI opponent in the JAR this season.

A final four team from the previous year not making the Top 50 the following season? I put Districtballer in my top 10 list -- of sandbaggers!

[Districtballer]

FWIW, TheHoopsReport.com is doing it's preseason top 68 team countdown. VCU just came up at #47 and the write-up on the Rams can be viewed here: http://thehoopsreport.com/article.aspx?id=781Quite frankly a little shocked that we are ranked in the top 50 in the preseason since we lost so much from last year. I'll chalk it up to Final Four respect. I do think we have the talent to be there at the end of the season, I just didn't think preseason publications would give us that kind of credit. Hopefully they are right. Would be nice for you guys to get a top 50 RPI opponent in the JAR this season.

A final four team from the previous year not making the Top 50 the following season? I put Districtballer in my top 10 list -- of sandbaggers!

We lost 4 of our top 5 scorers. The Final Four is probably the only reason we are ranked that high in all honesty. I do think there's a ton of potential and our young talent is pretty impressive. That said, inexperience is one of those inevitable obstacles to success that every youngster must grow past, unless you are an elite talent, and I won't pretend any of our freshman are in that category. We will have growing pains, as every young team does. 9 underclassmen in the rotation with 6 who haven't played in a real D1 game yet means our fans will have to be a little patient. It's not too different from Akron's situation if I had to guess, although it would seem you guys have some VERY impressive newcomers who may make an immediate impact.

[Districtballer]

On the other hand from some of the positive press (which I have admitted is probably overblown), this clearly shows how much the Rams will have to replace from last year. Navy's SID put this out and it shows that VCU is the 9th most inexperienced team in the country next year.

We'll certainly be taking our fair share of lumps next year and playing this game away from home will also be a significant test for our young team.

[Districtballer]

Here's our full off-season video training montage. It's kind of like the eye of the tiger Rocky montage. Sort of.

The season is drawing closer folks!

[Districtballer]

Hey Zips fans!I'm sure you guys are excited about your season as we are about ours down here in Richmond!Just came across an Akron tidbit connected to our season I thought I'd share. We're having our exhibition against D2 California (Pa.) against Shaka's college coach Bill Brown. He later got his first assistant coaching gig at Cal U before being hired by Coach Dambrot at Akron. As I was perusing the roster I saw another Akron connection. Steve Swiech! He was around when VCU and Akron played some of their earlier contests. He's shaped up to be a pretty good player for the Vulcans, leading the team in scoring with 12.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg and was 2nd-team all-conference in his league. He should be starting against us on November 3rd. Will let you guys know how the former Zip performs! Good luck to you guys as the season draws nigh! College basketball is HERE!

[Zip Watcher]

Swiech is a Akron graduate. We love that guy.

[The Hip Zip]

Always enjoy the comments of DB. A college BB junkie that really knows his stuff. I think that the VCU program will be on solid footing for many years to come. Over time, Shaka should be a great recruiter. I mean all you have to do is sit down with him and chat for a few minutes to find that he is very genuine and very honest. A player can't ask for anything more than that ( other than more time on the floor). Having that final four in your hip pocket does not hurt as well. I clearly remember when many in the VCU community hated the hire and were ready to quickly ready to run him out of town after after early losses. It's no coincidence that Shaka overcame all of that. As Keith loves to say, he's a high character guy and this was evidenced by his commitment to the school when the big offers came calling. I'm sure that neither coach will truly enjoy going head to head against each other but when the ball is tipped it will be business as usual. This should be a very good and competitive game thanks to catching the Rams in somewhat of a transitional season, as we are in as well.Tickets are in hand, can't wait for this game. I'm a big fan of Colonial BB and VCU but I bleed Akron

[The Hip Zip]

Swiech is a Akron graduate. We love that guy.

Yep, everybody liked Steve a lot. I'm glad he found his niche and is playing well.

[Districtballer]

Always enjoy the comments of DB. A college BB junkie that really knows his stuff. I think that the VCU program will be on solid footing for many years to come. Over time, Shaka should be a great recruiter. I mean all you have to do is sit down with him and chat for a few minutes to find that he is very genuine and very honest. A player can't ask for anything more than that ( other than more time on the floor). Having that final four in your hip pocket does not hurt as well. I clearly remember when many in the VCU community hated the hire and were ready to quickly ready to run him out of town after after early losses. It's no coincidence that Shaka overcame all of that. As Keith loves to say, he's a high character guy and this was evidenced by his commitment to the school when the big offers came calling. I'm sure that neither coach will truly enjoy going head to head against each other but when the ball is tipped it will be business as usual. This should be a very good and competitive game thanks to catching the Rams in somewhat of a transitional season, as we are in as well.Tickets are in hand, can't wait for this game. I'm a big fan of Colonial BB and VCU but I bleed Akron

Thanks Hip Zip! Agreed on Shaka really panning out despite some rough stretches last year. He was playing strict man-to-man and we were getting destroyed and actually lost 4 of our last 5 regular season games. His assistants were urging him to mix it up with zone and he didn't really adopt those recommendations. Once we got into the CAA tournament, Shaka started taking that advice and we were a completely different team after that. He readily admits all those things in hindsight. It just goes to show he's a work in progress as a young coach, but he's certainly special and we're glad to have him!In addition to the coaching adjustments, we got some really nice 3-point shooting and an increased sense of urgency and leadership from seniors who didn't want the season to end. That resulted in a pretty special post-season after what was a pretty mediocre regular season. It really makes what we accomplished all the more remarkable in hindsight. He's already a very good recruiter and has brought in some studs. I can't wait to see how he takes advantage of the Final Four as we're only going to reap the benefits in 2013 as we already wrapped up the 2012 class in the spring. Everyone coming into the JAR this year with the exception of senior Bradford Burgess and walk-on David Hinton was recruited by Shaka Smart, so you'll get to see the kind of players he's recruited for yourselves. I agree this will be a great game between 2 squads that are rebuilding to a degree, but have a lot of talent. There's a lot to be said for the residue of success that a program carries and how that helps teams transitioning to a new core of players. I called this a loss for us 2 years ago, but I'm hopeful we can make it competitive. The JAR is a tough place to play and we are young, but a lot of these guys have played with a lot higher stakes on the line in some pretty intimidating venues against some pretty good opponents. As fans, it should be awesome. I'm sure both coaches are going to be graying a little bit come game time though.

[Districtballer]

Here are the video highlights from our open practice this past Sunday. There is a presser at the end with Coach Smart sharing his thoughts on our team. We have 9 underclassmen on this squad but we're excited with the level of athleticism and talent on the squad. Inexperience will be an issue early, but we're hopeful this squad can make some noise this year. http://www.vcuramnation.com/2011/10/video-open-practice/Once you click on the link, just scroll down to the video.We also had a closed scrimmage at Virginia Tech. Apparently we beat them pretty soundly and one of our players (Troy Daniels, #30) hit 9 threes on the way to 33 points. This was gleaned off of social media as the coaches aren't allowed to discuss it. Doesn't mean much since Tech is supposed to be young and not great this year, but nice to hear.