AROUND THE HORNS BLOG News and Notes from Around the World of VCU Athletics
Thursday, March 18, 2010
FEATURING DAVE GIFFARD I just posted a feature on new VCU Men's Soccer Coach Dave Giffard that I wrote a little while ago. In addition to being a super nice guy, Giffard really seems to have hit the ground running. I should be exciting to watch. Click here to read about him.
GOOD LUCK WITH THOSE TPS REPORTS Yeah, like you're getting any work done today. If you're Irish, this will be two straight days of near-zero productivity. But, if you read this blog regularly, chances are that you've had your boss fooled for some time anyway. Congrats!
Ram fans, I really need you guys to join together for my Ohio Bobcats tonight when they face Georgetown. Don't do it for me. Do it for the kids. I'm kind of undecided about Old Dominion. Usually I'm from the it's-good-for-the-league camp, but it is ODU. I think I'll end up pulling for them for a couple of reasons. No. 1, I hate Notre Dame. No. 2, the more ODU wins, the more money the league gets. It's for the greater good. Also, can somebody explain to me how Notre Dame got a six seed? Weren't basically out of the tournament two weeks ago? This is like how the Irish are ranked at the beginning of football season each year, only to finish 7-5 or 8-4 and get mauled in a bowl game.
BYE, BYE OFFICE POOL You think working in college athletics is cool? Well, actually it is, but that's not why I'm asking. Sometimes it's a buzz kill. While you're busy scribbling in Siena to the Sweet 16, Ohio to upset Georgetown (I can dream, can't I?) or Doook to win it all, just remember that I won't. Basically, the NCAA won't let you bet on anything sports related, regardless of relevance, including NCAA office pools. Every year, we get e-mails reminding us that we can't participate in these things for money. But hey, we can do it just for fun! Super duper! So yeah, no brackets for me. If you think the NCAA or the athletic department won't care, ask Rick Neuheisel. Although, if Neuheisel was 45-4 instead of 33-16 at Washington, I'm pretty sure this goes down differently.
STUFF AT VCU The VCU Women's Basketball team is at Saint Joseph's tonight in the WNIT. By the way, do not, under any circumstances, call Saint Joe's, St. Joe's. People have been killed for less. Spell out "Saint" or they will make you disappear. I'm just kidding. No, but seriously, you'll go missing forever. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. You can listen to the live broadcast by clicking here.
Golf is out at the Desert Shootout in Goodyear, Ariz. No live scoring because there's no internet at the clubhouse, apparently. Clean it up, Arizona. Also, this tournament is somehow being staffed by a guy from the University of Denver. Distance from Denver to Goodyear, 923 miles. Heck of a commute. Mapquest says 13 1/2 hours. I'm sure I can knock it out in a shade under 13.
Baseball is hosting Western Kentucky at The Diamond this weekend. It's a three game set and the return of former VCU Marketing Director B.J. Burton. Many fans know B.J. well. I lived with him my first month in Richmond. His refrigerator consisted of a 30 pack of Natural Light and marinating meat. It was like heaven.
Tickets are on sale for Monday's CBI game with Charleston! Come down and hang out with us and watch some basketball, eh? Charleston's actually a pretty solid squad. It should be a very entertaining game. Bobby Cremins in the house!
IRISH I WAS A RAM
Happy St. Patrick's Day, my favorite holiday, other than my birthday. I'm kind of bummed about this St. Paddy's Day, however. I'm not really doing anything this year, unless driving to Longwood to cover a VCU Baseball game qualifies (not that there's anything wrong with that).
My favorite recent St. Paddy's Day was in 2007 in Buffalo. It was the day after Eric Maynor hit "The Dagger" to beat Duke in the NCAA Tournament. It was an off day and we didn't play Pittsburgh until the following evening. The whole VCU contingent, fans and staffers, was still in great spirits. Buffalo was FREEZING and our hotel was centrally located to...nothing. There was a mall across the parking lot. If you didn't freeze to death, you could treat yourself to an Aunt Annie's pretzel. The mall did, however, house Jack Astors, the only gin joint within walking distance, other than our tired, outdated hotel bar. Good times had by all. It's certainly not how I anticipated spending St. Paddy's Day that year, but it was still one of the best. I'm sure there are still photos on the internet somewhere.
Also, happy three-year anniversary of Maynor's shot. Nothing here has been the same since. I mean that seriously.
DOWN WITH G-DUB
We're still playing basketball in these parts, thanks to last night's 79-73 win over George Washington in the CBI. Looks like we're going to be home Monday for either Charleston or Eastern Kentucky. I was told it was a nice VCU crew last night. I couldn't make the trip. I was preparing to help cover a baseball game that was later cancelled. So, I didn't end up at either. No worries. Nice, uh, "crowd" at GW. The announced attendance? 793. That's ugly.
Craig Ehlo was the color commentator for last night's game on HDNet or whatever channel that was. Note to everyone: I do not need you to remind me about Michael Jordan's shot over Ehlo in the '89 playoffs. It has been seared into my retinas for years. Thanks.
I'm looking forward to Monday night. Larry Sanders needs 11 points for 1,000, we get another look at this exciting squad. I'm all for perpetuating this run as far as possible.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
THE LINKS
It's going to be a mixed bag today. Some are directly VCU related, some are a good way to burn time at work....I mean, are great reading for when you get home.
• CBI Game Tonic for VCU After NIT Pill (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
• VCU Gameday: VCU at George Washington (VCUAthletics.com). Live Stats, audio, game notes and stuff. Here's to hoping the Rams' respond the right way, but thumping G-Dub by 20.
• How Midmajors Reel in Those Stars (New York Times). Cool stuff here.
• Warren Stays Home for School (ESPN.com). Your feel-good story of the day.
• Someone Stop This Man (Rick Reilly, ESPN.com). Reilly is the best. Somebody needs to explain what he's doing hosting Sportscenter, however. That would be like if a guy like me started working out with the basketball team. Oh wait...carry on.
ALL FROM THE SAME TRIBE?
VCU was once a part of William & Mary, so it's not that big a reach to root for the Tribe, right? Either way, you should do it on principle when William & Mary (RPI 58) travels ON THE ROAD to North Carolina (RPI 92). It's on ESPN tonight at 9:30 p.m. North Carolina is the first team I've seen win an NCAA title and an NIT bid in the same year. UNC had to have earned this NIT home game in 2009, right? They certainly didn't earn it this year, with their 16-16 record and 10th place finish in the ACC. That must be it.
Also, Northeastern will be ON THE ROAD at 17-15 UConn tonight at 7 p.m. on The Deuce. Go CAA. Fight the man.
SIZEMORE MATTERS
Here's to hoping for continued success for VCU alum Scott Sizemore, who is competing for the second base job with the Detroit Tigers. Basically, this is Sizemore's job to lose. So far, so good. In 10 spring games, Sizemore is hitting .321 with a homer and three RBI. I hope to do a feature or column on Sizemore here in the next couple of weeks. Detroit Tigers Spring Statistics.
COMING SOON
After two weeks of CAA Tournament, VHSL Basketball and five baseball games, I'm starting to throw together another set of Around The Horns features. I've got some cool stuff on the docket and hopefully, you'll see some stuff here later this week. Other pieces are reserved for the second edition of The Ram Report, so look for that stuff a couple of weeks down the road.
IT'S THAT YOU GET BACK UP
Sure, people are upset about the NIT, but it isn't whether or not you fall down, it's that you back up that's most important.
Monday, March 15, 2010
MONDAY EDIT
I've decided to edit today's post on my own, rather than be asked to take it down later. The Mellencamp video stays, however. Nobody messes with John Cougar.
CBI tomorrow at George Washington. We're still playing basketball, and that's something we can all be happy about. This VCU team is still reasonably young and this experience could be vital down the road. It will be interesting to see how the guys react. There's got to be some level of disappointment. It would be nice to see them gather themselves, run up to D.C. with a chip on their shoulders and shred George Washington. Let's play ball.
I'M NOT 100 PERCENT UNHAPPY At 7:25 p.m. on Thursday, I will be unavailable. Don't call, don't text, no Carrier Pidgeons, no fax, stop the mail. My alma mater, Ohio University, will be playing Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament. They're probably going to get mercilessly thrashed, but I don't care. When your starting center looks like Sideshow Bob, you expect things like that.
Sorry Rams' fans, I don't mean to rub it in. Believe me, it still hurts when VCU doesn't make the NCAA Tournament. This is what we do every day. As an athletic department, we're all invested in this program. When they win, we all feel like winners. When they lose, we all feel it in our gut. However, my alma mater is my alma mater. It's No. 1. VCU is my No. 2. I also pull for my former employer, Monmouth University, and feel some emotion for Ohio State. It's pretty hard not to when you grow up in Ohio. Normally, I'd be killing myself for this. When somebody tells me that they have two favorite baseball teams, an American League team and a National League team, I literally feel like kicking a puppy. Drives me insane. It's completely and totally not allowed, unless you have worked for one or both of those teams. Other exceptions are made for family and friends on said teams, etc.
College sports are a little different. There are so many teams, many of whom will never cross paths. I'm willing to lighten the restrictions a little. However, you cannot root for two teams in one league, or two BCS Conference schools, unless one of the previous exceptions apply. Otherwise, you need to pick a team and stick to it. No, you are not allowed to root for both the Mets and Yankees, Braves and Red Sox, etc. You get one choice, and you're only allowed to switch if you've either been fired by said organization or if the team moves. That's it. Choose wisely, kids.
GOOD LUCK TO THE LADIES
The VCU Women's team will be waiting for a WNIT bid this evening .The field has been expanded to 64 teams this year. Additionally, the WNIT is not owned by the NCAA like the NIT is. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Either way, the Rams will be looking for their third straight postseason appearance, and I wish them the best.
VCU BASEBALL, WHERE AWESOME OUTFITS HAPPEN
I thought I was
on the verge of getting a photo of Joe Van Meter's outfit from Thursday, but so far, nothing. I'm working on it. Baseball guys, if you read this, get on it.
Friday, March 12, 2010
BACK IN ACTION
Greetings from not-so-sunny Daytona Beach, Fla. My apologies for leaving the blog hanging for a few days. It's been a nutty week, with VHSL basketball, baseball, 6 a.m. flights and one serious technical issue. At least for the time being, I'm back on the interwebs. I'm down here in Florida with baseball as the guys prepare for a three-game set, two versus Bethune-Cookman and one with Wagner. Not to be confused with Robert Wagner. Oh, plus I'm sick as a dog, hoorah.
MORE HOOPS
The reason I'm here in Florida is because plucky VCU Women's Basketball SID Mitchell Moore is in Harrisonburg, Va. for the 2010 CAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The Rams are the No. 3 seed and meet Hofstra tonight at 7:30 p.m. Click here to follow along.
BASEBALL IN THE "SUNSHINE STATE"
It's done nothing but rain here since we landed. However, we're supposed to play Bethune-Cookman tonight at 6 p.m. If that looks like it's going to happen, I'll provide some links for radio, etc.
Meanwhile, this is my first baseball trip in five years at VCU. I was not prepared for the Joe Van Meter factor. Yesterday, the Rams' infielder traveled a spectacular white linen suit, complete with aqua shirt, white shoes, aviator sunglasses and slicked back hair. I think somebody must've told hime we were going to either Miami or Vegas.
IF YOU NEED A BASKETBALL FIX
VCU Basketball could be headed to the NIT, we won't find out anything until after the NCAA selections are made. In the meantime, get your bassketball fill with this sicko dunk by J.R. Smith.
Monday, March 8, 2010
FROM ALL ANGLES
Tell you what, it seems like somebody's piling on me here. Check out this vid from the D-III NCAA Tournament involving William Paterson (N.J.), where I worked my first college athletics post back in 2003, and Albertus Magnus, which is apparently not a Roman Gladiator.
THE LINKS, DEPRESSION EDITION Bleh. We're all William & Mary fans tonight.
• ODU Edges VCU 73-69 in OT, Faces W&M for Title (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
• Debunking One Shining Moment... (CAAHoops DOT com). Lots of great CAA Tourney highlights and interviews here.
• We may not have won an NBA title (yet!), but my Cleveland Cavaliers sure know how to rock the Snuggie. Also, I was certain that people would laugh off the Snuggie, considering how ridiculous it is (it's a blanket with sleeves!), but I was wrong. You can't kill the Snuggie, it's like a Cockroach.
BIG TIME BRINKLEY
You think VCU is happy to have senior transfer Kevin Brinkley on the track and field team? Brinkley, a Richmond native, is in his one and only year with the Rams after transferring from South Carolina. Since his arrival, he has been killing it in the pole vault. Yesterday at the IC4A Championships in Boston, Mass. Brinkley won the pole vault with a school-record mark of 16-10. He tried to clear 17' 3/4 to earn an NCAA spot, but just missed.
I also noticed that Axel (fantastic name) Mostrag was fourth in the 800 at 1:51.40. As a former mediocre high school track runner, I have a unique appreciation for that time. My PR was 2:06, so if Axel (still fantastic) and I ran that race against each other, I'd lose by about 150 meters. I bet I can at least beat him to the buffet.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE A LITTLE TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS So, now I'm getting e-mails from ODU fans. I'm not sure this is a good thing or bad thing. I desperately want to print these hilarious e-mails here, but I'm pretty sure I'll hear about it from up top. I will say that if you're going to go out of the way to correct somebody on their knowledge of the English language, you should make sure you know what you're talking about. Seriously. Go Tribe.
VCU WOMEN'S TENNIS > VIRGINIA WOMEN'S TENNIS The VCU Women's tennis team won its eighth straight Saturday, defeating No. 25 Virginia, 5-2. Note to the Top 25, I think you hear us knocking, and I think we're coming in.
Friday, March 5, 2010
AWARDS BREAKDOWN/BEATDOWN
The All-CAA awards were handed out last night. I think the voters got it mostly right, although I do have some bones to pick. You can check out my picks here.
First team: Sanders, Jenkins, Allen, Janning and Lee. Those were the actual selections. I think Lee got this one largely based on reputation. Lee averages 14.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. I don't get it. I view Old Dominion, a very good team, as the sum of its parts. Lee is a very good player, but I felt other players had better seasons than he did. It's not an award for who is the better player. It's an award that recognizes who had a better season.
Meanwhile, I've sort of divided on Matt Janning. He certainly has a strong case as well. I could have been okay with either one of these guys on first team, if not for the blantant omission of Denzel Bowles on first team. Let me get this straight, a guy who is averaging 21 points, nine boards and shooting 59 percent is on second team? Yeah, that makes sense. Bowles, a transfer, missed the first eight games of the year, which no doubt worked against him. It's still absolutely ridiculous. He's the best post man in the leauge right now. The guy even got three Player of the Year votes. I'm baffled.
Second team: Bowles, Jawan Carter, Cam Long, Joey Rodriguez and David Schneider. I've already talked about Bowles at length. You know how I feel about that. Cam Long does not belong on second team, period. I'm sorry. He's a great talent, but he's not a second team guy today.
Third team: Joe Dukes (ok), Jamie Harris (ok), Quinn McDowell (ok), Julius Wells (ok) and Ben Finney (whaaaaat?). Ben Finney's not even the second best player on his team. If any ODU player should be on here, it's Frank Hassell. Finney averages 8.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and shoots 43 percent. Hassell is better in all of those categories. Meanwhile, Robert Nwankwo, who averages 10.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and shoots 57 percent is nowhwere to be found. Oh, and Nwankwo was an All-Defensive Team pick. Absoludicrous. That's the word I would use to describe this. Absoludicrous.
All-Defensive team: I went 4-of-5 here. I should've been 5-of-5, but I didn't go with my gut. Chaisson Allen, Kent Bazemore, Robert Nwankwo, Larry Sanders and Greg Washington. The only one I didn't have, ironically, was Sanders. I just felt like Larry has been so hot and cold this year. When he's defending well, he's an absolute eraser in the middle. He changes the game. When he isn't defending well, he's four fouls, seven points and 20 minutes on the bench. Either way, I'm happy for Larry.
All-Rookie team: No problem here. Chris Fouch, Luke Hancock, Halil Kanacevic, Darren White and Chaz Williams.
Player of the Year: Charles Jenkins, Hofstra. Cool.
Coach of the Year: Tony Shaver, Willaim & Mary. Nailed this one too.
Rookie of the Year: Chris Fouch, Drexel. I'm 3-for-3 now.
Defensive Player of the Year: Larry Sanders, VCU. Meh. I've already weighed in on this.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
BY FAR THE BEST ITEM OF THE DAY
You know who has their own theme music? Joey Rodriguez does. A Richmond group named Amazing Ghost has recorded a song called, wait for it... J-O-E-Y-R-O-D-R-I-G-U-E-Z (click to listen). I'll buy you lunch if you can figure out what it's about. I'm just wondering if Joey had trouble getting his head through the doorway this morning. Use your theme song powers well Joey.
Personally, I would carry around a radio with this song on it, and every time I met somebody, I wouldn't say a word, I would just hit play.
WEEE THE THREEEE
In addition to their 69-66 win last night at Northeastern, VCU's women's hoops team got some help, with Drexel's inexplicable loss to William & Mary and Delaware's victory over Hofstra. That gave the Rams, who are about six players deep, the No. 3 seed and first round bye in the upcoming CAA Tournament at James Madison. VCU will meet the winner of Hofstra and William & Mary in the quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12.
AWARDS HAUL I've seen the All-CAA picks. I did pretty good with mine, but there were some surprises, varying between strange and sublime. I've got to wait until the awards banquet tonight to say anything, but you can look for my comments in tomorrow's blog.
COACHES SHOW TONIGHT
Don't forget, peeps. The Shaka Smart Coaches Show is tonight - not Thursday - at Home Team Grille in The Fan from 6-7 p.m. The CAA Tournament Banquet is Thursday, so the show was moved up a day.
Also, if you want a preview of Coach Smart talking basketball, feel free to check out this interview.
THIS DATE IN VCU HISTORY March 3, 2007: Top-seeded VCU opened CAA Tournament play with a 73-60 quarterfinal win over Georgia State. Redshirt freshman T.J. Gwynn led four Rams in double figures with 14 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Eric Maynor scored 10 points, handed out nine assists and ripped three steals for VCU, which topped the Panthers for the third time.
MY ALL CAA PICKS
You may end up hating my guts, but I've posted my All-CAA Men's Basketball picks. Check them out here. I voted as I would have if I had a vote, including Tony Shaver's mustache for facial hair of the year. Sorry Blaine Taylor.
SENIORS, SENOR
VCU honored four seniors prior to yesterday's women's hoops game with Old Dominion (great game, bad result). Here's a video tribute. If you've come this far, you should have already read my piece on VCU's "Big Three", seniors Kita Waller, D'Andra Moss and La'Tavia Rorie. If you haven't, hit reverse and join us later.
I'M GIVING OUT FAKE AWARDS
At some point today, I'll post my picks for the All-CAA Awards. I don't really get a vote anymore, but I have the last few years. Irrelevant? Definitely. Fun? Uh...sure? Look for that late today or early tomorrow.
CATCHING UP WITH TONY SKINN
Remember Tony Skinn? He was part of George Mason's Final Four team in 2005-06 and was once famously suspended for hitting another player, ahem, below the belt. Sorry, I couldn't find that video. Skinn is having himself a fine career in Italy these days. However, he should probably be a little more careful when he dunks...and kicks a guy, ahem, below the belt.
Friday, Feb. 26, 2010
BASEBALL IS BACK
VCU Baseball's home opener will kick off today at 3 p.m. The Rams will take on Fairfield (those wiley Stags) in the first of a four-game set. As a bonus, if you show up in person, you will be treated to the vocal stylings of yours truely. I will be handling public address. If you don't show up, I will be hurt, but you can follow along here.
THE LINK
I'm not going to hammer you with 10 links today because I've only got one. I had an opportunity to stop by the Shaka Smart Coaches Show last night at Home Team Grill, which is good because I found out that there are at least three people reading my stuff. I almost couldn't get my head through the door this morning. Anyway, you can listen to the podcast of the show here. Our special guest last night was T.J. Gwynn.
MORE BASKETBALL VIDEO
I didn't get a chance to post this yesterday, but enjoy some highlights from Wednesday's win over James Madison. Naturally, we cut out Denzel Bowles 31 points.
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010
DISTAFF BASKETBALL
The next two games are absolutely huge for the VCU Womens' Basketball team, which is at James Madison tonight and home for Old Dominion on Sunday. Win both, and the Rams will grab a share of first place. Lose both, and it's into the CAA abyss for VCU (not really, but they could be looking at fifth place or worse. Follow along with tonight's game at James Madison (7 p.m. tip) here. CAA Standings (As of 2/24)
1. OLD DOMINION 12-3
2. DREXEL 11-4
3. VCU 11-4
4. JMU 10-5
5. DELAWARE 9-6
6. HOFSTRA 9-6
NOTES FOR YOUR BRAIN
I just posted some new men's basketball notes, including a breakdown of the tiebreaker scenarios that will determine if VCU receives the No. 4 seed in the CAA Tournament. Check it out here.
GOT QUESTIONS?
Don't forget, the Shaka Smart Coaches Show is tonight at 6 p.m. at the Home Team Grill in The Fan. If you'd like to submit a question for Coach Smart, like, "What is the primary cash crop of Wyoming?", feel free to do so here.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Via Joey Rodriguez: vcujrod12: "is too hyped to play odu on saturday." I agree. That's why I will not be playing in Saturday's game, because I'm just too hyped.
THE LINKS
• Behind Rodriguez, Burgess, VCU Subdues James Madison (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
• We've Got Seven!! (CAAHoops.com). Mike Litos breaks down the CAA men's basketball tiebreakers, which are harder to understand than third period chemistry. EDIT: I just noticed that, not only did UNC Wilmington beat Drexel on the road last night, they did so without Chad Tomko and John Fields, who are supposed to be their best two players. Bananas. Seriously, if you can name UNCW's starting five from last night (without cheating), you deserve a special certificate of awesomeness (or insanity).
• Video: VCU vs. James Madison (VCURamNation.com).
• Bubble Watch: BracketBusters Proves Disastrous for Handful of Bubble Teams (Si.com). Andy Glockner weighs in on the BracketBusters issue.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
If you couldn't make it to last night's 76-62 win over James Madison, or if you left early (shame on you), here's a video tribute to Rams' seniors T.J. Gwynn and Kirill Pishchalnikov.
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010
LIVE BLOGGING SENIOR DAY
Hey, I'll be blogging live from tonight's game. Be sure to check it out. I'll discuss the wonders of getting older and how I found out I couldn't party like a college student anymore.
THE LINKS
• VCU Junior Makes Half Court Shot and Wins Free Pizza for the Crowd (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Okay, so now we know this guy's name, Charles Kennedy. Kennedy hit a half courter at VCU's last game and won a pizza for everybody in attendance. Ching! If you airdropped a crate of pizza in the middle of the commons, do you know what that would look like? Have you ever seen a side of beef thrown into a shark tank? Like that.
• Gwynn One Win From Record (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
STRONG ISLAND
Anybody paying attention to that team from Hempstead, you know, that town on Long Island? If you need a sleeper pick for the CAA Tournament, Hofstra may be your team. The Flying Dutc...uh...Pride have won five straight and eight of nine after knocking off first-place Northeastern last night in Beantown. Assuming they take care of business in Friday's first round, that No. 2 vs. No. 7 game on Saturday looks veeeery interesting. If the tournament started today, Hofstra would play Northeastern in that game.
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010
HEADBANDS AND RALLY TOWELS FOR ALL
The first 1,000 students at tomorrow's men's basketball games versus James Madison (7:30 p.m.) are going to get their mitts on free headbands. I don't know if this is coincidence or just plain awesomeness. Consider this: Tomorrow is Senior Day, and both seniors, Kirill Pishchalnikov and T.J. Gwynn, are known for wearing headbands. Hmmm. Even if this is unintentional, it still rocks.
Just in case you get emotional over The Russian Hammer or Pump-Fake Gwynn's final home game, you can wipe your tears on a rally towel. The first 5,000 fans claim one of those bad boys.
Don't forget that James Madison ripped our hearts out 10 days ago, so get to the Siegel Center tomorrow night and turn up the heat.
Can anybody imagine what it was like to be a Papa John's delivery boy on Saturday night? After this guy sank a halfcourt shot, every person in the building, all 7,248 of them, was entitled to a Papa John's pizza. All I can think of is chaos. Owning a pizza parlor on a college campus is already a license to print money, so it's not like they were hurting for business.
HAVE T-SHIRT, WILL SELL
Hey, is it just me, or are these CAA Tournament t-shirts actually not bad? Before you assume I'm a shill for the lead, check yo' self, or something. Marketing separate teams shirts is clearly the way to go here because lets be honest, that generic CAA Tourney shirt would otherwise just be something you wear at the gym or to clean out your gutters. You could probably get away with wearing these shirts to weddings and stuff.
20-20-20-20 VISION
The VCU Men's Basketball team is on the verge of a pretty significant accomplishment. With one more victory, the Rams will have won 20 games in four straight seasons for the first time in school history. That's pretty incredible, especially if you consider how good those J.D. Barnett teams were in the early 80s.
The men aren't the only ones eyeing that 20-win milestone. The VCU Women's Basketball team, which is 18-9, needs a couple of wins for its third straight 20-win season. Prior to the 2007-08 season, the Rams had exactly two 20-win seasons in program history. Chew on that, fellas.
NET GAINS
Hey, how about that VCU Women's Tennis team, eh? The Rams beat Virginia Tech this weekend for their fourth straight win and are now 7-2. VCU could move into the top 25 this week. If they do, it will be the first time since March of 2008.
IT'S FRIDAY, TIGER
Any good news out there today? Anything? Seems like a slow news day. Ah well. Seriously though, I was following along closely to the Tigers Woods, uh, "press conference" when he went buddhist on me. Never saw it coming.
Nice 'W' for women's hoops last night as they thrashed the Fightin' Debbie Taylor's of William & Mary, 83-58. Last night's box score hero was Jessica Taylor. Like Tiger Woods telling you he's a buddhist, this came out of nowhere. J.T. dropped a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting to help lead the Rams. I hope there's more of this to come. VCU doesn't have a very deep bench. Lately, it's been like my intramural team in college, which had six dudes. If two guys couldn't make it, we had to work the phones and call in a bunch of favors to fill out the roster.
BRACKETBUSTERS SATURDAY
I'll let you debate the merits of BracketBusters as a whole on your own. We could do that all day. What I will say about this particular game at this particular time in the season is that this is an opportunity for a team, VCU, which is trying to find some consistency, and to do so against a quality opponent. Throw out RPIs and all other computations. Akron is a good basketball team and the Rams need to play as many of those as possible heading into March. If Shaka Smart wants to tinker with his lineups, play calls, defenses, etc. this is a great time to do that with relatively no risk. The important thing is for VCU to be peaking in March, and tomorrow is an opportunity to take a step closer to that end. The Rams got more out of losing their game to Nevada last year than anybody could've expected. I'm not saying losing would be good for the Rams, I'm just saying there's a lot of value in this game for the Black and Gold.
One thing I will take issue with is the name, BracketBusters. Yes, that second 'B' is capitalized. Yes, it always has an 'S' at the end, regardless of how it's used. Every time I type it, I wonder how many people think I'm some journalism school dropout.
THE LINKS
• Men's Basketball Notebook (Around The Horns).
• VCU Notes (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
• Handicapping the Awards... (CAAHoops.com).
• Bonus Reading. Great feature on Myron Rolle on ESPN.com. For those of you who don't know, Rolle played three years of college football at Florida State, and despite a promising NFL career waiting in the wings, the Rhodes Scholar skipped his final year at FSU to study at Oxford. Five or six years ago I had the opportunity to cover Rolle as a high schooler. You can check out an old feature I wrote on him here (the old link is long gone, but luckily, the story popped up on a bunch of fan boards - 2nd post, fyi). He struck me as exceptional, and is probably the smartest person I've had the opportunity to interview (sorry...everybody else).
• As long as Elena Delle Donne of Delaware stays healthy, she will napalm the CAA record books. Last night she dropped 54 points on James Madison in a loss. Basically, she's going to be the David Robinson equivilent for the women's game, if not better. Delle Donne Scores 54, but Hens Lose (Delaware Online).
THIS IS HOW I'M GOING TO SPEND MY WEEKEND
Talk about ballin' out of control...
Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010
THE NOTEBOOK
No, not some gooey chick-flick. A new men's basketball notebook has been posted. Go get it.
PICK 'EM
Mike Litos of CAAHoops.com (Life as a Mid Major) is running a contest. Successfully pick the All-CAA Men's Basketball First Team and Coach of the Year and win. There's also a bonus question. He's giving away CAA Tournament tickets and t-shirts. And no, you can't pick Eric Maynor. Check it out here. Just make sure you do some research first.
PITCHERS AND CATCHERS
Baseball season is here. Pitchers and catchers are starting to report in Major League Baseball, including the Cleveland Indians, the guiltiest pleasure of my life. My Tribe was 65-97 a year ago and I'm still looking forward to the season somehow. I am a very sick man.
Meanwhile, college squads are gearing up for this weekend, when they'll open play. The Rams are headed to Charleston Southern in Charlestson, S.C., a lovely city, I'm told. They'll play a three-game set, barring another snowmaggendon. I recently previewed this 2010 VCU Rams Baseball team, you can check out my three-part series here.
Good thing the Rams kick off the year on the road, because I'm not sure they're going to get any games in at The Diamond for a bit. Then again, they could be Maryland, which recently took batting practice in this disaster.
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010
NUMBERS GAME
What was Terrance Sanitil's number again? Oh, right. T.J. Gwynn has had the best hair on this team for two years running, but Big T has really thrown down the gauntlet here. This reminds me of Anthony Mason back in the day, when he's break out some new pattern on his dome every couple of games.
GET THIS MAN A PIZZA
Sometimes its tough to watch VCU fans shoot to win pizzas at basketball games. Inevitably, regardless of skill level, gender or fitness, the fan will knock down the necessary free throw and 3-pointer. But when it comes to that halfcourt shot, it's downright ugly, last night being no exception. I'm here to help. Take lessons from Murray State's Isaiah Canaan. Ship the Papa John's. You're welcome.
OH, BRUISER I've got to be honest, I was a little disappointed in Bruiser Flint last night. It was a good performance on the sideline and in the presser, but not his best. I just felt like he could've done better. There were a couple of laughs in the postgame, but really, I hold him to such a high standard. No technical fouls, no crazy tirades. I just hope he's saving some antics for tournament time.
In one way, it kind of gives poor schlubs like me hope. I went down to Cary Street Gym yesterday afternoon and played a little basketball. So fearsome was I when I walked on the court, that they had some kid in corduroys guard me. Who plays hoop in corduroys? Anyway, if Darrell Green can run 4.43 40s when he's 50-years old, I've got to be able to run a 5k sometime in the near future, right? A guy can dream, anyway.
DO THE FACEBOOK THINGY
For all you interweb friendly folks, VCU Basketball Play-by-Play man Robbie Robinson has created a Facebook page for Ram Radio, aptly named....wait for it...Ram Radio. Robbie will be uploading interviews with Rams' Coach Shaka Smart for your consumption. Join here or be square.
RIP DANA KIRK
Former VCU and Memphis Coach Dana Kirk died last night of a heart attack at the age of 74. Kirk coached the Rams long before it was a sexy destination for star assistants. He directed the Rams for three seasons from 1976-1979 and led VCU to its first two 20-win campaigns (1977-78 & 1978-79) and its first postseason berth, an NIT bid after a 24-5 season in 1977-78. Kirk laid some of the groundwork for the great J.D. Barnett squads of the early 80s.
Kirk left for Memphis in 1979, where he led the Tigers to the 1985 Final Four. He later resigned amid controversy stemming from NCAA violations and the Tigers' Final Four appearance was vacated.
Kirk was 57-23 in three seasons with the Rams and 158-58 at Memphis from 1979-86. He later hosted a sports talk show and released an autobiography called, Simply Amazing, The Dana Kirk Story. He retired in Memphis with his wife, Denise.
Monday, Feb. 15, 2010
THE STATE OF THINGS
Here's the reality. VCU is going to need to win out and probably get help if they want to secure one of the top four seeds for the CAA Tournament. Looking at the schedules, that appears unlikely. Yes, the Rams have Drexel on Tuesday, which will go a long way towards that end, but after that the Dragons have UNC Wilmington (dreadful) and are then at James Madison, which, despite its win over the Rams on Saturday, is 11-15. Meanwhile, William & Mary, which is also a game ahead of VCU, will play at Mason, then meet Towson and UNC Wilmington. That game at George Mason is a toughie, but after that the Tribe just need to avoid a near-debacle. As it stands right now, both Drexel and William & Mary hold tiebreakers over the Rams because of their victories (Drexel, two; William & Mary, one) over first-place Northeastern. That could change if Old Dominion slips into the No. 1 spot, but that's a lot of 'IF's.
Food for thought. The lowest seed to win the CAA Tournament was No. 7 East Carolina in 1993. In the meantime, the Rams need to just get back to playing well, which has hasn't been a problem at home, where they're 12-1. That 5-6 road record is a head-scratcher, however.
If you want more on the current state of things in The Association, you can check out Mike Litos' CAA blog. In the meantime, it's time to man up. This thing ain't over.
THE OH-FER
I've been doing quite a bit of writing this morning, so I haven't had much to post on the blog. Just banged out a feature for the final game program. Be sure to pick that up Saturday and/or next Wednesday. I'm also trying to crank out this baseball preview before the season starts, so I'll be getting back to the blog here later today. Don't forget about us. In the meantime, I'll be trying to think of stuff to talk about after an 0-for-4 week. Feel free to e-mail suggestions.
IN CASE YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING TOMORROW
Who has a Pre-Birthday bash? De'Shaune Griffin, that's who. I wonder if Eric will be "hosting" the actual birthday party, or if they're saving that for Kevin Ollie.
THIS DATE IN VCU HISTORY
Feb. 12, 2009: The VCU Women's Basketball team limited Towson to just 23-percent (11-of-47) shooting on the way to a 63-34 victory at the Towson Center before a regional television audience. Senior Quanitra Hollingsworth led the Rams with 13 points and eight rebounds, while junior La'Tavia Rorie added 10 points and seven assists. With the win VCU improved to 20-4 overall and 10-2 in the CAA.
TODAY'S RANDOM THOUGHT
Can somebody explain this new Bruce Willis movie, Cop Out, to me? I love me some Willis. Nobody can blow up a building or jump on the wing of a fighter jet like he can, but this movie looks straight up awful. I'm still waiting for one funny preview. Even most bad movies have a couple of funny previews. I want to see Hot Tub Time Machine 1,000 percent more than this dog. I'd think that after a string of smash hits, Willis wouldn't have to resort to horrible buddy cop comedies like this. This could be as bad as Taxi with Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon.
DENZEL, DENZEL, DENZEL!
The VCU Men's Basketball team is back on the road Saturday at James Madison (6 p.m., Comcast SportsNet), where we'll be treated to one of the more intriguing match-ups of the year in the post. VCU's 6-11, 230ish-pound Larry Sanders will lock horns with JMU center Denzel Bowles who is listed at 6-10, 255 lbs. If Denzel Bowles is 255 lbs., I'm Barack Obama.
Either way, it will be a test of Sanders' length against Bowles heft. Both have been effective. You know about Sanders, but Bowles is averaging 20.7 points and 9.6 rebounds in 17 games. Denzel got game?
Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010
WHAT THE DEUCE?
Two years I spent dishing out credentials to NBA Scouts so they could drool over Eric Maynor and nothing. Scott Day's on the beat for half a season and BOOM, NBA swag shows up on our doorstep the other day. Bitterness washes over me. That said, I am trying to convince Scott to wear all of this, towel and lanyard included, at our next staff basketball game. I'll keep you abreast of the negotiations. NBA socks! Sheesh.
BUSINESS MAN'S SPECIAL
Playing hooky has been full endorsed by Hofstra University. The VCU Women are playing the Pride today at noon. In case you haven't noticed, the Rams are leading The Association at the moment. Follow along here.
THE LINKS
• The thread of death by highway kept me from making the trip to George Mason last night. That didn't stop me from blogging from my living room.
• Rick Childers would probably tell me that I'm soft for missing last night's VCU-George Mason game. Rick Childers has made 165 straight VCU Men's Basketball games. Rick Childers can divide by zero. Rick Childers was once in a knife fight, and the knife lost. According to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, Chuck Norris can actually roundhouse kick you yesterday. The Streak (Around The Horns).
• VCU Leads by 15, Loses to GMU in Overtime (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
• Two Days in the Association (CAAHoops.com).
THE SUN WILL COME UP TOMORROW
Last night's 82-77 overtime loss to George Mason was about as tough as any I've experienced in my five years at VCU. After the game I felt like I had a softball trapped in the pit of my stomach. But when I woke up today, we were still 17-6 and not 6-17. I still truely believe that the CAA Championship will be completely up for grabs come March, when we play four days of basketball in a cave on Leigh Street. Last night stinks, tomorrow's always better. Buck up kiddos. On to James Madison on Saturday.
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010
GREETINGS FROM THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
One of the big reasons I've enjoyed living in Richmond the last four-plus years has been the mild winter. It wasn't out of the question to have a random 50-60 degree day in February. Anytime the thermometer tops 60, my wife looks at me and asks, somewhat rhetorically, "shorts?" She's always right too, because if I had my druthers - and I've already lost this battle more than once - shorts and flip flops would be mandatory summer office garb.
What I'm getting at is that this actual winter stuff is cramping my style. Driving in for the Georgia State game a week ago can only be described as harrowing, and now I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to make the trek to Fairfax for tonight's game with George Mason. At least I've got The U at Kowalczyk HQ. The Official Watch Party is tonight at T-Miller's Sports Bar. Maybe I'll make an appearance. Cheeseburgers and beers for two bucks is hard to ignore.
Meanwhile, I'll be watching the school closings closely. My wife is a teacher and has been in school exactly two days out of the last seven. Maybe I'm in the wrong line of work.
UPDATE: Now the VCU Women's Basketball team is talking about leaving for Hofstra a day early. They were supposed to bus up to Hempstead, N.Y. on Wednesday, but may leave today instead. Snowmaggeddon!
UPDATE, PART 2: Not making it to Fairfax, but I will be blogging from my couch. You can follow along here!
BIZARRO STAT OF THE DAY
In Sunday's landmark win at Old Dominion on Sunday, VCU senior Kita Waller and D'Andra Moss each scored the 1,000th point of their career. That, in and of itself, is pretty remarkable. However, two years ago, on Jan. 17, 2008, VCU teammates Krystal Vaughn and Quanitra Hollingsworth each scored their 1,000th point in the same game, which happened to be AT OLD DOMINION. It's believed that two players scoring their 1,000th point in the same game has occurred less than five times in NCAA history, although records of this type of thing are murky. On an aside, I'll be gunning for my 1,000th staff basketball point this summer. I'll keep you posted.
THE LINKS
• The Colonial Athletic Association released its 25 Silver Stars yesterday in conjunction with the league's 25th anniversary this year. Two former Rams, tennis star Daniel Andersson and Eric Maynor (you may have heard of this guy), made the list. Read all about it here: CAA Honors Athletes from First 25 Years (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
• A Plethora of Reading Material (CAAHoops.com).
• MidMajority.com has named tonight's VCU-George Mason contest its Game of the Night.
• VCU to Test GMU's Home Rule (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
THIS DATE IN VCU HISTORY February 9, 2008: Eric Maynor and Jamal Shuler dazzle as the Rams overcome Delaware for an 83-73 win at the Bob Carpenter Center. Trailing 54-47 early in the second half, Shuler and Maynor spark a 31-6 blitz to secure the victory. Both players scored 21 points and Maynor dished out 10 assists without committing a turnover. With the win, the Rams improved to 18-5 overall and 11-2 in the CAA.
UGLY FREE THROW OF THE DAY
Brady Morningstar of Kansas has some issues during last night's game at Texas.
Monday, Feb. 8, 2010
A SUPER SUNDAY WIN
It was nice to see the Saints win the Super Bowl last night. About the only thing as rare as a Saints Super Bowl win was the VCU Women's Basketball team's victory yesterday in Norfolk, Va. The Rams put a beat down on Old Dominion, 75-56 at the Constant Center to give VCU its first road win in that series since 1972-73. That's a long time. The average cost of a new house in 1973: $32,500. A gallon of gas cost 40 cents, while a dozen eggs was 45 cents. I bought each of those things recently, and I can promise you that the price has gone up on all of them.
FUN FACT OF THE DAY This one comes via men's basketball SID "Gutshot" Scott Day. Rams' guard Ed Nixon needs eight points to reach 187 for the year, his total from his freshman and sophomore seasons, combined. Nixon is averaging 8.1 points per game this year. If he hits his average, he'll have 187.1 points by Wednesday.
THE LINKS
• VCU Women Drub ODU, 75-56 (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
• The Monday Melange: PPD Edition (CAAHoops.com).
• The Hoops National: Feb. 8, 2010 (MidMajority.com). I've reached the big time. Kyle Whelliston is now linking to my stuff. Now I need an entourage.
• VCU may have work to do if it wants consideration for an NCAA at-large bid, but it's still fun to keep up with the projections here. However, your head may explode. Just warning you. The Bracket Project.
• Shaka Smart's postgame presser
THE RIVALRY
This is where it gets good. You can enjoy Sunday's Super Bowl all you like. I don't really have a stake in either of those teams. Saturday at 4 p.m. is what I've been waiting for all season. It's VCU and Old Dominion for the 80th time.
I'm willing to say this to anyone who will listen. This game can hold its own against the best college rivalrys. On the so-called mid-major level, I'm not sure there's one better. (Sorry, Towson/Georgia State) I mean that sincerely. Why do we love to hate each other so much?
I figure there's roughly five things that make a good rivalry great.
#1. Proximity: There's nothing quite like showing up the neighbors. If your neighbor's lawn looks like Wrigley Field, what are you going to do, roll over? Of course not. It's Miracle Grow time. Gotta keep up with the Jones. #2. Common goal: Nothing adds venom to a rivalry like a championship. All the best rivalries, Duke/UNC, Ohio State/Michigan, Browns/Steelers, Florida/Florida State (forgive me for not including your team, I don't have time to name 300 rivalries), include two teams in the same conference or division. That old Celtics/Lakers rivalry feels manufactured. It really hasn't carried much weight since the mid-80s, when Magic and Bird were leading their teams into the finals every year. Now? Yawn. It's a good game, but it doesn't have that "can't miss" appeal. This is why I don't see Richmond as VCU's biggest rival. It's just one game, and no matter who loses, it doesn't have much impact beyond that day. Whereas, the outcome of the two VCU-ODU games may very well determine the fate of the CAA title. And that's not even accounting for the possibility of playing the CAA Tournament. My head is going to explode talking about this. #3. Competitiveness: As much fun as winning is, beating somebodys brains in year in and year out takes some luster off a series. You know why the JMU-VCU game isn't that big a deal? Because we're 41-19 all-time against the Dukes and because James Madison hasn't won a CAA title since 1994. You know how long ago that was? I was a high school junior and weighed 155 pounds. I worked at McDonald's (some might argue that I should still be there.) You know what the No. 1 song in the country on this date in 1994 was? Celine Dion's "The Power of Love". Seriously. Somebody has some 'splainin' to do, but I digress. VCU leads the overall series, 41-38 and except for one 10-game winning streak by the Rams from 2001-05, the series has always been close. #4. Supportive fan base: With the exception of George Mason, VCU and Old Dominion are the two most fervent fan bases in the CAA, at least in a basketball sense. William & Mary is closer to VCU than ODU and plays in the same league, but people in Williamsburg don't care about basketball. Not yet anyway. We'll see if they've turned a corner this year. Meanwhile, the ODU-VCU game has been a guaranteed sellout for at least the last five years. No other CAA rivalry can say that. #5. History: VCU has played ODU 16 times more than any other opponent. Not only have they been CAA-mates for 14 years, but they also have a shared history from the Sun Belt. All those games leave some lasting memories. I've only been around for five years and I'll never forget the no-call on the final play of the game in '08 or last year's CAA semifinal win. Duke-North Carolina has things like Jeff Capel's halfcourt shot in 1995 (By the way, I'm told Jeff really doesn't like talking about that shot because Duke lost that game), or Gerald Henderson demolishing Tyler Hansboro's face with an elbow a few years back. Those ghosts don't go away.
THIS DATE IN VCU HISTORY
February 5, 1990: Lionel Bacon scored 17 points and Bobby Reddish added a career-high 15 to lead the Rams to a 70-69 upset of heavily-favored Memphis in overtime at the Richmond Coliseum. VCU's Dewayne Garner hit a 3-pointer with six seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 61-61 and send it to overtime.
THE WHO?
The Who, or some incarnation of the band (more like Half The Who) are playing the Super Bowl halftime show this year. Here's a duel Baba O'Reilly/John Hughes tribute (because those were some great movies).
Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010
THIRSTY THURSDAY
First and foremost, nice to see the VCU Men get a road win at UNC Wilmington last night. I know Wilmington is like the Cleveland Browns of the CAA right now, but Trask Coliseum is never an easy place to get a win, just ask last year's VCU team.
There are two ways (count'em, two!) to quench your hoops thirst today. First, it's VCU Women's Basketball tonight against James Madison at the Siegel Center at 7 p.m. I know that this is a big week for the men's team with ODU on Saturday and all, but it's also a huge week for the ladies. With James Madison tonight and Old Dominion Sunday in Norfolk, we're going to find out whether these Rams are for real. VCU is currently 8-1 in the CAA and tied for first with ODU and Drexel. James Madison is fourth at 6-3. JMU was ranked at one point this season and has Dawn Evans, the nation's second leading scorer (25.7 ppg). Evans never saw a 3-pointer she didn't like. The junior guard is averaging 11.3 attempts from beyond the arc per game. It's like when I was when I was 11 and I wanted to impersonate Cleveland Cavaliers guard, and all-time Chris Kowalczyk favorite, Mark Price, so I refused to shoot anything but 3-pointers for weeks at a time.
If you can't make it out to the Stu, drop by Home Team Grill in the Fan for the Shaka Smart Coaches Show from 6-7 p.m. If you can't make it there (seriously, do I have to do all the work for you?) feel free to submit a question for the show here.
GROUNDHOG'S DAY
In the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray plays an emotionally bankrupt weatherman who must repeat the same day, Feb. 2, in perpetuity. The VCU Men's Basketball Men's Basketball team knows how that feels.
Not sure how to put this delicately. This game does help anyone. It's certainly not going to enhance VCU's tournament profile. Akron's RPI before last night was in the 115 range, while the Rams' was around 60. Then, the Zips went and lost to a dreadful Eastern Michigan team that presumably no longer has Earl Boykins. Hello RPI 140. Maybe we can arrange a trip to the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame next year when we return the game. It's only 30-40 minutes to Cleveland. It's either that or the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
The Rams do get a national TV spot out of this (did a mention another trip to the rubber capital of the world next year?). The game will be televised live and in technicolor at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20 on ESPNU. VCU Coach Shaka Smart also worked at Akron from 2003-06, so there's that.
THIS DAY IN VCU HISTORY
Feb. 2, 2006: VCU overcomes Gary Neal and Towson to collect an 81-75 victory in front of 4,524 at the Siegel Center. Neal, a transfer from LaSalle, erupted for 36 points, the second most by an opposing player in the building's history. VCU's B.A. Walker scored 22 points and Alex Harper added 17, seven rebounds and five assists, as the Rams improved to 15-5.
Monday, Feb. 1, 2010
THE LINKS
We're nearly dug out from a foot of snow. It's been two days and my neighborhood still isn't plowed. Schools are cancelled. I wish I had grown up in Virginia, because any hint of snow is an automatic school cancellation. That sure beats standing at the bus stop in sub-zero temperatures. Since you're snowed in, here's some reading materials to get you through the day.
• VCU Pulls Away Late for Victory over Georgia State (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• VCU-Georgia State photos (VCURamNation.com)
• Your Monday Melange: Make Shots Edition (CAAHoops.com).
• VCU Thanks Fans Who Defied Snow With Victory (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
HERE SHE IS, MISS AMERICA
So, Saturday's game was the conclusion of Homecoming Week at VCU. However, the snow prevented the crowning of Homecoming King and Queen, which will be held at a later date. At least, that's my understanding. If this girl doesn't win, it's got to be rigged, right? Do you think the other candidates would just quit if they knew she was entered in the field? It's like getting to the company golf outing and finding out that you're playing against Phil Mickelson. Shut it down.
FOUR ON THE FLOOR
Thanks to whoever ticked off Kita Waller of the women's basketball team. In the last two games, Waller has scored 35 and 28 points, respectively. This from a player that was averaging just over 11 points coming into the week. So, I don't know who you are or what you said to make Kita Waller get Hulk-mad, but we thank you. The VCU Women are 14-6 overall and 7-1 in the CAA, tied for first.
WHAT THE DEUCE?
GROUNDHOG'S DAY
