Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

College Basketball Countdown: VCU Rams- #24

Published on October 31, 2012 by Scott Shirley   ·   No Comments

College basketball is right around the corner. Games will be starting before you know it, and practices are just right around the corner.

Here at Roundballchat I will release my top 100 teams for the 2012-13 college basketball season. I will start at 100 and count my way down. I will rank all the 75 programs in the six major conferences, as well as 25 mid majors in my top 100 countdown.

Along with my top 100 countdown I will also feature a ton of previews. Like the top players at each position, All Conference teams, top players by class, top games, previewing the early season tournaments and much more.

Who will put at number 1? Louisville or Indiana or maybe a surprise stay tuned to Roundballchat for the next month to find out.

#24 VCU

Coach: Shaka Smart (3 seasons at VCU 84-28)

2011-12: Record 29-7 overall, 15-3 in CAA (2nd)

Starters Returning (4) Juvonte Reddic, Darius Theus, Troy Daniels, D.J. Haley

Preseason Tournament: Battle 4 Atlantis

Top Non-Conference Games: vs. Wichita State, vs. Belmont, vs. Alabama

Transfer Out: Reco McCarter , Heath Houston

VCU was not even supposed to make the tournament last season but Shaka Smart proved why he is the best young coach in the game by getting the Rams back to the dance. The Rams were the 9th youngest team in the nation last season. Now they are headed to the tougher Atlantic 10 conference. They lose their best player Bradford Burgess but they bring everyone else back and add some talented freshman.

The strength of VCU is guard play, they will likely use a 4 guard lineup at times. Last season they led the nation in steal with their aggressive defense. Leading the way for the Rams is point guard Darius Theus (8.7 ppg). Theus makes the engine run he is a pesky defender and excels at getting his teammates involved. He needs to work on his shooting. Troy Daniels (10 ppg) is a deadly shooter. Last season he made 94 three pointers. Joining Theus and Daniels in the backcourt is Rob Brandenberg (8.9 ppg). Brandenberg excels at getting to the rim with his athletic ability. He can also shot the three but he need to make a better percentage. Treveon Graham (7 ppg) will either be the top option off the bench or a starter this season. He really came on late last season and with more playing time he should average in double figures. Providing depth here will be Briante Weber (4.9 ppg), Teddy Okereafor (.8 ppg), freshman Melvin Johnson and Jordan Burgess. Burgess and Johnson are both highly regarded recruits.

Leading the Rams in the frontcourt will be Juvonte Reddic (10.4 ppg). He is VCU’s returning leading scorer and rebounder. He also is a good shot blocker and had a good amount of steals for a big. He can really score around the rim with his soft touch. Joining him in the frontcourt will be D.J. Haley (3.2 ppg). Haley is a big body; he will see more playing time against bigger teams. He is not an efficient scorer. Providing depth here will be Jarred Guest (.9 ppg), David Hinton (.2 ppg) and freshman Mo Alie-Cox and Justin Tuoyo.

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