Head Coach: Ryan Odom (2nd season; 24-14)
Theme song: Canadian Goose by Lil Uzi Vert
Last Season: In a massive change of identity for VCU, going from a defensive program to an offensive-minded core, Ryan Odom was able to continue the sustained success of VCU as a competitive A10 staple. 24 wins in his first year with a mostly new team is impressive. On top of a new focus on how to win games, Odom has foreshadowed that he won’t be at VCU for long.
He doesn’t rely on one or two key players to carry the team, but instead, he emphasizes the importance of having multiple strategies to defeat opponents. This approach instills confidence in the team’s versatility and adaptability and makes VCU a formidable competitor.
According to Kenpom, VCU maintained its status as a top-40 defensive team despite this shift. However, under Odom’s guidance, the team made significant strides on the offensive end, bringing their fans a new level of entertainment. Max Shulga did most of the heavy lifting while Joe Bamisile was out due to NCAA transfer rules, and Sean Bairstow recovered from his foot injury.
While Shulga had phenomenal performances, Zeb Jackson came out of the gates firing, scoring 10+ points in 10 of the Rams’ first 11 games. He saw significant improvement across all his numbers but saw the largest jump in the form of his three-point shooting: going from 18% to 30% is an enormous jump that gave VCU more than enough strength to keep their heads above water.
Once Bairstow returned and the NCAA ruled that multi-time transfers were eligible, returning Bamisile, VCU began their charge to the A10 crown. Despite ending the regular season on a three-game skid, the Commonwealth earned the 5th seed in the A10 tournament. Fordham came close to taking them down in their first matchup, but untimely misses allowed VCU to escape.
In the quarterfinals, the Rams man-handled fourth-seeded UMass in a game that was never a contest and played a close one against Saint Joseph’s in the semifinal to meet Duquesne for the A10 title. Unfortunately, try as they might, VCU was no match for the team of destiny.
The Rams did go three rounds deep in the NIT, which is about as good a consolation prize for postseason success if your team doesn’t make March Madness in the A10. They built up a lot of momentum late after falling below .500 early in the season. For Odom’s second year, he returns significant pieces to his offensive attack while adding some insurance at the guard position. While the Rams have positioned themselves to achieve a 20-win season again, some questions regarding the roster must be addressed once the season starts.
Arrivals: Jack Clark*, Philip Russell (UT Arlington), Brandon Jennings (F), Tereence Hill Jr. (F), Luke Bamgboye (F), Martin Carrere (F)
Departures: Kuany Kuany, Sean Bairstow, Jason Nelson (T), Tobi Lawal (T), Roosevelt Wheeler (T)
Returnees: Max Shulga*, Zeb Jackson*, Joe Bamisile*, Christian Fermin, Fats Billups, Michael Belle
Potential Strengths: Offense, offense, and more offense. While early inconsistencies skewed VCU’s offensive numbers for the year, on top of key players out of the lineup, the 121st ranking in Kenpom’s adjusted offensive metric doesn’t do this team justice. Odom wants his team to shoot from three and often—The Rams attempted 44.2 per game last season while shooting at a 35.3% clip.
A three-headed offensive monster of Shulga, Jackson, and Bamisile can put on quite the show—there is no doubt all three are in contention for all-conference honors this season. Bamisile is wired to score at all three levels. Jackson’s improvement on his jumper last season should only increase his scoring output with more usage this season.
Shulga shot a ridiculous 41% from distance last year and 88% from the free-throw line, with 3.6 assists per game and 14 points per contest, making him one of the best players in the league last season. He had an interesting season when it was “reported” that Shulga would hitch it to the Mainline and play for Villanova, but that idea was quickly nixed when he returned to VCU. There is no question that he will contend for A10 Player of the Year.
Fats Billups’ athleticism will keep him in the rotation despite his minutes fluctuation late last season. His defense was exceptional the previous season at +1.4, which will come in handy, given that VCU doesn’t have that many natural defenders on the team. His three-pointer showed a pulse at 40%, so long as the defense is there, the shooting will be present most nights.
Phillip Russell is an excellent addition to the way VCU plays. Coming over from UT Arlington with A10 roots, Russell provided a steady three-point shot and was one of the better passers in the sport last season. I envision his role off the bench, especially after his WAC sixth-man-of-the-year campaign at his previous stop. Russell is one of the best incoming transfers in the conference whose impact will be felt immediately.
Underneath, VCU has a plethora of bigs who all provide different things: Christian Fermin is an athletic big who led the Rams in blocks last season. Clemson transfer Jack Clark will provide floor spacing and big-game experience. Clark has previous A10 experience, formerly at La Salle, making his re-adjustment period rapid. He’s a smooth operator on the perimeter with profound strength to deal with any opposing wing—more on these two later.
Freshman Luke Bamgboye has a nice blend of low post-scoring and athleticism to be a mobile defender. Watching his tape, Bamgboye can scrape ceiling paint with how high he jumps. This natural ability should help him well on the glass and contesting jumpers on closeouts.
Late signee Martin Carrere is a tall shooter who can dish the ball. Watching his FIBA U18 tape, Carrere can throw some crisp passes. He understands what the defense takes away, reads it, and then makes the play he can. Carrere is on the slimmer side, a trait that can be worked on as time progresses.
Other freshmen include Virginia local Brandon Jennings, a highly skilled guard who was the 12th-best player in the state in the class of 2024. Like his NBA namesake, the southpaw can go off the bounce purposefully. He understands angles, has a decent jumper, and can push the ball up the floor.
Odom also brought Portland native Terrence Hill Jr. to the steep guard rotation. Hill is virtually unstoppable going right and can shoot a bit—though getting these two significant minutes is going to be difficult with the seniority of the guards ahead of them.
VCU’s roster opens up unlimited possibilities for offensive creativity. Odom’s coaching style allows these unique quirks, for lack of a better term, to be the driving force of their success with his fast-paced philosophy.
Potential Weaknesses: VCU’s center situation scares me. Most will argue that returning Shulga pushes them into the top four; however, their options in the middle raise a particular discussion (which is the case for me).
Fermin’s advanced numbers tell that he was a positive for the Rams defensively (which he was). Offensively, he was a liability outside of layups. It’s tough in late-game situations to decide whether to leave Fermin out there because he’s an enormous anchor on one side of the ball. He can body up any big on defense and clear the glass, but if your team is in a barn burner, should he be out there?
Clark has played in a power conference for the last two seasons. As previously mentioned, he’s strong enough to deal with most switching situations without getting obliterated. We’ll likely see some small-ball this year; perhaps Odom will run some whacky lineups where Clark plays the five, making VCU a tough cover. This opens up the spacing and makes driving lanes virtually cosmic, given how many chances they’d have at straight shots to the rim.
The question remains: Does VCU have enough juice underneath to keep up with any of the traditional enforcers in the A10? How raw are the freshman bigs on this roster? It’s hard to gauge what sort of impact they’ll have right out of the gate.
A big-by-committee strategy is the most logical strategy for getting the most out of the big men. This maximizes the strengths of the different bigs while minimizing their weaknesses.
Another concern that could become a serious problem is how small this team is on paper. Only two players on the roster are above 6’8”, with everyone else being 6’8” or smaller. Despite his solid advanced defensive metrics, Russell is the smallest at 6’ flat.
If VCU plays against teams of overwhelming size, such as Loyola, Saint Louis, and George Mason, how will the Commonwealth fare against them? The strategy for those teams is simple: put VCU in as many pick and role spots as possible, generate the mismatch off the switch, and steamroll your way to the basket.
I’m sure Ryan Odom will get creative with hiding said weaknesses, perhaps employing a full-court press or occasionally switching to zones. But if they get caught in games where it’s old-school, pound-the-rock basketball, I don’t know if VCU has the chops to slow down those opposing big men abusing in the post.
X-Factor: Sophomore Michael Belle brings a lot to the table, and his impact will go beyond his numbers. Belle’s game reminds me a little of Draymond Green: he does it all on defense, is physically gifted, and has the smarts on offense to stay within the flow. He’s one of those super versatile wings who, like Clark, can hold his own down low in general scenarios. Belle is also a decent rebounder, grabbing 2.7 boards per game, which will be helpful for the Rams. Every team always has the guy who will draw the top assignment on defense; this year, that role is Belle’s to lose.
Outlook: VCU will be one of the more entertaining teams on offense this season. This team will put on quite the performance when they get hot with their high-octane style. Much experience returns to this group, with said experience in headline roles. It could be interesting how VCU hides some of the defensive issues I highlighted. Ryan Odom is one of the most creative coaches in the country. This predicament will test how whacky he wants to get with his defensive scheme/lineups. If VCU can solve that, in the blink of an eye, these guys are going to fight for that top-four spot in the A10 and give some teams a run for their money.
