As soon as one Atlantic 10 team returns from Spain, another one embarks on their basketball adventures. The Dayton Flyers recently got back from a 10 day trip to Madrid and Barcelona. Now the VCU Rams are off and running as they will play four exhibition games in 11 days all around Spain. This trip out of the country should provide Will Wade’s team with a lot of quality basketball experience and plenty of time to grow closer together. Already two games in, the Rams are doing what they do best, dominating on the basketball court.
Exhibition #1
To kick off their Spanish tour, VCU took on Euro Colegio Casvi in Madrid this past Sunday. One of the Ram’s young guns really showcased himself in this game. Redshirt freshman Samir Doughty went 8-13 from the floor as he dropped a team high 17 points. Senior Ahmed Hamdy also had a nice game as he picked up a double double. With four Rams scoring in double figures, VCU pulled away for a solid 84-68 win. While this was a satisfying win for the Rams, it didn’t stop them from resting on their laurels in game two.
Exhibition #2
VCU came out firing on all cylinders in their second exhibition game and never let up. The Rams forced an astonishing 40 turnovers in an absolute route of Valencia 85-50. Hamdy put up another double double and VCU shot 70% as a team from the field in the 3rd quarter. The Rams have now forced a total of 75 turnovers in just two games in Spain. Clearly Spanish teams have never seen anything like VCU’s famous HAVOC defense. With two games in the books, the Rams are looking mighty impressive.
Exhibitions #3 and #4
With 5 days remaining in their trip, VCU will play two more exhibition games. It should be interesting to see if the Rams can keep up their high level of play as they face a couple more professional teams. If VCU can indeed keep up the dominance, they should return home with high spirits and a lot of confidence as the college basketball season begins.
