2022–23 VCU Rams men's basketball team

2022–23 VCU Rams men's basketball
Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record27–8 (15–3 A-10)
Head coach
Associate head coachJamal Brunt
Assistant coaches
Home arenaStuart C. Siegel Center
Seasons
2022–23 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
VCU † 15 – 3   .833 27 – 8   .771
Fordham 12 – 6   .667 25 – 8   .758
Dayton 12 – 6   .667 22 – 12   .647
Saint Louis 12 – 6   .667 21 – 12   .636
George Mason 11 – 7   .611 20 – 13   .606
Duquesne 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
George Washington 10 – 8   .556 16 – 16   .500
Davidson 8 – 10   .444 16 – 16   .500
Saint Joseph's 8 – 10   .444 16 – 17   .485
St. Bonaventure 8 – 10   .444 14 – 18   .438
Richmond 7 – 11   .389 15 – 18   .455
La Salle 7 – 11   .389 15 – 19   .441
Massachusetts 6 – 12   .333 15 – 16   .484
Rhode Island 5 – 13   .278 9 – 22   .290
Loyola Chicago 4 – 14   .222 10 – 21   .323
† 2023 A10 tournament winner

The 2022–23 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by sixth-year head coach is Mike Rhoades and played their home games at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 27–8, 15–3 in A-10 play to win the regular season championship. They defeated Davidson, Saint Louis, and Dayton to win the A-10 tournament championship, their first since 2015. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed in the West region. There they lost to Saint Mary's in the first round.

On March 29, 2023, head coach Mike Rhoades left the school to take the head coaching position at Penn State. That same day, the school named Utah State head coach Ryan Odom the team's new coach.[1]

Previous season

The Rams finished the 2021–22 season 22–10, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for second place.[2] As the No. 3 seed in the A-10 tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals to Richmond.[3] The Rams received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament, their first since 2008, where they defeated Princeton[4] before losing to Wake Forest in the second round.[5]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Vince Williams Jr. 10 F 6'6" 205 Senior Toledo, Ohio Declared for NBA draft; selected 47th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies
KeShawn Curry 11 G 6'4" 180 Senior Jacksonville, Florida Graduated
Marcus Tsohonis 5 G 6'3" 190 Junior Portland, Oregon Transferred to Long Beach State
Jimmy Nichols Jr. 55 F 6'8" 225 RS Junior Conway, South Carolina Transferred to Coastal Carolina
Hason Ward 20 F 6'9" 215 Junior Saint Thomas, Barbados Transferred to Iowa State
Levi Stockard III 34 F 6'8" 240 Graduate Student St. Louis, Missouri Graduated
Mikeal Brown-Jones 2 F 6'8" 220 Sophomore Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Transferred to UNC Greensboro

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Zeb Jackson 5 G 6'5" 180 Junior Toledo, Ohio Transferred from Michigan
Brandon Johns Jr. 30 F 6'8" 240 Graduate Student Lansing, Michigan Transferred from Michigan
David Shriver 35 G/F 6'6" 220 Senior Philippi, West Virginia Transferred from Hartford

2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Alphonzo Billups III
G/F 		Richmond, VA Varina High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 11, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 82
Christian Fermin
F 		Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania Pocono Mountain West High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Nov 11, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 82
Toibu Lawal
F 		London, England Lee Academy (Maine) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 18, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Obinnaya Okafor
F 		Hampton, Virginia Bethel High School (Virginia) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 216 lb (98 kg) Apr 18, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "VCU 2022 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.

Roster

2022–23 VCU Rams men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Jamir Watkins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Trenton Catholic Trenton, New Jersey
G 1 Ace Baldwin Jr. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr St. Frances Academy Baltimore, Maryland
G 2 Zeb Jackson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Michigan Toledo, Ohio
F 4 Jalen DeLoach 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So The Skill Factory Savannah, Georgia
G/F 5 Alphonzo "Fats" Billups III 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Varina Richmond, VA
F 10 Toibu "Tobi" Lawal 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Lee Academy London, England
F 11 Christian Fermin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Pocono Mountain West Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania
G 15 Arnold Henderson VI 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr St. Christopher's School Mechanicsville, Virginia
G 21 Jarren McAllister Injured 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Massanutten Military Academy Wake Forest, North Carolina
G 23 Jayden Nunn 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Dream City Christian Flint, Michigan
F 24 Nick Kern Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Vashon HS St. Louis, Missouri
F 30 Brandon Johns Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) GS Michigan Lansing, Michigan
G 33 Josh Banks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Olympic Charlotte, North Carolina
F 34 Obinnaya Okafor 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 216 lb (98 kg) Fr Bethel Hampton, Virginia
G/F 35 David Shriver 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Sr Hartford Philippi, West Virginia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

The Rams placed third in the Legends Classic.[6][7]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 29, 2022*
7:00 p.m. 		Shippensburg W 88–53 
 15 – DeLoach   5 – DeLoach   7 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (5,108)
Richmond, VA
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Manhattan W 73–56  1–0
  15 – Baldwin Jr.   9 – DeLoach   9 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,344)
Richmond, VA
November 12, 2022*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Morgan State W 69–54  2–0
  15 – Johns Jr.   9 – Watkins   5 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,125)
Richmond, VA
November 16, 2022*
8:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		vs. Arizona State
Legends Classic semifinal 		L 59–63  2–1
  13 – Nunn   8 – DeLoach   5 – Nunn  Barclays Center (5,778)
Brooklyn, NY
November 17, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. Pittsburgh
Legends Classic third place game 		W 71–67  3–1
  18 – Johns Jr.   9 – Johns Jr.   3 – Jackson  Barclays Center 
Brooklyn, NY
November 20, 2022*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Memphis L 47–62  3–2
  14 – Watkins   10 – Watkins   3 – Watkins  FedExForum (10,653)
Memphis, TN
November 26, 2022*
4:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Kennesaw State W 64–61  4–2
  24 – Nunn   7 – Johns Jr.   4 – Jackson  Siegel Center (6,807)
Richmond, VA
November 30, 2022*
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Vanderbilt W 70–65  5–2
  28 – Baldwin Jr.   6 – DeLoach   4 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,117)
Richmond, VA
December 3, 2022*
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Temple L 73–83  5–3
  16 – Tied   6 – DeLoach   9 – Baldwin Jr.  Liacouras Center (4,094)
Philadelphia, PA
December 7, 2022*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Jacksonville L 62–73  5–4
  20 – Johns Jr.   6 – Nunn   4 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,015)
Richmond, VA
December 11, 2022*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Howard W 70–60  6–4
  16 – Johns Jr.   7 – Johns Jr.   2 – Tied  Siegel Center (7,220)
Richmond, VA
December 14, 2022*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Radford W 70–62  7–4
  18 – Johns Jr.   11 – Watkins   6 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,314)
Richmond, VA
December 17, 2022*
4:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Northern Illinois W 90–63  8–4
  22 – Watkins   9 – DeLoach   8 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (6,817)
Richmond, VA
December 21, 2022*
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		Navy W 74–52  9–4
  18 – Tied   6 – Tied   8 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,214)
Richmond, VA
Atlantic 10 regular season
December 31, 2022
2:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		La Salle W 80–67  10–4
(1–0) 		 19 – Baldwin Jr.   13 – DeLoach   6 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,323)
Richmond, VA
January 4, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Duquesne L 70–79  10–5
(1–1) 		 22 – Johns Jr.   6 – Johns Jr.   2 – Baldwin Jr.  UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,087)
Pittsburgh, PA
January 7, 2023
12:00 p.m., USA 		Davidson W 89–72  11–5
(2–1) 		 19 – Baldwin Jr.   4 – Johns Jr.   8 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,107)
Richmond, VA
January 10, 2023
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at Loyola Chicago W 78–64  12–5
(3–1) 		 16 – DeLoach   7 – DeLoach   8 – Baldwin Jr.  Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,249)
Chicago, IL
January 13, 2023
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Dayton W 63–62  13–5
(4–1) 		 18 – Shriver   8 – DeLoach   4 – Baldwin Jr.  UD Arena (13,407)
Dayton, OH
January 17, 2023
7:00 p.m., NBC Digital 		UMass W 83–55  14–5
(5–1) 		 19 – DeLoach   12 – DeLoach   5 – Jackson  Siegel Center (7,225)
Richmond, VA
January 20, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Richmond
Capital City Classic 		W 74–62  15–5
(6–1) 		 15 – Watkins   10 – Watkins   5 – Baldwin Jr.  Robins Center (7,201)
Richmond, VA
January 25, 2023
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		George Mason
Rivalry 		W 72–52  16–5
(7–1) 		 13 – Shriver   9 – Baldwin Jr.   7 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
January 28, 2023
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		St. Bonaventure L 58–61  16–6
(7–2) 		 15 – Baldwin Jr.   12 – DeLoach   6 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
January 31, 2023
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at Davidson W 61–59  17–6
(8–2) 		 14 – Baldwin Jr.   9 – DeLoach   7 – Baldwin Jr.  John M. Belk Arena (3,179)
Davidson, NC
February 3, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Saint Louis W 73–65  18–6
(9–2) 		 37 – Baldwin Jr.   11 – DeLoach   3 – DeLoach  Chaifetz Arena (9,230)
St. Louis, MO
February 7, 2023
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Dayton L 58–62  18–7
(9–3) 		 14 – Baldwin Jr.   9 – DeLoach   3 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 15, 2023
7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ 		at Rhode Island W 55–54  19–7
(10–3) 		 17 – Johns Jr.   5 – Johns Jr.   4 – Baldwin Jr.  Ryan Center (4,229)
Kingston, RI
February 18, 2023
2:30 p.m., USA 		Fordham W 80–61  20–7
(11–3) 		 17 – Kern Jr.   8 – DeLoach   10 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 21, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Saint Joseph's W 88–63  21–7
(12–3) 		 31 – Nunn   7 – Tied   3 – Nunn  Hagan Arena (1,398)
Philadelphia, PA
February 24, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Richmond
Capital City Classic 		W 73–58  22–7
(13–3) 		 18 – Baldwin Jr.   9 – Watkins   8 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 28, 2023
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Saint Louis W 79–67  23–7
(14–3) 		 14 – DeLoach   7 – Tied   6 – Baldwin Jr.  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
March 4, 2023
4:30 p.m., USA 		at George Washington W 74–68  24–7
(15–3) 		 17 – Johns Jr.   10 – Johns Jr.   7 – Baldwin Jr.  Charles E. Smith Center (3,712)
Washington, D.C.
A-10 tournament
March 9, 2023
11:30 a.m., USA 		(1) vs. (8) Davidson
Quarterfinals 		W 71–53  25–7
  11 – Tied   9 – Kern   6 – Baldwin Jr.  Barclays Center (5,680)
Brooklyn, NY
March 11, 2023
1:00 p.m., CBSSN 		(1) vs. (4) Saint Louis
Semifinals 		W 90–78  26–7
  18 – Nunn   9 – Johns Jr.   6 – Baldwin Jr.  Barclays Center (10,156)
Brooklyn, NY
March 12, 2023
1:00 p.m., CBS/Paramount+ 		(1) vs. (2) Dayton
Championship 		W 68–56  27–7
  16 – Baldwin   10 – DeLoach   7 – Baldwin  Barclays Center (8,162)
Brooklyn, NY
NCAA tournament
March 17, 2023*
2:00 pm, TBS 		(12 W) vs. (5 W) No. 19 Saint Mary's
First Round 		L 51–63  27–8
  13 – Baldwin Jr.   7 – Nunn   3 – Baldwin Jr.  MVP Arena 
Albany, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source:[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "PSU hires Rhoades as coach; VCU lands Odom". ESPN.com. March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  2. ^ "2021-22 Atlantic 10 Conference Season Summary". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  3. ^ Epps Jr., Wayne. "In cracking a VCU strength, Richmond grabs redemption and dashes Rams' NCAA tournament hopes". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  4. ^ "Princeton vs. VCU - Game Summary - March 15, 2022 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  5. ^ "VCU vs. Wake Forest - Game Summary - March 19, 2022 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  6. ^ "Field set for 2022 Legends Classic". College Hoops Today. November 10, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "Rams to Play in 2022 Legends Classic; Rickets on Sale Now!". Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  8. ^ "2022–23 Men's Basketball Schedule". VCU Rams Athletics.