2016–17 VCU Rams men's basketball team

The 2016–17 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams, led by second-year head coach Will Wade, played their home games at Stuart C. Siegel Center as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 26–9, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in second place. In the A-10 tournament, they beat George Mason and Richmond before losing to Rhode Island in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West region where they lost in the first round to Saint Mary's.

2016–17 VCU Rams men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record26–9 (14–4 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Rasheen Davis
  • Wes Long
  • Casey Long
Home arenaStuart C. Siegel Center
Seasons
2016–17 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Dayton 15 3   .833 24 8   .750
VCU 14 4   .778 26 9   .743
Rhode Island 13 5   .722 25 10   .714
Richmond 13 5   .722 22 13   .629
Saint Bonaventure 11 7   .611 20 12   .625
George Washington 10 8   .556 20 15   .571
George Mason 9 9   .500 20 14   .588
La Salle 9 9   .500 15 15   .500
Davidson 8 10   .444 17 15   .531
Fordham 7 11   .389 13 19   .406
Saint Louis 6 12   .333 12 21   .364
UMass 4 14   .222 15 18   .455
Saint Joseph's 4 14   .222 11 20   .355
Duquesne 3 15   .167 10 22   .313
2017 A10 Tournament winner

Following the season, head coach Will Wade left VCU to take the head coaching position at LSU following the firing of Johnny Jones.[1] Wade had served has the head coach for the last two seasons making him VCU's shortest tenured head coach since Benny Dees.[2] On March 21, 2017, the school hired Rice head coach Mike Rhoades, who had served as associate head coach under Shaka Smart from 2009 to 2014.[3]

Previous season

edit

The Rams finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 25–11, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for a first-place. In the A-10 tournament, the Rams lost to Saint Joseph's in the championship game. The Rams received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they beat Oregon State in the first round before losing to Oklahoma in the second round.

Preseason

edit

The Rams were picked to finish third in the A-10 preseason poll.[4] Mo Allie-Cox was selected to the All-A-10 second team while JeQuan Lewis was selected to the third team.[4] Cox and Lewis were also selected to the All-Defensive team.[4]

Offseason

edit

Departures

edit
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jordan Riullano 3 G 5'9" 185 Freshman Bronx, NY Walk-on; transferred to SUNY Sullivan
Michael Gilmore 11 F 6'10" 215 Sophomore Tallahassee, FL Transferred to Miami (FL)
Gerron Scissum 22 F 6'7" 210 Freshman Huntsville, AL Transferred to James Madison
Korey Billbury 24 G 6'4" 210 Senior Tulsa, OK Graduated
Melvin Johnson 32 G 6'4" 193 Senior Bronx, NY Graduated
Johnathan Nwankwo 33 F 6'9" 245 Freshman Bronx, NY Transferred to College of Southern Idaho

Incoming transfers

edit
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Issac Vann 11 F 6'6" 190 Sophomore Bridgeport, CT Transferred from Maine. Under NCAA transfer rules, Vann will have to sit out in the 2016–17 season. Will have three years of eligibility left.

2016 recruiting class

edit
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
De'Riante Jenkins
SF
Eutawville, SC Hargrave Military Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 19, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 83
Malik Crowfield
SG
Laplace, LA Riverside Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jan 21, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 76
Marquell Fraser
SG
Hamilton, CAN The Hill Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 191 lb (87 kg) Mar 7, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPNN/A
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 2016 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.

2017 Recruiting class

edit
US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40 Commit date
Marcus Santos-Silva
PF
Taunton, MA Vermont Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Sep 21, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 73
Sean Mobley
PF
Melbourne, FL Montverde Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sep 25, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 80
Mayan Kiir
PF
Bradenton, FL Victory Rock Prep 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Nov 14, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 82
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:

Roster

edit
2016–17 VCU Rams men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 De'Riante Jenkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Hargrave Military Academy Eutawville, South Carolina
G 1 JeQuan Lewis 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Dickson County High School Dickson, Tennessee
G 2 Samir Doughty   6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Fr Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
F 4 Justin Tillman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Pershing High School Detroit, Michigan
G 5 Doug Brooks 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Lake Wales High School Lake Wales, Florida
G 10 Jonathan Williams 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr St. Benedict's Prep Richmond, Virginia
F 11 Issac Vann (I) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Maine Bridgeport, Connecticut
F 12 Mo Alie-Cox   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Sr Middleburg Academy Alexandria, Virginia
G 13 Malik Crowfield 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Riverside Academy LaPlace, Louisiana
G 14 Torey Burston   5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Sr Trinity Episcopal School Richmond, Virginia
G 15 Marquell Fraser 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr The Hill Academy Hamilton, Ontario
G/F 20 Jordan Burgess   6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Benedictine College Preparatory Midlothian, Virginia
F 23 Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Lee College Alexandria, Egypt
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

edit
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 4, 2016
7:00 pm
Queens (NC) L 73–75 
 24  Lewis   9  Tied   3  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2016*
7:00 pm, WTVR 6.3
UNC Asheville W 80–65  1–0
 15  Alie-Cox   6  Tied (3)   4  Brooks  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Nov 15, 2016*
8:00 pm
at Liberty W 64–59  2–0
 13  Lewis   8  Alie-Cox   3  Williams  Vines Center (3,289)
Lynchburg, VA
Nov 18, 2016*
7:00 pm, WTVR 6.3
Binghamton
Battle 4 Atlantis Opening Round
W 81–42  3–0
 14  Jenkins   10  Jenkins   5  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Nov 23, 2016*
2:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. No. 20 Baylor
Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals
L 63–71  3–1
 21  Lewis   7  Doughty   5  Lewis  Imperial Arena (1,215)
Nassau, BAH
Nov 24, 2016*
7:00 pm, AXS TV
vs. St. John's
Battle 4 Atlantis 2nd round consolation
W 75–69  4–1
 22  Williams   13  Tillman   6  Williams  Imperial Arena (1,597)
Nassau, BAH
Nov 25, 2016*
7:00 pm, AXS TV
vs. LSU
Battle 4 Atlantis 5th place game
W 85–74  5–1
 19  Lewis   8  Tillman   9  Lewis  Imperial Arena (1,201)
Nassau, BAH
Nov 29, 2016*
7:00 pm, MASN
Princeton W 81–70  6–1
 23  Lewis   7  Burgess   12  Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Dec 3, 2016*
3:00 pm, CBSSN
vs. Illinois
Hoophall Miami Invitational
L 46–64  6–2
 10  Alie-Cox   7  Burgess   3  Williams  American Airlines Arena 
Miami, FL
Dec 7, 2016*
7:00 pm, ESPNU
Georgia Tech L 73–76 OT 6–3
 26  Tillman   9  Tillman   7  Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Dec 10, 2016*
8:00 pm, ASN
at Old Dominion
Rivalry
W 67–64  7–3
 20  Lewis   8  Alie-Cox   4  Brooks  Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,472)
Norfolk, VA
Dec 17, 2016*
7:00 pm, ASN
Middle Tennessee W 80–77  8–3
 20  Lewis   11  Burgess   4  Doughty  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Dec 22, 2016*
7:00 pm, WTVR-TV
Louisiana–Monroe W 78–65  9–3
 16  Alie-Cox   8  Doughty   6  Brooks  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Dec 27, 2016*
7:00 pm, MASN
Howard W 85–51  10–3
 17  Lewis   9  Tillman   6  Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Atlantic 10 regular season
Dec 30, 2016
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at George Mason
Rivalry
W 73–64  11–3
(1–0)
 26  Lewis   11  Tillman   5  Williams  EagleBank Arena (7,780)
Fairfax, VA
Jan 4, 2017
7:00 pm, ASN
at Duquesne W 94–87  12–3
(2–0)
 23  Doughty   7  Doughty   9  Doughty  Palumbo Center (1,038)
Pittsburgh, PA
Jan 7, 2017
1:00 pm, NBCSN
Massachusetts W 81–64  13–3
(3–0)
 17  Lewis   10  Tillman   6  Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Jan 11, 2017
6:30 pm, ESPN2
George Washington W 85–55  14–3
(4–0)
 20  Tillman   13  Tillman   7  Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Jan 14, 2016
2:00 pm, CBSSN
at Davidson L 63–69  14–4
(4–1)
 17  Lewis   10  Hamdy-Mohamed   4  Lewis  John M. Belk Arena (4,636)
Davidson, NC
Jan 18, 2017
7:00 pm, MASN
at Fordham L 67–69 OT 14–5
(4–2)
 20  Tillman   5  Tillman   10  Lewis  Rose Hill Gymnasium (2,186)
Bronx, NY
Jan 22, 2017
2:00 pm, NBCSN
La Salle W 90–52  15–5
(5–2)
 16  Tillman   11  Hamdy-Mohamed   5  Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Jan 27, 2017
9:00 pm, ESPN2
Dayton W 73–68  16–5
(6–2)
 18  Tillman   9  Tillman   5  Doughty  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Feb 1, 2017
7:00 pm, CBSSN
Richmond
Capital City Classic
W 81–74  17–5
(7–2)
 18  Tillman   9  Tillman   6  Doughty  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Feb 4, 2017
4:00 pm, CBSSN
at St. Bonaventure W 83–77 OT  18–5
(8–2)
 20  Alie-Cox   12  Tillman   7  Lewis  Reilly Center (5,480)
Olean, NY
Feb 8, 2017
9:00 pm, CBSSN
at George Washington W 54–53  19–5
(9–2)
 11  Tillman   11  Tillman   2  Tied  Charles E. Smith Center (4,012)
Washington, D.C.
Feb 11, 2017
8:00 pm, CBSSN
Davidson W 74–60  20–5
(10–2)
 27  Lewis   16  Tillman   3  Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Feb 14, 2017
6:00 pm, CBSSN
Saint Joseph's W 91–81  21–5
(11–2)
 34  Lewis   13  Tillman   10  Doughty  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Feb 17, 2017
9:00 pm, ESPN2
at Richmond
Capital City Classic
W 84–73  22–5
(12–2)
 16  Lewis   7  Lewis   5  Lewis  Robins Center (7,201)
Richmond, VA
Feb 22, 2017
7:00 pm, ASN
Saint Louis W 64–50  23–5
(13–2)
 17  Williams   10  Tillman   4  Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Feb 25, 2017
1:00 pm, ESPN2
at Rhode Island L 59–69  23–6
(13–3)
 14  Williams   7  Brooks   2  Brooks  Ryan Center (6,845)
Kingston, RI
Mar 1, 2017
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at Dayton L 72–79  23–7
(13–4)
 23  Allie-Cox   10  Tillman   5  Tied  UD Arena (13,455)
Dayton, OH
Mar 4, 2017
2:00 pm, MASN
George Mason
Rivalry
W 72–60  24–7
(14–4)
 24  Tillman   11  Tillman   9  Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Atlantic 10 tournament
Mar 10, 2017
6:00 pm, NBCSN
(2) vs. (7) George Mason
Quarterfinals
W 71–60  25–7
 15  Jenkins   7  Burgess   6  Lewis  PPG Paints Arena (6,647)
Pittsburgh, PA
Mar 11, 2017
6:00 pm, CBSSN
(2) vs. (3) Richmond
Semifinals
W 87–77 OT 26–7
 18  Lewis   14  Tillman   7  Williams  PPG Paints Arena (6,886)
Pittsburgh, PA
Mar 12, 2017
12:30 pm, CBS
(2) vs. (4) Rhode Island
Championship
L 63–70  26–8
 15  Lewis   17  Tillman   3  Lewis  PPG Paints Arena (7,025)
Pittsburgh, PA
NCAA tournament
March 16, 2017*
7:20 pm, TBS
(10 W) vs. (7 W) No. 22 Saint Mary's
First Round
L 77–85  26–9
 30  Lewis   7  Tillman   2  Tied  Vivint Smart Home Arena (16,341)
Salt Lake City, UT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West Region.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

edit
  1. ^ "VCU's Will Wade hired as next coach at LSU". ESPN. espn.com. March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  2. ^ "Benny Dees Coaching Record". Sports Reference. sports-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  3. ^ "VCU moves quickly to hire Mike Rhoades from Rice to fill coaching vacancy". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Flyers Picked to Win 2016-17; Men's Basketball". Atlantic10.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.