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Rodriguez Back, Ndongo Out

May 28, 2009 By 9 Comments

joeyRICHMOND, Va. – As the weather heats up around the country, so does the off-season for the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball team.

Head Coach Shaka Smart announced two changes that will affect the Black & Gold’s roster for the upcoming 2009-2010 season with the return of junior guard Joey Rodriguez (Oviedo, Fla.) and the departure of redshirt junior Franck Ndongo (Yaounde, Cameroon).

Rodriguez, who had announced plans of transferring to Rollins College in Florida, will return to give the Rams valuable depth at the point guard position for next year.

The quick and tenacious defender has seen action in all of VCU’s 66 games over the past two seasons, getting the starting nod in 49 of those contests.

Last year, he led the Colonial Athletic Association with a 41.6% shooting percentage from beyond the arc and finished the year averaging 9.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the Black & Gold.

Ndongo sat out the 2008-2009 campaign due to a torn ACL. The 6-7 forward played two seasons with the Rams, averaging 1.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per outing.

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Rodriguez Returning to VCU?

May 21, 2009 By 4 Comments

As it’s been “reported” on our message board for some time now… Joey Rodriguez is officially attempting a return to VCU. Tim Pearrell of The Richmond Times Dispatch has the details here…

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/JOEY21_20090520-234604/269053/

Joey will have some hurdles to clear after already registering for classes as D2 Rollins College, but looks forward to a return to the black and gold. “”I missed it,” he said. “I never thought I would, but I did. I’m pretty excited. Hopefully, everything works out.”
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VCU Adds 6’4 Guard Troy Daniels

May 6, 2009 By 1 Comment

VCU added 6’4 guard Troy Daniels out of Roanoke’s William Fleming High today. Daniels was first-team all state at the AAA Level, who averaged 17ppg during his final season at Fleming High. Daniels is reported to have been recruited by several BCS schools including instate foes UVA and VA Tech, and received offers from the likes of Gonzaga, Cincinnati, and Marquette. This past summer Troy shot his way onto the radar of several high major schools, proving to be automatic from downtown.

RTD Article: Click Here
Troy Daniels Scout Page: Click Here

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Ben Eblen Leaves VCU for Grant’s Alabama

April 30, 2009 By 5 Comments

Ben EblenTUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — New Alabama coach Anthony Grant has his first signee.

Grant announced the signing of point guard Ben Eblen from Melbourne, Fla., on Wednesday. Eblen initially signed to play for Grant at Virginia Commonwealth but was granted a release from his scholarship after the coach left to take over the Crimson Tide program.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder helped lead Florida Academy to a 25-1 record last season. He averaged 10 points, eight assists and four steals.

Grant said Eblen brings skill, selflessness and competitiveness to the team.

Eblen will join the Tide’s four fall signees, guard Charvez Davis and forwards Chris Hines, Shawn Kemp Jr. and Tony Mitchell next season.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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VCU Lands Combo Guard Darius Theus

April 18, 2009 By 6 Comments

dariustheus6_10150RICHMOND, Va. – Darius Theus, the 20th-ranked point guard in the country and one of the most diverse talents in the state, according to Scouts Inc., inked a letter of intent to join the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball team next season.

Theus is the first official signee by new VCU Head Coach Smaka Smart and his staff.

“I’m extremely excited about the addition of Darius to our team,” Smart said. “He fits very well not only as a player, but more importantly as a person with the other student-athletes in our program.”

A combo guard from Portsmouth, Va. will help fill a void left at the point guard spot after the departure of senior Eric Maynor, VCU’s all-time leader in points and assists.

“On the court, he is a multi-dimensional player that possesses the ability to affect the game with or without the ball in his hands,” Smart added. “Adding Darius addresses a specific need in our program in providing backcourt depth.”

Arguably the top unsigned talent left in the Commonwealth, Theus is a 6-4, 175-pound guard out of I.C. Norcom High School. Averaging 17.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game for the Greyhounds, Theus earned a spot on the All-Tidewater Second Team the past two seasons.

Regarded as one of the best floor leaders in the class of 2009, Theus has received praise for his ability to think one play ahead of everyone else and is said to have an excellent basketball IQ.

From Scouts Inc.:
“Darius’ decision-making, passing ability and excellent ball skills allow him to play in a variety of late game situations particularly in two man games. With a good balance of confidence and basketball IQ, he rarely plays out of control. He is a good on the ball defender because of his quick hands and his ability to keep smaller guards in front. He

gets a lot of deflections via great anticipation.”

Theus chose VCU after being heavily recruited by PAC-10 power Washington State, Liberty, Duquesne and East Carolina, among others.

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Joey Rodriguez to transfer from VCU

April 13, 2009 By 19 Comments

gfx.phpIt is being reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch that rising junior VCU Guard, Joey Rodriguez will be transferring from VCU. Rodriguez is transferring back closer to his home of Oviedo, FL. He was part of VCU’s former coach, Anthony Grant’s first recruiting class at VCU. This makes the 3rd player lost (Lance Kearse, Myk Brown, Rodriguez) that was recruited to VCU by former coach Anthony Grant. We will have more on this as it is released.

Click here for the Times-Dispatch article

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