Coach Smart and company celebrated another highly successful season last night at the Jefferson Hotel during the Rams end of season banquet.
Rams fans dined alongside VCU staffers, men’s basketball team members and their families, and listened as Coach Smart and his assistants reflected on the past season while looking forward to the future.
They also handed out some awards.
Most Improved – Treveon Graham
In roughly 10 more minutes per game than his previous season, Graham upped his scoring average from 7ppg to a team-high 15.1 as a sophomore. His field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, free throw percentage, rebounds, assists and steals were all up over last season’s numbers.
Most Assists – Darius Theus
Theus led the Rams with a team-high 4.8 assists per game. His 2.6 assist to turnover ratio was tops in the Atlantic 10.
Leading Rebounder – Juvonte Reddic
Reddic led the Rams with a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game, good for fourth in the A-10. His 3.4 offensive rebounds per game ranked second in the conference.
Ram Strength Award – Darius Theus
Theus added 25 pounds to his frame since joining the Rams in the summer of ’09.
Defensive Player of the Year – Briante Weber
Add this award to his defensive hardware after being named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year. Weber’s 2.7 steals per game were tops in the conference, his 7.6% steals percentage ranked No.1 nationally for all D1 players. His 98 steals are VCU and Atlantic 10 single-season records.
Appreciation Award – David Hinton
Hinton came to the program as an Anthony Grant recruit but played all his four seasons under Smart after redshirting his freshman season. He was a player during 111 wins, and a part of the program for a total of 135 wins.
G.O.A.T (Greatest of all time) – Troy Daniels
Daniels set a single-season 3-point record with 124 makes from long range this season. He capped that performance off by winning the Hampton Hotels College 3-Point Championship in Atlanta during Final 4 weekend.
Havoc Award – Darius Theus
Theus’ steals percentage of 5.37% ranked 4th in the country this season. His 85 total steals was second to only Briante Weber in the Atlantic 10.
Leadership Award – Darius Theus
Following VCU’s Final 4 season and the graduation of four key seniors including point guard, Joey Rodriguez, Coach Smart had a simple white board message for his new-look Rams: “Team=Theus, Theus=Team.”
Most Valuable Player – Treveon Graham/Juvonte Reddic
Graham and Reddic were the two most consistent threats for the Rams this season, ranking No.1 and No.2 in both points and rebounds for VCU. Both were rewarded with Second-Team All-Conference Awards, and are all but guaranteed Preseason First-Team honors heading into next season.
