- Feb 24, 2020
- 44
- 96
Hello my fellow Ram Fans,
I've been a viewer of these boards going back to my time as a student at VCU (2008-2010, I know I'm old now). I've sat back and took in for years a lot of the opinions of fellow ram fans and though now, with the state of program where it is today, is a perfect time for me to speak.
I think all of us can agree that this season hasn't gone the way we all thought it would. From the mystifying reasons as to why the senior class is struggling to perform at expected levels to the open fighting on social media between family members of players and the coaching staff, this season is one of those seasons that we need to throw away like an old pair of boxers.
The big question is, what do we do after this season. I know some people are going to hate what I have to say next, but I think it's something that needs to be seriously considered, I think we need to let the current coaching staff go.
The reasons for this are twofold, 1) the decision making before and during games, from lineup combinations to in-game strategic adjustments have been very bad over the past two years. For instance, it has been clear since December that Marcus Evans should not be starting over Bones, yet Marcus Evans continued to start. Also, it seemed that Coach Rhoads never made adjustments at the right time, especially during runs by opponents. There were several games where I watched a team like Rhode Island or Richmond start to go on a run, and Rhoades would not make an adjustment to the defense nor adjust the lineup that was out there letting up said run. Not having the ability to see that something needs to be adjusted in moments like that is usually the first sign that you need to move on from that coach.
Reason #2 is our recruiting over the past few years. Mike has done a great job at getting guards into the program (Bones is probably one of the best recruits from a prue basketball perspective we have had at VCU since the early Shaka days when we got Terry Larrier). But the issue is that we have not recruited well when it comes to big men. I haven't seen since Mike has been here, where he has gotten a commitment from a player that was over 6'10". The issue of size is now apparent considering that, if you watched the Rhode Island and Dayton games, we have real issues with rebounding and defending the rim. Other then MSS (who, if you remember, was recruited here by Will Wade) no other big man has proven to do well at VCU. Ward has a chance to be good, but I don't see him in the mold of a DJ Haley or even a Justin Tillman, which are the type of big men we need.
So with all of that you're probably wondering, "what is the solution then? who do you think we should hire?"
In my honest opinion, we have two options, either hire another coach from the "havoc" coaching tree or completely drop the "havoc" culture and hire a completely new coach with a completely different coaching methodology.
If you elect "keep the havoc system" what better person to hire than the man who helped build our program to the level we currently are now. In all likelihood, Shaka Smart will be fired from Texas after this season. What if (and I know it's a big "what if") Shaka came back home?
Think about what that would mean for not only VCU, but RVA as a whole. When Shaka was here, he brought a certain type of love/energy to the basketball program and the city as a whole that no one else has been able to do, before or after him. Allowing him to come back to VCU and take full advantage of the practice facility that he helped build, restart our recruiting base in a more sensible manner, and help continue to grew these young men in a positive way, can only help VCU get back to where we're used to being.
Personally, as a black man, I always loved to hear and see Shaka's story about how he grew up without a father and how he put that negative energy from not having a dad into building up other young black and brown men on his basketball teams. I understand fully Shaka's situation, as I lost my father early in life and now understand how much that affected me now not just as a man, but a man of color. Seeing him put his arm around a player and sincerely teach them and point out their faults, but also being able to bond with them on a personal level made me always believe that Shaka was the most beloved coach since Sonny Smith.
Think about this for a second. Did you ever hear once about in fighting among players, players fighting with the coaching staff, parents of players fighting with the coaching staff when Shaka was there? For me personally, I didn't (that's only me though). For Rhoades, I heard back near the beginning of last season that there were issue in the locker room (these are things that I've heard from people close to the program that I have personal relationships with, I don't know HOW true they are). So why not, if we want to keep the "havoc" train going, bring back Shaka. I know it will take time for some of you to forgive Shaka for how he exited the first time. But I'm sure once you see the first win against UofR or see us back in the NCAA tournament as one of the most feared opponents, you'll forgive him.
The second option is to detonate the "havoc" program and start new. Three names that come to mind for me are Earl Grant from the College of Charleston, LeVelle Moton from NC Central and Matt McMahon from Murray State. These three coach are young, high energy coaches that not only have an impact on the court, but are also good people that can positively affect the young men that come into this program and the RVA community as a whole.
Hopefully not too many people take offense to my post, but I honestly think it's time for a change here.
I've been a viewer of these boards going back to my time as a student at VCU (2008-2010, I know I'm old now). I've sat back and took in for years a lot of the opinions of fellow ram fans and though now, with the state of program where it is today, is a perfect time for me to speak.
I think all of us can agree that this season hasn't gone the way we all thought it would. From the mystifying reasons as to why the senior class is struggling to perform at expected levels to the open fighting on social media between family members of players and the coaching staff, this season is one of those seasons that we need to throw away like an old pair of boxers.
The big question is, what do we do after this season. I know some people are going to hate what I have to say next, but I think it's something that needs to be seriously considered, I think we need to let the current coaching staff go.
The reasons for this are twofold, 1) the decision making before and during games, from lineup combinations to in-game strategic adjustments have been very bad over the past two years. For instance, it has been clear since December that Marcus Evans should not be starting over Bones, yet Marcus Evans continued to start. Also, it seemed that Coach Rhoads never made adjustments at the right time, especially during runs by opponents. There were several games where I watched a team like Rhode Island or Richmond start to go on a run, and Rhoades would not make an adjustment to the defense nor adjust the lineup that was out there letting up said run. Not having the ability to see that something needs to be adjusted in moments like that is usually the first sign that you need to move on from that coach.
Reason #2 is our recruiting over the past few years. Mike has done a great job at getting guards into the program (Bones is probably one of the best recruits from a prue basketball perspective we have had at VCU since the early Shaka days when we got Terry Larrier). But the issue is that we have not recruited well when it comes to big men. I haven't seen since Mike has been here, where he has gotten a commitment from a player that was over 6'10". The issue of size is now apparent considering that, if you watched the Rhode Island and Dayton games, we have real issues with rebounding and defending the rim. Other then MSS (who, if you remember, was recruited here by Will Wade) no other big man has proven to do well at VCU. Ward has a chance to be good, but I don't see him in the mold of a DJ Haley or even a Justin Tillman, which are the type of big men we need.
So with all of that you're probably wondering, "what is the solution then? who do you think we should hire?"
In my honest opinion, we have two options, either hire another coach from the "havoc" coaching tree or completely drop the "havoc" culture and hire a completely new coach with a completely different coaching methodology.
If you elect "keep the havoc system" what better person to hire than the man who helped build our program to the level we currently are now. In all likelihood, Shaka Smart will be fired from Texas after this season. What if (and I know it's a big "what if") Shaka came back home?
Think about what that would mean for not only VCU, but RVA as a whole. When Shaka was here, he brought a certain type of love/energy to the basketball program and the city as a whole that no one else has been able to do, before or after him. Allowing him to come back to VCU and take full advantage of the practice facility that he helped build, restart our recruiting base in a more sensible manner, and help continue to grew these young men in a positive way, can only help VCU get back to where we're used to being.
Personally, as a black man, I always loved to hear and see Shaka's story about how he grew up without a father and how he put that negative energy from not having a dad into building up other young black and brown men on his basketball teams. I understand fully Shaka's situation, as I lost my father early in life and now understand how much that affected me now not just as a man, but a man of color. Seeing him put his arm around a player and sincerely teach them and point out their faults, but also being able to bond with them on a personal level made me always believe that Shaka was the most beloved coach since Sonny Smith.
Think about this for a second. Did you ever hear once about in fighting among players, players fighting with the coaching staff, parents of players fighting with the coaching staff when Shaka was there? For me personally, I didn't (that's only me though). For Rhoades, I heard back near the beginning of last season that there were issue in the locker room (these are things that I've heard from people close to the program that I have personal relationships with, I don't know HOW true they are). So why not, if we want to keep the "havoc" train going, bring back Shaka. I know it will take time for some of you to forgive Shaka for how he exited the first time. But I'm sure once you see the first win against UofR or see us back in the NCAA tournament as one of the most feared opponents, you'll forgive him.
The second option is to detonate the "havoc" program and start new. Three names that come to mind for me are Earl Grant from the College of Charleston, LeVelle Moton from NC Central and Matt McMahon from Murray State. These three coach are young, high energy coaches that not only have an impact on the court, but are also good people that can positively affect the young men that come into this program and the RVA community as a whole.
Hopefully not too many people take offense to my post, but I honestly think it's time for a change here.
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