2024-25 Roster Thread

WillWeaverRVA · Dec 19, 2024

Mr X said:
I know playing Clark at the 5 would be moving him out of position, but I think he would be more of a scoring threat than what we have, and can rebound.

Rebounding is the one thing Clark has managed to keep up since his shooting funk started, but he really, really needs to find his shot again, regardless of range.

Before Charleston, Clark averaged 12.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg, shooting 58.1%.

Since the first game at Charleston...3.1 ppg and 6.1 rpg, shooting 20.5%.

artRAMinMN · Dec 19, 2024

AlienAiden said:
VCU has very good guards. They score and they actively get in to grab rebounds BUT they get no help on offense or D. VCU has a glaring weakness and it is around the glass. VCU's guards can only do so much against a big team. If the guards had a center or forward to dump the ball to that could make a move to draw defenders to score or kick it would make their life much much easier. It is not happening this season so they have carry the load.

For sure. If I defend the post players, it's not to say they're blameless, it's just because I think there is an all or nothing tendency for some to blame them for everything.... the fix-this-one-thing mentality, as if it was an easy fix and had never been thought of.

AlienAiden · Dec 19, 2024

artRAMinMN said:
For sure. If I defend the post players, it's not to say they're blameless, it's just because I think there is an all or nothing tendency for some to blame them for everything.... the fix-this-one-thing mentality, as if it was an easy fix and had never been thought of.

This is true. If I am to be honest I settled in last night hoping to be pleasantly surprised by a win. I knew that New Mexico was big and winning there is not easy. What I was not expecting was a 6'2 guard to drop 40. Game was winnable even without any inside help.

Mercury · Dec 19, 2024

AlienAiden said:
This is true. If I am to be honest I settled in last night hoping to be pleasantly surprised by a win. I knew that New Mexico was big and winning there is not easy. What I was not expecting was a 6'2 guard to drop 40. Game was winnable even without any inside help.

Poor FT shooting and unforced turnovers are really what did us in. We even managed to turn the ball over while inbounding the ball.

duncanlamb · Dec 19, 2024

AlienAiden said:
This is true. If I am to be honest I settled in last night hoping to be pleasantly surprised by a win. I knew that New Mexico was big and winning there is not easy. What I was not expecting was a 6'2 guard to drop 40. Game was winnable even without any inside help.

VCU front line 0 pts, 7 rebounds
NM front line 32 pts, 29 rebounds

Also, Dent got 36 of his 40 driving to the basket.

That has to change for VCU to finish in the top 4.

AlienAiden · Dec 19, 2024

duncanlamb said:
VCU front line 0 pts, 7 rebounds
NM front line 32 pts, 29 rebounds

Also, Dent got 36 of his 40 driving to the basket.

That has to change for VCU to finish in the top 4.

Well, opening at Bona and at Loyola will be interesting because that is what those teams like to do.

Rams4Life · Dec 19, 2024

AlienAiden said:
This is true. If I am to be honest I settled in last night hoping to be pleasantly surprised by a win. I knew that New Mexico was big and winning there is not easy. What I was not expecting was a 6'2 guard to drop 40. Game was winnable even without any inside help.

Watching Dent do whatever he wanted last night was eerily reminiscent of watching Eric Maynor dominate. Dent isn’t the fastest kid but his timing is impeccable and that floater makes him almost impossible to guard. I now know what all of those CAA schools felt like for 3+ years.

enonram · Dec 19, 2024

I want more (cow) Belle at the 5. He can defend, especially if we double on the block. He can score some. He can definitely rebound.

It looks like someone told Luke and Ferm if they can’t grab the rebound then keep it alive by tapping it. Their collective available rebounds touched to gathered ratio as got to be around 30:1. Collectively awful.

N Mollen · Dec 19, 2024

AlienAiden said:
This is true. If I am to be honest I settled in last night hoping to be pleasantly surprised by a win. I knew that New Mexico was big and winning there is not easy. What I was not expecting was a 6'2 guard to drop 40. Game was winnable even without any inside help.

Our super experienced leaders didn't show in the first half. Simply did not show up. And for some reason, we've decided that free throws are not cool.

Hard to win that way. I was very happy with the play of the kids though

Ram14 · Dec 19, 2024

Rams4Life said:
Watching Dent do whatever he wanted last night was eerily reminiscent of watching Eric Maynor dominate. Dent isn’t the fastest kid but his timing is impeccable and that floater makes him almost impossible to guard. I now know what all of those CAA schools felt like for 3+ years.

He is quick and exact enough in his moves that he gets to where he wants to go ( Dent), in one sequence with him at the top of the key with the ball it was certain and he was certain that he was going to take it toward the basket and score. Maynor, also not the quickest, had excellent understanding and body control and he used that to get shots. His shoulder turn to split traps has been unequalled at VCU or most schools since he departed.

CrozetRam · Dec 19, 2024

Woulda been cool to see us try to deny Dent the ball or run some kind of defense that doubled him or had someone literally in his jersey at all times. Maybe we tried all that and he just torched us anyway. He had a pretty decent night.

duncanlamb · Dec 19, 2024

I think of this everytime someone posts about Dent.

G-Man · Dec 19, 2024

GuardTheArc said:
12/19/24

Christian Fermin seems like a good kid and teammate. However, he is an awkward, gangly, slender, 6'10" center. He lacks aggression, physicality, strength, natural/positional instincts, a repertoire/post moves, key skill sets, etc. His movements on the court are somewhat mechanical and unnatural. His development has been slow in some areas, non-existent in others. Though a junior, he is effectively a sophomore (playing-time and development-wise).

Simply put, for a perennial Top 50 program and prospective NCAA tournament team, he profiles right now as a backup (who happens to be starting, primarily by default). For 2024-25, the staff misread this part of roster construction/mgmt (issuing Carrere/Okafor schollies).

Note: Interesting that Fermin didn't follow the coaching staff that recruited him back to his home state and P5 program.

They only thing I see him doing well in (or let’s at least average) are positional defense and sometimes as a rim protector.

I remember him blocking 2 shots at the rim against St. Mary’s in Albany and thinking that was the highlight of a dismal team performance. Was not surprised when he beat out Rose last year. It just hasn’t progressed.

G-Man · Dec 19, 2024

WillWeaverRVA said:
Rebounding is the one thing Clark has managed to keep up since his shooting funk started, but he really, really needs to find his shot again, regardless of range.

Before Charleston, Clark averaged 12.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg, shooting 58.1%.

Since the first game at Charleston...3.1 ppg and 6.1 rpg, shooting 20.5%.

I think they need to tell Clark sorry, we know you came here to develop your stretch 4 skills but for a number of reasons we need you to play more 5.

RamJamFan · Dec 19, 2024

G-Man said:
I think they need to tell Clark sorry, we know you came here to develop your stretch 4 skills but for a number of reasons we need you to play more 5.

If Jack goes to 5 who becomes our 4, or do we just play another guard and call him a 4?