2024-25 Roster Thread

IstanbulRam · Feb 17, 2025

With all the talk of hypothetical bigs we could have gotten this season. I am going to show Big Ferm some love. I am just gonna say it. I don't think Fermin is that soft. *ducks and hides* On offense sure he is timid. Very timid. Especially when compared to the classic VCU bigs in the past. He needs to learn to use his height and keep the ball high and not at his waist. However, there are also times when our guards pass him the ball at his knees which doesn't help either. But I agree with most that he is often very very very timid on offense. Sometimes I wanna pull my hair out when he refuses to dunk and boinks a baby floater off the rim. But remember he made a tough-arsed play to seal the Dayton game for us. Tough. Arsed. Play.

But hear me out. On defense, he is not soft. He protects the rim well (37 blocks on the year). We like to give him grief but look at the GW game. It looked like Castro ate his lunch (and at times he did) but he did what he was coached to do. His role was to overplay Castro topside and force Castro to the baseline where a second Ram was supposed to be there for the double team. In the first half often that second Ram was MIA resulting in what looked like Fermin just getting blown by and allowing a dunk/easy lay-up. But he was playing in the scheme Odom set up. It was the help defender that let him down.

All I am saying is I think that Fermin fits our system well. He gave up his starting position to a freshman which shows he is a team-first guy which is what VCU is all about or should be all about. If next year we can help him get over whatever mental block he has that prevents him from dunking when he is wide open three feet from the rim then watch out he will be a beast!

2012Ram · Feb 19, 2025

IstanbulRam said:
With all the talk of hypothetical bigs we could have gotten this season. I am going to show Big Ferm some love. I am just gonna say it. I don't think Fermin is that soft. *ducks and hides* On offense sure he is timid. Very timid. Especially when compared to the classic VCU bigs in the past. He needs to learn to use his height and keep the ball high and not at his waist. However, there are also times when our guards pass him the ball at his knees which doesn't help either. But I agree with most that he is often very very very timid on offense. Sometimes I wanna pull my hair out when he refuses to dunk and boinks a baby floater off the rim. But remember he made a tough-arsed play to seal the Dayton game for us. Tough. Arsed. Play.

But hear me out. On defense, he is not soft. He protects the rim well (37 blocks on the year). We like to give him grief but look at the GW game. It looked like Castro ate his lunch (and at times he did) but he did what he was coached to do. His role was to overplay Castro topside and force Castro to the baseline where a second Ram was supposed to be there for the double team. In the first half often that second Ram was MIA resulting in what looked like Fermin just getting blown by and allowing a dunk/easy lay-up. But he was playing in the scheme Odom set up. It was the help defender that let him down.

All I am saying is I think that Fermin fits our system well. He gave up his starting position to a freshman which shows he is a team-first guy which is what VCU is all about or should be all about. If next year we can help him get over whatever mental block he has that prevents him from dunking when he is wide open three feet from the rim then watch out he will be a beast!

Fermin's been a big part of our success this year for sure, especially on the defensive end.

But this is what it feels like every time he throws up one of those line drive one handed floater hook things:

Mr X · Feb 19, 2025

2012Ram said:
Fermin's been a big part of our success this year for sure, especially on the defensive end.

But this is what it feels like every time he throws up one of those line drive one handed floater hook things:

Dunk it big guy, dunk it

senor ram · Feb 19, 2025

SteveMM said:
Him and Jennings, for sure.

Don't forget our other freshman guard Hill who is and will be valuable if he does not leave next year.

SteveMM · Feb 19, 2025

senor ram said:
Don't forget our other freshman guard Hill who is and will be valuable if he does not leave next year.

I think Hill would be dumb to leave after this year. Craptons of playing minutes are opening up for him and Jennings, if they can step up and take them.

2012Ram · Feb 19, 2025

Mr X said:
Dunk it big guy, dunk it

dwhite · Feb 19, 2025

Mr X said:
Dunk it big guy, dunk it

Ramlove81 · Feb 20, 2025

Mr X said:
Dunk it big guy, dunk it

or at the very least aggressively lean towards the basket instead of fading away.
To be fair, he has been doing this more recently. We need more of that.

WillWeaverRVA · Feb 20, 2025

Ramlove81 said:
or at the very least aggressively lean towards the basket instead of fading away.
To be fair, he has been doing this more recently. We need more of that.

One of my complaints about Fermin has been that he's 6-10 but doesn't play like he's 6-10.

Well, the past few games he's absolutely played like he's 6-10. He was a whole new player last night.

rammad90 · Feb 20, 2025

WillWeaverRVA said:
One of my complaints about Fermin has been that he's 6-10 but doesn't play like he's 6-10.

Well, the past few games he's absolutely played like he's 6-10. He was a whole new player last night.

I think he does play 6’10 on defense. Its on offense where he seems to shrink.

I dont know why, but he is consistently behind his defender leaving no way to get him the ball, and its not as if he is there for the potential rebound as he is more of a block out guy than a grab the ball guy.

rammad90 · Feb 20, 2025

Ramlove81 said:
or at the very least aggressively lean towards the basket instead of fading away.
To be fair, he has been doing this more recently. We need more of that.

That’s it agressively lean to the basket with such momentum that even if you miss it comes back to you. He had on sequence, just one against I think Lasalle. It was his only one this year.

Funny, I do think it’s confidence. I saw both him and Luke make about 10 apiece in warmups against St. Joes in Philly. They were both at the same end with a VCU staffer who was rebounding for them.

RamDanFan · Feb 20, 2025

Pretty sure if you have the ball inside the circle there is no way you can have an offensive foul called on you. He just needs to then go low and give his defender a nice push with his upper body to clear some space, then right himself and then go up for the dunk.

AlienAiden · Feb 20, 2025

RamDanFan said:
Pretty sure if you have the ball inside the circle there is no way you can have an offensive foul called on you. .

Is this a fact? Inside the circle is like forcefield? No wonder that one dude that slammed the ball and got T-ed up for talking smack never got called for backing in all night. He was forceful with his moves. I have seen people called for charge-like moves inside the circle. Fermin had two nice dunks last night. Shulga got an incredible rebound off one of Fermin's misses and gave it right back to him for that miss off a close look. Those are not easy. Clark had one he missed earlier in the game although that miss was off the dribble and a pull up to the side of the elbow. Bamgboye's shots were not close to going in. He and Fermin also made some poor passes. Those are the negatives but both Fermin and Bamgboye do quite a few things right. Fermin eats up space and Bamgboye is an imposing figure down there. They both give it there all.

Gopher+RamFan · Feb 20, 2025

RamDanFan said:
Pretty sure if you have the ball inside the circle there is no way you can have an offensive foul called on you. He just needs to then go low and give his defender a nice push with his upper body to clear some space, then right himself and then go up for the dunk.

This only applies to secondary defenders, to prevent them from sliding underneath the offensive player to draw a charge - doesn't apply to flagrant fouls. The primary defender can still draw a charge in the restricted area (and other offensive fouls). (Section 17, Article 7 of the 2024-2025 NCAA Rulebook).

duncanlamb · Feb 20, 2025

WillWeaverRVA said:
One of my complaints about Fermin has been that he's 6-10 but doesn't play like he's 6-10.

I'm 5'3 and play like I'm 5'6.