Tell me all of your stories about the champion-caliber teams of the CAA. Talk to me about Hofstra’s Loren Stokes, Antoine Agudio and Carlos Rivera – the nation’s highest scoring back court (54.2 PPG in 2006-07). Go on about Drexel’s impressive wins at Villanova, Syracuse and Creighton. Elaborate on Old Dominion’s 12-game winning streak – tied for the fifth longest in Division I when it stood.
I’ll answer each of those with the same three letters: V-C-U.
The Rams have some evidence of their own in a record-setting 2006-07 season. They became the first team in CAA history to win 16 conference games, won the most games in school history with 27, had three all-conference guards (Eric Maynor, B.A. Walker and Jesse Pellot-Rosa), and Anthony Grant won conference Coach of the Year honors in his first season with VCU.
But there’s more to a true champion than just what’s in the statistical categories; this team will be the first to tell you that, just ask Walker: “There’s more than scoring.there’s other ways you can impact the game. You just stay together and believe in each other.”
VCU, the highest scoring team in the CAA, found those other ways against George Mason, the team that allowed the fewest points-per-game in the conference. The Rams are accustomed to scoring 21 points per game from three-point range. On Monday, they got just three on a lone trey from Maynor in the first half. A large portion of the scoring load shifted down low to Calvin Roland and Wil Fameni, who combined for 25 points and made up for production usually seen from Michael Anderson, who didn’t attempt a shot in the championship. The team became more aggressive, playing with more urgency down the stretch with several and-one opportunities and second-chance points, most notably Pellot-Rosa following his own missed three-point attempt with a layup.
Being forced away from their strengths didn’t take away this team’s will to win, something Grant was was noticeably proud of throughout the tournament. That is the primary of several “X-factors” that have allowed this edition of the Rams to be, and continue to be, so special. They continue to stay hungry and, according to Pellot-Rosa, the team is “not done yet.”
That will to win was set in motion before the season even began. Voting members of the CAA picked the Rams to finish sixth out of twelve teams, something that each man on the roster took offense to. These guys didn’t take that lightly, nor did they accept it to be an accurate assessment of their potential. Instead of seeing it from a perspective that sixth is better than seventh through twelfth, they decided as a team to set a goal that they would finish second to no one. That attitude drove both the experienced players and newcomers to not give up on any minute of any game, a fact that was never more evident than in Monday’s championship.
The Rams, despite garnering less attention from national media than ODU, Drexel and Hofstra, proved they are the best team in the conference. As if it wasn’t enough to pace all eleven foes for most of the season to claim the regular season crown, they showed more character than any other team in the tournament on their way to claiming the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament next week. Many said beforehand that, if VCU did not defeat GMU in Monday night’s finale, they would likely be excluded from the 65-team field. The Rams stayed hungry, played with passion and took care of their own business, taking away any chance to be overlooked for the big dance come selection time Sunday night.
Don’t overlook contributions from players like Matt Coward, T.J. Gwynn, Calvin Roland, Jamal Shuler, Franck Ndongo and James Eversley off the bench. They typically hold an advantage over bench players of their opponents and make VCU a deeper squad. Their performances were vital this past weekend and will be again when VCU plays again next week.
Give credit to Mason; they played with great intensity and enthusiasm for the fourth consecutive night, on what had to be pure adrenaline and exhausted legs. Their team leadership emerged when it counted to and gave us glimpses of how they looked during last year’s Final Four run. That was until Maynor, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, decided he really wasn’t prepared to lose the game and put the Rams on his back with about two minutes remaining.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, that final loss dashed any hopes of another at-large NCAA bid for them. They should certainly be good for an NIT appearance; if for nothing else, it would be good for television ratings. GMU has displayed that they can beat teams in the month of March, which is a major factor when selecting teams for either tournament.
So what does a true champion really look like? Well, they’ve been playing at the Siegel Center since November. Get your rally towel, Gold Out shirt, Sixth Man shirt and jersey together for a March run. Because, as coach Grant said, “this team is special.” They’re not Gonzaga or the next George Mason. They’re the VCU Rams, a team ready to make its own mark on March Madness.