Saturday night was a disappointment for me. Not because VCU lost to Pittsburgh, but because the season finally ended. The loss to the Panthers was not unexpected. The Panthers, ranked 13th in the country by the Associated Press, have very talented guards and a towering 7-foot center in Aaron Gray. When Ronald Ramon hit a 3-pointer from the corner to make the score 78-71 in overtime, my stomach knotted up.
Despite many obstacles, this year’s men’s basketball team was special. Seniors Nick George and Alex Harper graduated. Coach Jeff Capel left to fill the same position at Oklahoma. Big men Eric Davis and Sam Faulk were dismissed from the team at early junctures of the season. Topping it all off, the Rams were picked to finish sixth in the CAA this season.
In response, Eric Maynor (Fayetteville,N.C./Westover), B.A. Walker (Onancock, Va./Nandua), and Jesse Pellot-Rosa (Richmond, Va./George Wythe) picked up the scoring. New head coach Anthony Grant stepped in seamlessly. Wil Fameni (Douala, Cameroon/Amelia Academy) and Michael Anderson (Virginia Beach, Va./Landstown) filled in the middle. Topping it all off, the Rams won the CAA regular season and tournament titles. VCU set conference (16) and school (28) records for wins in a season.
I couldn’t watch CBS on Selection Sunday to find out who, where, and when VCU was playing in the tournament, as I was busy touring Washington D.C. When my dad called me to tell me the first round opponent was Duke, I instantly became excited. Duke was the perfect match for VCU. While Josh McRoberts would be a force inside, Maynor, Walker and Pellot-Rosa were perfect foils for the slow and un-athletic Blue Devil guards. Strangely enough, that’s exactly how it turned out, with Maynor beating Duke’s Jon Scheyer for the game’s final basket.
The game with Pittsburgh scared me. As I stated earlier, Pittsburgh had the one thing that VCU hadn’t seen all season and couldn’t replicate in practice: a talented 7-foot big man. Aaron Gray. Gray’s 14 points and eight rebounds don’t seem like much. But the five assists he dished out to open teammates because of double teams were more than timely. At the end of the day it was Pittsburgh’s guards who led the Panthers to the 84-79 win, but Gray who caused the problems.
The loss was a heartbreaker, but proved what the Rams are capable of and paved the path to future success. While coach Grant led his team to the most successful season in school history, the seniors walked off the court the same way they did their freshman year: With NCAA tournament experience. Despite the loss, it’s hard not to smile and ask – will we do it again next season?