Lead the way: Rodriguez leads Rams, both team and university

Adam Stern
Sports Editor
Commonwealth Times Sports’ Twitter

Be a great leader.

While senior point guard Joey Rodriguez led VCU to the previously unseen serenity of the Final Four this past month he told reporters that, throughout the entire journey, being a great leader was the only thing on his mind.

And here he was: bruised, battled — brilliant — leading VCU’s wounded yet wonderful warriors one last time.

As VCU walked off the court following the Rams’ heart-wrenching, gut-busting – fairytale ending– 70-62 loss to Butler, Rodriguez did not simply walk off the court.

He led his team off the court.

He led them past the throngs of black and yellow clad fans, the same kids who had travelled hundreds upon hundreds of miles, merely to get a chance to be a part of the most exciting thing that’s likely ever happened to this recently reunified university.

And the players did not just acknowledge them. They touched them; they felt them.

With Rodriguez at the forefront, the players clasped hands with their adoring fans, letting them know they didn’t just understand their pain, they felt it.

And then they disappeared. Into the locker room they went; for VCU’s four seniors, there will not be reappearance, no curtain call.

Through the rough times, there will be reflection. Oh yes, there will be plenty of time for that.

But also, through the contemplation, there will be celebration. Oh yes, there will so much of that.

Here we had a group of young men that became utterly obsessed with making their whole greater than any sum of the parts.

And they did.

Here we had a group of young men that realized their team had somehow morphed into the epitome of their school, and were determined to let that light shine through.

And they did.

Here we had a group of young men that – be it through social media or merely walking around campus – realized they were the face of their university’s thousands of
students, and they were intent on making those students proud.

And they did.

Through losing, winning somehow emerges. Through sadness comes happiness.

Through the darkness comes light.

And it has.

A big, bright – beautiful – light is shining over this university that proved over the past month, not to the region or state but the entire nation, how special a place VCU is.

It’s a place to become a part of something bigger than most students are used to. It’s a place to become a part of something more special than most students have experienced.

It’s a place to feel alive.

So as Rodriguez leads his way into his new life, with professional basketball no longer just a pipe-dream but now a probable destination – VCU fans should feel good about themselves and this place they are a part of.

They should feel good to have been on the rollercoaster ride of a lifetime, although doubting VCU to get back would be folly. They should feel good that they were a part of this; this stranger-than-fiction, fairy-tale run that somehow managed to play itself out in real life.

The way VCU’s run in the NCAA tournament started was a dream come true. Equally so, the way VCU’s run in the NCAA tournament ended was devastating.

But be proud, today and any day, if you are a VCU Ram.

Be a great leader.

—
Ryan Nobles’ photos of VCU vs. Butler