Benjamin Ashauer
Columnist
Commonwealth Times Sports’ Twitter
I remember heading up to the Siegel Center as a senior in high school in 2007, getting ready for VCU’s first basketball game of the season against Virginia Union University. My friends and I had always been Rams fans, but the beginning of the 2007-2008 season was a little more special than those of the past.
This was the first home game since Eric Maynor’s infamous “dagger” to beat Duke University in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Though they were not able to pull it out in the second round against Pittsburgh University, VCU seemed to unofficially become the “pro” basketball team of Richmond after that shot.
A lot of optimism surrounded the following season, since Maynor was returning for his junior year. But many of the best players had graduated, and new questions arose. Seven freshmen – six from Florida, one from Richmond – would have to carry a big load for the team. They did not participate in that magical game the year before, but they still carried all the pressure to bring VCU back to the big stage in the future.
That seemed like a lot more than four years ago. Out of those seven freshmen, only three were here for their senior year. Jamie Skeen joined the group of seniors as a transfer.
They were able to ride along with Maynor’s success until last season. Winning the College Basketball Invitational in the 2009-2010 season was nice, but it wasn’t up to VCU basketball standards following Maynor’s historic tenure at VCU.
Expectations weren’t especially high for the group of seniors this season. A preseason coaches’ poll expected a third-place finish in the CAA. The Rams collapsed to end the regular season and settled for fourth in the league. When VCU lost to Old Dominion the CAA championship, it seemed as if winning the lowly CBI would be the highlight of their VCU careers.
When they somehow received a spot in this year’s NCAA Tournament, it was almost like a new life, a new career and a new way to be remembered.
And they took advantage of it.
Joey Rodriguez, who was knocked for his height – or lack thereof – and his decision-making, became the leader of the team and was too fast for point guards from BCS conferences to handle. Brandon Rozzell, whose hand was hurt for the majority of the season, lit it up from behind the arc on a nearly constant basis. Jamie Skeen, whose friends and family were in disbelief over his decision to transfer from Wake Forest to VCU, was named the Southwest Regional MVP.
It’s safe to say this group of seniors found redemption. Instead of being remembered as the guys who could never relive the glory days of VCU, they rewrote their own history and took the entire university on a historic ride to the Final Four.
That’s the beauty of college basketball. New players arrive every year, hoping to make history in a positive way. If they can’t find success in four years, then too bad.
Not everyone is able to take advantage of a second chance, but this group did. And we students will never forget it.