Men’s basketball ushers in era of Theus-led backcourt
With the graduation of Joey Rodriguez, Darius Theus steps into point guard position.
In his two years at VCU, Theus has accumulated 215 points, 123 assists and 81 steals.
Jim Swing
Sports Editor
Commonwealth Times’ Sports Twitter
When the VCU men’s basketball team lost its four seniors following its storybook run to the Final Four, there were a lot of voids left to fill.
Perhaps the biggest void was left at the point guard position, where former leader Joey Rodriguez ran shop the final two years of his illustrious career at VCU.
But now, a new era has been ushered in. You could call it “The Darius Theus Era.”
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard has been riding in the backseat for the better part of his first two years at VCU, and with the graduation of Rodriguez, it’s his time to step up.
“I think the moment Joey’s eligibility expired, Darius took a step forward because he knew he had to,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “I wish this wasn’t the case but I think in the back of his mind he always knew ‘We got Joey so I’m kind of playing my role as the backup.’ I think now with Joey moving on, he’s very highly motivated, he knows what he’s got to do and I think he also understands it’s all about making a team win not so much about your numbers.”
Theus showed loads of promise in the NCAA Tournament, especially when it mattered most.
When Rodriguez was in foul trouble in VCU’s down-to-the-wire overtime win over Florida State, Theus stepped in and posted eight points, six rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes on the floor.
But in reality, he had been the key behind-the-scenes guy all year. VCU was 5-0 in the regular season last year on nights when Theus had five or more assists.
“I think he also understands it’s all about making the team win and not so much about your numbers,” Smart said.
Theus’ strengths come in his quickness, which allows him to slash to the rim and make plays at the basket.
His weakness comes in perimeter shooting. Theus is 10-54 (18.5 percent) from beyond the arc in his career at VCU.
“He’s great at getting to the rim,” Smart said. “He’s very explosive, I think he made progress from his freshman and sophomore year on making decisions, now he’s got to step up in terms of making an outside shot and then just running the team.”
Note: We will be running a full story on Theus running the point guard position in a forthcoming issue.
