Weber adds special blend of swagger to Havoc
Briante Weber knows what it takes to wreak havoc. In fact, he’s been around it so much in his early years of playing basketball it’s been tattooed to his psyche.
Briante Weber's 17 steals in the first eight games are more than any other VCU player through their first 10 outings.
Jim Swing
Sports Editor
Commonwealth Times’ Sports Twitter
Briante Weber knows what it takes to wreak havoc. In fact, he’s been around it so much in his early years of playing basketball it’s been tattooed to his psyche.
“Growing up I was in a very defensive mindset organization. My rec teams – we full court pressed everywhere like wild animals,” VCU’s freshman guard said. “Everywhere we play – no structure, just out there trapping and pressing, trapping and pressing, layups, full court pressure.”
Perhaps Weber’s 6-foot-3-inch, 160-pound frame doesn’t exactly scream havoc. Maybe it’s his thick mohawk that sits above his wide eyes and gleaming smile that spells out the look of a madman. Just the type of madman capable of being the face of head coach Shaka Smart’s self-branded Havoc style of play.
After the graduation of four seniors that carried so much confidence and swagger that Smart claims “they thought they could beat the Lakers,” Weber couldn’t have joined VCU at a more opportune time.
“He came at the perfect time. Losing Brandon (Rozzell) and Joey (Rodriguez), we definitely lost the confidence and the swagger that we had in last year’s team,” Smart said. “Our returning guys are great guys, but they don’t have that.
“You don’t need everyone on your team to have it. You actually don’t want everyone on your team to have it, but Briante does, and that really helps our team.”
Before even taking a single dribble in front of an audience in Richmond, Weber’s high-octane energy was being preached with high regard. Now, eight games into the season, his spark and exuberance is as good as advertised.
If he’s not on the floor, he’ll likely attract your eyes to the bench where, sometimes he’s the only player standing on his feet, thumping his hands together and screaming at his teammates. That’s a rarity among freshman college basketball players, but would he let it stop him? Not a chance. Weber doesn’t see age as a difference on the court; he sees a responsibility to be a leader.
“If I did look at it like that, I’d probably would fall back into a place of a shell where most freshman do,” he said. “But I see myself as a leader, so I’ve been taking on that role quite a bit since I was younger.”
When deciding what college he would attend, Weber saw that VCU had four seniors about to graduate and knew he would be able to come in and contribute almost immediately. He wasn’t sure how quickly he’d be in the starting lineup, but just four games into the season, Weber’s name was called upon.
“I just came in with the mindset of ‘I’m going to play. I’m going to help this team any way I can,’” Weber said. “So that’s how I came in.”
And he was effective almost immediately. Just one game after his first start against Western Kentucky at the Charleston Classic, Weber turned around three nights later and torched the Hilltoppers for 13 points, four steals and five rebounds. At first, Smart was unsure just how effective Weber could be on the offensive end.
“I didn’t know exactly what he would do offensively when he got here,” Smart said. “But I knew defensively that he was going to be a pest.”
And a defensive pest Weber has been. The Chesapeake native’s 17 steals in his first eight games are more than any other VCU player through their first 10 outings.
“He’s a fearless player. He tries to do his best all the time,” senior Bradford Burgess said. “I just wish all our players played with that fearlessness all the time because he just goes out there. He doesn’t care; it’s almost reckless abandonment out there with him.”
Through eight games, Weber averages 6.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. He’s aggressive – sometimes too aggressive – with his hands, which cost him quick fouls that are a reminder he’s still just a freshman.
But the future is bright for the young star whose learning to mature on and off the court. When he’s away from the hardwood, he chooses his words with precision and walks around with large diamond-encrusted earrings in both ears – the kind of swagger only a Rozzell or Rodriguez could replicate. On the court he’s a walking, talking threat.
“If he continues to grow as a player,” Burgess said, “down the stretch he’s going to be a scary player to play against.”
Photos by Chris Conway
