VCU gets back on track with win over James Madison
The VCU men’s basketball team had to find a way to put a rare two-game losing streak behind them and get back on the right track.
Jim Swing
Sports Editor
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GAME STORY
The VCU men’s basketball team had to find a way to put a rare two-game losing streak behind them and get back on the right track. A late Sunday night loss at Drexel made for a long week of practice to focus on a litany of mistakes, many on defense – a week spot in the Rams’ two-game slide.
Monday, Day 1: Entire practice spent on defense. “How much time was it?” head coach Shaka Smart asked rhetorically. “Well, it was a long time.”
Tuesday, Day 2: Approximately 75 percent of practice spent on defending.
Wednesday, Day 3: Shorter practice spent mostly on conference foe James Madison, which VCU would face just one day later.
In the past two games the Rams’ full-court press looked out of character and their offense had trouble getting in sync against Georgia State and Drexel.
Three days of knockdown, drag-out practice was just what the doctor ordered for a renewed VCU team (12-5, 3-2), which got back on track with a 65-45 against JMU(8-8, 1-4) Thursday night.
“The last few games we haven’t been pressing teams like we usually do in the press or in the halfcourt,” said senior forward Bradford Burgess. “After the Drexel loss we regrouped, had a couple practices, focused mainly on defense and we wanted to show that we were really back on the right track tonight.”
The Rams battered and bruised JMU on defense, causing 14 turnovers after forcing just 24 over the last two games. VCU’s full-court pressure got back in form by confusing the Dukes, trapping them in the corner and powered misguided passes. It wore the opposition down and even forced JMU senior Humpty Hitchens to leave the game in the second half with cramps in his right leg.
“It was better,” Smart said. “We’ve still got a ways to go with it, but I think we did better.
“I did think that the press had a cumulative effect tonight and our style of play was able to wear them down a little but, I think they got tired.”
With Burgess in yet another shooting funk (3-of-11), freshman Treveon Graham stepped up and matched his career-high of 18 points. Graham – a 6-foot-5, 215-pound forward Smart recruited for his ability to drive inside and draw fouls – came as a surprise to JMU coach Matt Brady, who said he’d never seen him play before.
“He seems like a really good player,” Brady said. “He seems like a little version of Brad Burgess.”
Since joining VCU, Graham has rested under the wing of a similar – yet seasoned veteran – player in Burgess. Both big, athletic guard/forward combos who thrive on penetrating the lane and getting to the line all the while able to step back and drill an open jumper.
“He’s coming along great, he’ll have a great career here,” Burgess said. “He’ll just keep improving everyday and be one of the best players in VCU history when it’s all said and done.”
Graham’s third double-digit output of the season spoke to his ability to keep VCU afloat despite less-than stellar offensive numbers.
The Rams’ shot below 37 percent for the third straight game and turned the ball over 13 times, which helped the Dukes stay in the through the midway point of the second half. But a 16-2 run – fueled by nine points at the free throw line where VCU shot a miserable 9-of-20 the game before – iced the Rams’ third conference win.
Aggressive play and dominant rebounding built up 15 second chance points, which played a large part in helping VCU gain redemption in a sluggish offense. A 44-30 edge on the boards gives the Rams their eighth win of the season when outrebounding the opponent.
Thursday night’s win was all about reaching the common goal of getting back on the right path for a young VCU team not accustomed to losing streaks or even losing for that matter.
“We had some very, very tough practices coming into this game and I think our guys understood coming out of those practices we must move forward and get better,” Smart said. “And I thought we took a step tonight.