Reckless abandon: Rams winning with defense alone
The old saying is that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. For VCU however, that formula has flipped – a team that has made an identity with its offensive aggressiveness is finding a way to win games with defense alone.
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Quinn Casteel
Assistant Sports Editor
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The old saying is that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. For VCU however, that formula has flipped – a team that has made an identity with its offensive aggressiveness is finding a way to win games with defense alone.
The Rams shot 36 percent from the field last Thursday against James Madison but won the game by 20 points because they held the Dukes to just 45 points on 17 made field goals. Then again on Saturday at Delaware, VCU held the Blue Hens without a point for the first nine minutes of the first half and would allow them to score just 55 on the afternoon.
“We’ve got a real good group of guys in terms of buying into the plan and the scouting report, but we are human,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “There’s a great deal of frustration that comes out from not making as many shots, but our guys do a good job of controlling the things that they control.”
Smart used Rob Brandenberg as an example of someone who is focusing on only the things he can control. Offensively, Brandenberg is in the midst of a dreadful sophomore slump after a breakout freshman season. On the season, he is shooting just 31 percent from the field and 29 percent from three-point range. But Smart, as well as Brandenberg’s teammates, have continued to show confidence in him and the results are beginning to show – particularly in areas other than scoring.
Against Delaware, Smart had Brandenberg man-up on the Blue Hens’ top scorer, Devon Saddler, who Smart said is one of the top five players in the CAA in his opinion. Brandenberg held Saddler to 3-of-19 shooting with just 10 points and one assist.
“What we tried to do in the Delaware game was shift his mindset from offense to defense,” Smart said. “I was really proud that he did that.”
The recent shooting woes for VCU do not start and end with Brandenberg, but like him, other players struggling with their shots are finding other ways to help the team win. Troy Daniels went 0-for-7 against Delaware and missed all five of his 3-pointers, but he was still a factor in the game. Daniels is primarily a spot-up shooter with good but not great defensive ability, but he pulled down a career-high nine rebounds despite going scoreless.
Bradford Burgess had a similar performance on Jan. 12 against James Madison when he was 3-of-12 shooting the ball, but pulled down 12 rebounds in a win.
“We’re a lot more athletic than we have been in years past, and we’re a bigger team,” Burgess said. “It shows out there on the court – interior defense, perimeter defense – these guys are better all-around.”
A lot of talk has been made of freshman Briante Weber, who at one point led the nation in steal percentage (number of steals per minutes played), but DJ Haley has emerged as a defensive sparkplug as well. Being a 7-footer, Haley enforces his presence in obviously different ways than Weber, but Smart said that the two of them provide more energy to their teammates than anyone else on the roster.
“Briante’s definitely known for his defense, but I try to get people hyped up and bring positive energy as well,” Haley said. “That was definitely my goal (against Delaware) so I guess I’m in that role.”
For Haley and Weber, defense is the primary aspect of their game. But the fact that Brandenberg, Burgess and Daniels are playing with such force shows that they are willing to do anything to win games.
However, if the Rams want to go from winning games back to winning CAA championships, the offense will have to find its rhythm once again.