Ram in Action: Korey Billbury

Zach Joachim, Contributing writer

The 2015-16 season has been a roller coaster ride for the 17-7 men’s basketball team. A 5-5 out-of-conference start, in which the Rams failed to gain a signature win, had skeptics buzzing and all of Broad Street fretting.

Then came the streak; 12 wins in a row dating from Dec. 22 to Feb. 6 quieted the naysayers and placed VCU firmly atop the Atlantic Ten standings. Senior guard Korey Billbury spoke about the challenges of staying focused during the run.

“I call them blind wins,” Billbury said. “It just becomes easy to overlook the little things during a win streak. That’s what coach Wade would harp on even after those big wins.”

Watching this team during the streak, one could not help but notice the special chemistry they have acquired in such a short time. Billbury, who describes himself as a collected guy who doesn’t get angry easily, said that this collective mentality has been a huge part of the recent success.

“Everybody has pretty much a similar personality and background,” Billbury said. “Being around this team lifts my spirits up.”

Recent losses at the hands of George Washington University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have brought the Rams back down to Earth.

“The little things that got covered up during the win streak came out the past two games,” Billbury said. “Against GW, we played good defense in the first half, then struggled in the second. Then we flipped the problem at UMASS. We played good D in the second but not the first. We’ve just got to put two good halves of defense together, and we’ll be alright.”

VCU now finds itself in a dog fight atop the A-10. The top four seeds will gain a double-bye in the conference tournament and seven teams with winning records now vie for those spots; Dayton University, St. Josephs University, St. Bonaventure University, GW, Davidson University, Rhode Island University and VCU.

The senior is averaging 11 points and five rebounds per game. His production has stalled after his 20 point performance in the road win against Richmond on Jan 16, but he did find his groove in the loss against UMASS as he poured in 15 points.   

Billbury acknowledges that the team understands the urgency needed to finish conference play strong in order to put themselves in a good situation come tournament time.

“We’ve got to be more urgent,” Bilbury said. “We’ve got to pay attention to detail, play inside out, and rely on each other to carry out the plan coach Wade has laid out for us.”

A three-game home-stand after the UMASS loss could be just what the doctor ordered.

“Winning is contagious,” Billbury said. “Problem is, losing can be the same way.”