VCU basketball managers win national title
VCU has once again made a magical run in March — this time resulting in a national title.
The managers of the VCU men’s basketball team danced all the way to the National Championship of the Manager Games in San Antonio, an annual tournament for collegiate support staff held in conjunction with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
VCU played Texas twice in the championship round. The managers from Austin — who in the regular season work for former Rams coach Shaka Smart — pulled out the first game 37-36. Because of time restrictions, the sides played a three-minute game for the championship — they tied 7-7, prompting a sudden death, next-basket-wins showdown. VCU’s Lamont Moore procured a steal and drew a foul on the fast break. Moore made the free throw, handing the Black and Gold its first Manager Games championship in dramatic style.
“We got stops. We knew Texas was tired and turned up the pressure,” said senior criminal justice major Chris Gaines. “Their main players had played a lot that day so we just kept throwing people at them.”
The competition was open to all staff except head coaches. Joey Rodriguez, a hero during the Rams’ 2011 Final Four run and now the team’s director of player development, led the VCU managers in scoring during the championship round. Rodriguez was matched up in the last three games against his former Broad Street backcourt mate Darius Theus — now part of Smart’s staff.
“The last game was stressful,” Gaines said. “The second that Lamont made the free throw, it was an amazing moment. We said at the beginning of the season it was going to be championship or bust. It was cool to actually win it all.”
Gaines said the run has been years in the making.
“Our first game was three years ago. We spend every day together — it’s a real close group, even though we’ve only known each other a couple years,” Gaines said.
Gaines’s success on the basketball court runs in the family. His mother, Ellen Corum Gaines, played on the VCU women’s team and graduated in 1985. Gaines is from Warsaw, where his mother teaches and coaches at Rappahannock High School.
Managers from 172 Division 1 schools competed in 387 games during this year’s regular season. VCU went 7-1, including wins over Texas, Rhode Island, Seton Hall and Old Dominion. The Black and Gold’s only loss was Jan. 26, when a game-winning three as time expired lifted George Mason to an 85-83 victory.
Head coach Tyrone Green, a junior sociology major, said the team’s success stems from its chemistry and the players’ understanding of one another. Most members played at the high school level.
“Really, it’s all our players,” Green said. “They show up to the game and know what do with me just saying, ‘Fellas, you already know what to do.’”
VCU earned a No. 2 seed in the 64-team tournament, opening against a No. 15 seed, the College of Charleston en route to its deepest run in the tournament. The Rams exited in the round of 32 and Sweet 16 the last two years.
“We decided about a year ago we wanted to get better and go further in this tournament than we ever had,” Gaines said. “And here we are.”
Teams have the option of playing every opponent in person. But because of travel expenses, most matchups are determined on a 50-50 basis by two factors: the expected score at a neutral site based on projections derived from live play and fan voting using Twitter polls. VCU is ranked No. 14 nationally in the KPI (Key Performance Indicator) Manager Game Rankings.
The Black and Gold defeated Charleston in the opening round before ousting Fordham in the round of 32 and James Madison in the Sweet 16, all in online competition.
Due to travel constraints, only five teams — Texas, Michigan, Missouri State, Wisconsin and VCU — made the trip to San Antonio for the Elite Eight, setting up a double-elimination format. VCU defeated Wisconsin 40-33 Friday in the quarterfinal round, earning a spot in the winner’s bracket semifinal.
The Black and Gold defeated Texas early Friday evening in the semifinal. Texas then defeated Missouri State in the loser’s bracket, setting up a championship round in which the Longhorns had to beat the undefeated Rams twice.
The team started a GoFundMe to finance its trip to San Antonio for the conclusion of the tournament. Just five days in, VCU had raised $2,200, exceeding its initial goal of $2,000. Green said his team owes everything to its supportive fan base.
“The fans are the best. Without them, we wouldn’t be down here competing for a championship,” Green said. “They always ask how we do and cheer us on. We appreciate them so much.”
Zach Joachim, Sports Editor
