VCU men’s basketball makes first season appearance at the Black and Gold game

Alexis Washington, Contributing Writer 

Fans filled the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Oct. 14 to watch the Black and Gold game. This was the first appearance of the men’s basketball team this season with a new head coach and players.   

The Black and Gold game is a scrimmage held right before the season starts. The men’s basketball team was divided into two teams, Team Black vs. Team White, based on their jersey colors.

Basketball season starts Oct. 28, and VCU fans got a sneak peek of what to expect for this upcoming season. The Peppas, Rodney the Ram and cheerleaders were all in attendance.   

“We love it here,” said men’s basketball coach Ryan Odom.“Our fans were awesome today.”

Former head coach Mike Rhoades transferred to Penn State this year. Rhoades took contributing players like guard Adrian “Ace” Baldwin Jr. and guard Nick Kern Jr. to play for him, according to All Penn State Fan Nation.   

Other players who have transferred include forward Jalen DeLoach, who plays for the University of Georgia, guard Jayden Nunn, who is at Baylor University, and forward Jamir Watkins, who is now at Florida State University.    

Saturday evening, the men’s basketball team played an intrasquad scrimmage with four quarters of six minutes each.

The basketball team this season only has 12 players with few subs, which intentionally makes the game difficult to play, according to Odom.

The Black team had all newcomers like sophomore guard Jason Nelson, graduate guard and forward Sean Bairstow and senior guard Joe Bamisile. 

The newcomers showed out with 41 points combined and won the game 58-56. 

Bamisile, who is a transfer from the University of Oklahoma, was a leader on the court with 17 points, three rebounds and four assists. 

He showed his dominance throughout the game by constantly shooting behind the arc. 

“Joe can score, that’s one of the reasons he’s here, right?” Odom said. “We’ve seen it in practice, you know, a bunch already.”

Nelson is also a guard and made his appearance with 11 points, one rebound and two assists. He took charge of the ball by making tough shots. 

Nelson was ranked fifth among Atlantic 10 freshmen in points per game and assists per game last season with the University of Richmond, according to University of Richmond Athletics.

 “Jay Nel really handled the ball great,” Odom said. “He did an awesome job.”

Another key player who stood out during the game was Bairstow with 13 points, one rebound and five assists. Bairstow is a transfer from Utah State University. 

He averaged 10.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last season, according to Utah athletics. Bairstow is 6 feet, 8 inches tall and brings height with the ability to rebound. 

Length and height are things Odom always emphasizes. VCU has certain guys who are considered crash guys, and other guys who are tasked with hitting offensive glass and back guys who protect the basket, according to Odom.    

Senior guard Max Shulga played with Bairstow at Utah State, according to Odom. Shulga played for Team White during the game and had 15 points, three rebounds and four assists.

“Max and Sean, you know, they’re used to playing together all the time,” Odom said during a press conference. “They’re both good players.” 

Odom was impressed with the team’s willingness to learn, listen and give all they have for their teammates, he said.

“I feel like everybody’s done a great job of working well with one another and getting to know one another,” Odom said.

Odom said he was also pleased with his team’s performance even though it was a scrimmage.

“I was really proud of all the guys, you know, they were competitive,” Odom said. “This wasn’t an all-star game; they were trying to win.”

VCU will make their debut and face off Mars Hill at the Siegel Center Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.