PRESS BOX: VCU Men’s basketball faces changes, must adapt

Bersabeh Kemaw, Staff Writer

The Rams are sitting at No. 8 in the Atlantic 10 conference, with a record of 10 wins and seven losses.

Considering all of the changes, adjustments and growth the team has had to experience in a matter of one season, I think this is a great place to start and build from.

With all these changes, it will be a process to find balance and team identity.

The skill set of the players and coaches is without a doubt there and it’s interesting to see because this is our first time as fans and viewers watching this team come together.

Most of these players have never played with one another before and there is a heavy freshmen presence on the team, which is another factor to keep in mind when watching the Rams. 

The change doesn’t stop there. This team is also being coached by an entirely different coach and new coaching staff.

It will naturally take time for them to find their groove as a team in comparison to a team that is mainly consisting of players who have competed together in prior seasons under the same coach and staff. 

The Rams have had standout players this season such as team captains: senior guard Max Shulga, graduate student forward Sean Bairstow and senior guard Zeb Jackson.

Shulga, who is one of the new players on the Rams, has had a good season so far.

He’s been a key player for the team and is averaging 15.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, according to ESPN.

Shulga has maintained consistency in his offensive performance this season.

Bairstow, also new to the team, is averaging 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, according to ESPN.

Both Shulga and Bairstow are in the 40% range from the field goal, which is great considering the fact that they’re guards.

Jackson, a returning member for the Rams, is averaging 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, which is a significant improvement from his averages last season, according to ESPN.

In addition to these three guards, the team also has sophomore forward Toibu “Tobi” Lawal, freshman guard Michael Belle, sophomore guard Jason Nelson and freshman guard Alphonzo “Fats” Billups III, to name a few.

Now, I think an important area of improvement for the team is toughness.

The Rams lack a bit of aggressiveness when it comes to winning close games. 

Great examples of this are their games against the University of Memphis and Norfolk State University.

In my opinion, they didn’t lose because they lacked the skill set or couldn’t perform, their loss came from their lack of grit and fight.

Another area of improvement is consistency.

In a post-game press conference after an upset by St. Bonaventure University, Zeb Jackson talked about the team’s lack of consistency in their performance on the court.

He also mentioned that the team is still trying to find their identity since they are a new team.

So far this season, the black and gold have not lost by significant numbers. The games have mostly been relatively close games.

The Rams performance this season shows they’re close to finding their sweet spot and once they do, it’ll be easier for them to keep up their consistency throughout games.

Again, when it’s a new team coming together with a new overall organization, all we can do is give them time to adapt and get things set in motion.

Overall, I believe the Rams are playing as well as they can for now, but by next season, I think we’ll see growth in their performance on the court and in the A-10 for the better.