Press Box: A sneak peek into VCU basketball’s new season

The men’s and women’s basketball teams are coming back from a highly successful 2023-2024 season. 

As the Rams gear up for another exciting season, The CT Sports staff shares their insights on both teams.  

Men’s Basketball:

Bersabeh Kemaw, Staff Writer

The VCU men’s basketball team ended their 2023-2024 season No. 5 in the Atlantic 10 conference with a 24-14 overall record.

Preseason polls have the Rams projected as the conference favorites for the 2024-2025 season, according to Atlantic 10.

A few Rams such as forward Tobi Lawal, guard Jason Nelson and center Roosevelt Wheeler entered the transfer portal and created holes in the team that were filled quickly by head coach Ryan Odom.

The team added new players including first-year guards Brandon Jennings and Terrence Hill Jr., first-year forward Luke Bamgboye, first-year forward and guard Martin Carrere, graduate student guard Phillip Russell and graduate student forward Jack Clark, according to VCU Athletics.

This season for the Rams will be a successful one. They have new and seasoned players who bring different talents to the offense and defense and a coaching staff that knows what they’re doing.

Graduate student guard and familiar face Zeb Jackson is returning for the season. He averaged career-highs of 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, according to VCU Athletics.

Another notable player returning is fourth-year guard Max Shulga.

Shulga had a standout season averaging a team-high 14 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, according to VCU Athletics.

He made the 2024 First Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference and NABC All-District 4 First Team and played a high of 1,212 minutes, making history as the fifth Ram to do so in one season, according to VCU Athletics.

The Rams made it far last season with an almost entirely new team, so this year, with the continued chemistry, they should be able to go all the way to the A-10 Championship.

VCU will play against Bellarmine Knights at the Siegel Center on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.

Women’s Basketball:

Alexis Washington, Contributing Writer 

The VCU women’s basketball team is coming off an amazing 2023-2024 season. The team finished 26-6 overall, only losing one home game.

VCU lost a heavy hitter this season, fourth-year guard Sarah Te-Biasu, and the team will have to fill that offensive role. Te-Biasu was a beast on the court during her last season.

Te-Biasu was the Atlantic-10 Player of the Year and VCU’s first conference player since 2003-2004, according to VCU Athletics. She averaged 16 points per game and 2.8 assists.

Her dominance on the court will be missed, but the show must go on. 

Graduate student forward Mykel Parham is a veteran on the team. She is a big body on the court and leads the team in rebounds. 

Another leader on the team is third-year guard Timaya Lewis-Eutsey. She averaged 12.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season, according to VCU Athletics.  

Parham and Lewis-Eutsey’s leadership and experience will help the newcomers on the roster. 

There are three new additions to the team — first-year guard Cyriah Griffin, third-year guard Alexis Black and first-year forward Isabel Whitelaw. 

Griffin will be a threat on offense. She averaged 19 points during her junior year in high school and led her team to a VHSL Class 5 State Championship as a freshman.

Black is a transfer from Appalachian State where she averaged 9.5 points. 

Whitelaw played overseas in Australia and was selected as a Victoria National Performance Player, according to VCU Athletics. 

With the right balance of rookies and veterans, the VCU women’s basketball team will advance to the Atlantic-10 tournament.

VCU will play against Maryland Eastern Shore at the Siegel Center on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.