VCU’s new flagbearer: Phil Martelli Jr.
New VCU head coach Phil Martelli jr. speaks at an introductory conference at the Siegel Center. Photo by Arrick Wilson.
Marcus Leary, Contributing Writer
Alexis Washington, Staff Writer
VCU named Phil Martelli Jr. their 14th men’s basketball head coach. The university formally introduced Martelli in a press conference on March 27.
Martelli previously coached at Bryant University for seven years, two of which as their head coach.
VCU athletic director Ed McLaughlin spoke before Martelli about the criteria he uses to hire head coaches. McLaughlin said he wants coaches who have coached at the highest level and have championship experience.
“To be here at VCU, you have to know what it’s like to be a champion because that’s what we are,” McLaughlin said.
Martelli meets both of those criteria. This past season at Bryant, he led the Bulldogs to an America East Conference championship and a March Madness berth.
Prior to his time at Bryant, he spent a season coaching in the NBA G-League with the then-Philadelphia 87ers, according to the VCU press release.
Martelli opened his speech by thanking the people at Bryant, claiming there’s no chance he’d be at VCU if it weren’t for them.
He said he has always wanted to be a Division I head coach ever since he was 12 years old.
“I have dreamt big dreams. I don’t know if I’ve ever dreamed this big at a place like VCU,” Martelli said.
Martelli said his coaching style is fast-paced basketball — keep the ball on the floor and keep flowing.
“I don’t want guys to stop and I say this a lot, ‘I don’t want to get hoopers and turn them into robots,’” Martelli said. “I want to get hoopers and let them hoop.”
VCU fans can expect a more defensive style of basketball that involves getting stops and rebounds rather than stopping putting the ball to your hip, according to Martelli.
He said he also takes pride in building genuine relationships with the players on the team and that started the moment he stepped off the plane with a team dinner.
“I’m not caring about the number on the jersey, I got to care about that person,” Martelli said.
Taking on any new position is not easy. Martelli said he plans on reaching out to prior VCU coaches like Shaka Smart and Anthony Grant for their input.
Phil Martelli Sr. is another figure in Martelli’s life who is going to help in navigating this new position either on or behind the scenes.
Martelli’s dad is one of the best coaches to ever coach college basketball. He is ranked in the most A-10 conference wins for any coach and ranks second all-time in the league, according to Saint Joseph’s Hawks Athletics.
Throughout the press conference, Martelli consistently highlighted the word legacy.
“You look around at all those banners, you see the trophies, and you recognize upholding a long-standing legacy,” Martelli said. “It’s a legacy winning on the court and changing lives off of it.”
