2018–19 VCU Rams men's basketball team

The 2018–19 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams were led by Mike Rhoades in his second season as head coach at VCU. The Rams played their home games at Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 25-8, 16-2 in A-10 Play to finish in 1st place. In the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament, they were upset by Rhode Island. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to UCF.

2018–19 VCU Rams men's basketball
Atlantic 10 regular season champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record25–8 (16–2 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaStuart C. Siegel Center
Seasons
2018–19 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
VCU162 .889258 .758
Davidson144 .7782410 .706
Dayton135 .7222112 .636
St. Bonaventure126 .6671816 .529
George Mason117 .6111815 .545
Saint Louis108 .5562313 .639
Duquesne108 .5561913 .594
Rhode Island99 .5001815 .545
La Salle810 .4441021 .323
Saint Joseph's612 .3331419 .424
Richmond612 .3331320 .394
George Washington414 .222924 .273
Massachusetts414 .2221121 .344
Fordham315 .1671220 .375
2019 Atlantic 10 tournament winner

Background

The previous season was Mike Rhoades' first season as head coach. The Rams finished the 2017–18 season 18–15, 9–9 in A-10 play to finish tied for fifth place. VCU defeated Dayton in the A-10 Tournament to advance to the quarterfinals, where they lost to Rhode Island. The Rams, for the first time since 2010 failed to earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament or NIT. The Rams had been invited to play in the CBI and CIT tournaments, but declined. It was the first time since 2006 the Rams failed to have a 20-win season, and the first time since that same year the Rams did not play in a postseason tournament.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Justin Tillman4F6'7"220SeniorDetroit, MichiganGraduated
Jonathan Williams10G6'1"200SeniorRichmond, VirginiaGraduated
Khris Lane21G6'7"245RS SeniorRichmond, VirginiaGraduated
Tyler Maye25G6'1"175FreshmanFarmville, North CarolinaTransferred to Southeastern CC
Lewis Djonkam22F6'9"245FreshmanSpringfield, VirginiaTransferred to Radford

Transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Marcus Evans2G6'2"195JuniorChesapeake, VirginiaTransferred from Rice.[1]
Corey Douglas Jr.4F6'8"215RS SophomoreLouisville, KentuckyTransferred from Tallahassee Community College.[2]
Michael Gillmore22F6'10"210RS SeniorJacksonville, FloridaTransferred from Florida Gulf Coast.[3]

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
P. J. Byrd
PG
Houston, TXGeorge Bush High School6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)169 lb (77 kg)Sep 6, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
KeShawn Curry
SG
Jacksonville, FLFork Union Military Academy6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg)Oct 2, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
Vince Williams Jr.
SF
Toledo, OHSt. John's Jesuit6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)204 lb (93 kg)Oct 4, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "VCU 2018 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 13, 2018.

Honors and awards

Preseason Awards

Street & Smith's[4]

  • All-Newcomer - Marcus Evans
  • All-Sharpshooter - De'Riante Jenkins

Athlon Sports[5]

  • All-Atlantic 10 First Team - Marcus Evans

Roster

2018–19 VCU Rams men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G0De'Riante Jenkins6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg)JrHargrave Military AcademyEutawville, South Carolina
G/F1Mike'L Simms6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg)RS JrCowley Community CollegeRichmond, Virginia
G2Marcus Evans6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg)RS JrRiceChesapeake, Virginia
F4Corey Douglas Jr.6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)215 lb (98 kg)RS SoBallard (Louisville)
Tallahassee Community College
Louisville, Kentucky
F5Sean Mobley6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg)SoMontverde AcademyMelbourne, Florida
G/F10Vince Williams Jr.6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg)FrSt. John's JesuitToledo, Ohio
G11KeShawn Curry6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)175 lb (79 kg)FrFork Union Military AcademyJacksonville, Florida
G12Dylan Sheehy-Guiseppi (W)6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)195 lb (88 kg)SoSt. Francis PrepLake Havasu City, Arizona
G13Malik Crowfield6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg)JrRiverside AcademyLaPlace, Louisiana
F14Marcus Santos-Silva6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)250 lb (113 kg)SoVermont AcademyTaunton, Massachusetts
G15Xavier Jackson6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg)SrSheridan CollegeHinesville, Georgia
F22Michael Gillmore6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)210 lb (95 kg)RS SrFlorida Gulf CoastJacksonville, Florida
F23Issac Vann6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg)RS JrMaineBridgeport, Connecticut
G24P. J. Byrd6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg)FrGeorge Bush High SchoolHouston, Texas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Preseason

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2018*
7:00 pm
Virginia–WiseW 87–41 
 15  Curry  10  Tied  4  Jenkins Siegel Center (5,040)
Richmond, VA
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018*
7:00 pm, MASN
Gardner–WebbW 69–57 1–0
 16  Vann  8  Vann  4  Byrd Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
November 9, 2018*
7:00 pm, MASN
Hampton
Legends Classic campus-site game
W 69–57 2–0
 16  Santos-Silva  7  Gilmore  3  Tied Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
November 12, 2018*
7:00 pm, MASN
Bowling Green
Legends Classic campus-site game
W 72–61 3–0
 12  Williams  9  Douglas  3  Evans Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
November 19, 2018*
9:30 pm, ESPN3
vs. Temple
Legends Classic semifinals
W 57–51 4–0
 21  Evans  7  Mobley  3  Simms Barclays Center (5,967)
Brooklyn, NY
November 20, 2018*
7:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. St. John's
Legends Classic championship
L 86–87 OT4–1
 30  Vann  12  Santos-Silva  5  Vann Barclays Center (5,453)
Brooklyn, NY
November 24, 2018*
7:00 pm, MASN
Hofstra
A10–CAA Challenge
W 69–67 OT5–1
 19  Jenkins  8  Tied  5  Evans Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
November 28, 2018*
7:00 pm, MASN
at Old Dominion
Rivalry
L 52–62 5–2
 14  Evans  7  Santos-Silva  3  Jenkins Ted Constant Center (8,172)
Norfolk, VA
December 1, 2018*
7:00 pm, MASN
IonaW 88–59 6–2
 19  Evans  9  Santos-Silva  3  Tied Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
December 5, 2018*
8:00 pm, ESPNU
at TexasW 54–53 7–2
 16  Evans  16  Santos-Silva  3  Evans Frank Erwin Center (8,190)
Austin, TX
December 9, 2018*
1:30 pm, ACCRSN
at No. 4 VirginiaL 49–57 7–3
 10  Vann  10  Santos-Silva  3  Vann John Paul Jones Arena (13,648)
Charlottesville, VA
December 15, 2018*
4:00 pm, NBCSN
CharlestonL 79–83 7–4
 23  Jenkins  12  Santos-Silva  4  Vann Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
December 22, 2018*
4:00 pm, ESPN2
Wichita StateW 70–54 8–4
 18  Vann  6  Jenkins  5  Evans Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
December 30, 2018*
2:00 pm, MASN
RiderW 90–79 9–4
 15  Simms  6  Douglas  6  Jenkins Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Atlantic 10 regular season
January 5, 2019
2:00 pm, WTVR
at FordhamW 76–51 10–4
(1–0)
 17  Evans  4   Tied  3   Tied Rose Hill Gymnasium (1,723)
Bronx, NY
January 9, 2019
7:00 pm, MASN
La SalleW 69–63 11–4
(2–0)
 15  Jenkins  8  Evans  3  Crowfield Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
January 12, 2019
2:00 pm, CBSSN
at DavidsonL 57–64 11–5
(2–1)
 16  Evans  7  Evans  2  Evans John M. Belk Arena (4,556)
Davidson, NC
January 16, 2019
8:00 pm, CBSSN
DaytonW 76–71 12–5
(3–1)
 17  Evans  7  Jenkins  4  Vann Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
January 19, 2019
6:30 pm, NBCSN
UMassW 68–50 13–5
(4–1)
 17  Jenkins  7  Jenkins  6  Evans Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
January 23, 2019
7:00 pm, CBSSN
at Rhode IslandL 65–71 13–6
(4–2)
 17  Santos-Silva  7  Santos-Silva  6  Evans Ryan Center (5,874)
Kingston, RI
January 26, 2019
2:00 pm, MASN
at DuquesneW 80–74 14–6
(5–2)
 22  Evans  12  Santos-Silva  4  Vann Palumbo Center (3,706)
Pittsburgh, PA
February 2, 2019
6:30 pm, NBCSN
George Mason
Rivalry
W 79–63 15–6
(6–2)
 21  Vann  7  Jenkins  5  Evans Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 6, 2019
7:00 pm, MASN
at George WashingtonW 60–50 16–6
(7–2)
 14  Jenkins  11  Santos-Silva  4  Evans Charles E. Smith Center (2,959)
Washington, D.C.
February 9, 2019
2:00 pm, CBSSN
at St. BonaventureW 85–55 17–6
(8–2)
 12  Mobley  9  Gilmore  4  Evans Reilly Center (5,382)
Olean, NY
February 13, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPNU
Richmond
Capital City Classic
W 80–61 18–6
(9–2)
 16  Tied  9  Douglas  5  Evans Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 16, 2019
4:00 pm, NBCSN
at DaytonW 69–68 19–6
(10–2)
 19  Jenkins  6  Evans  4  Vann UD Arena (13,147)
Dayton, OH
February 19, 2019
8:00 pm, CBSSN
Rhode IslandW 76–42 20–6
(11–2)
 19  Santos-Silva  12  Santos-Silva  9  Evans Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 23, 2019
2:00 pm, WTVR
George WashingtonW 85–57 21–6
(12–2)
 25  Evans  7  Santos-Silva  4  Jenkins Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
February 26, 2019
7:30 pm, CBSSN
Saint LouisW 71–65 22–6
(13–2)
 20  Evans  5  Williams  4  Tied Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
March 2, 2019
4:00 pm, CBBSN
at Richmond
Capital City Classic
W 69–66 23–6
(14–2)
 15  Evans  6  Evans  5  Evans Robins Center (7,201)
Richmond, VA
March 5, 2019
7:30 pm, Stadium
at George Mason
Rivalry
W 71–36 24–6
(15–2)
 13  Evans  9  Santos-Silva  2  Evans EagleBank Arena (6,177)
Fairfax, VA
March 8, 2019
9:00 pm, ESPN2
Saint Joseph'sW 75–63 25–6
(16–2)
 23  Evans  9  Santos-Silva  4  Tied Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Atlantic 10 tournament
March 15, 2019
12:00 pm, NBCSN
(1) vs. (8) Rhode Island
Quarterfinals
L 70–75 25–7
 26  Santos-Silva  22  Santos-Silva  5  Jenkins Barclays Center (7,194)
Brooklyn, NY
NCAA tournament
March 22, 2019
9:40 pm, CBS
(8 E) vs. (9 E) UCF
First Round
L 58–73 25–8
 11  Crowfield  6  Evans  2  Vann Colonial Life Arena (16,219)
Columbia, SC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References