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PHOTOS & GAME SUMMARY: Rams Win Atlantic 10 Championship

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Official VCU Game Summary

Score: No. 1 VCU 68, No. 2 Dayton 56
Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. (Barclays Center)
Records: VCU 27-7, Dayton 22-12
Schedule Note:: Atlantic 10 Championship

The short story: VCU trailed Dayton by as many as 11 points early in the second half before the Rams went on a 19-6 run and retook the lead at 49-47 on a Jalen DeLoach dunk with 11:09 left. VCU held onto its slim lead until the Rams closed the game on an 8-0 run, jumpstarted by a 3-pointer from Jamir Watkins, and clinched the A-10 Championship.

OPENING TIP

  • DeLoach, a sophomore, recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He shot an efficient 5-of-8 from the floor. It’s his fifth double-double this season
  • Junior guard Ace Baldwin, Jr. had a team-high 16 points while adding seven assists
  • Redshirt sophomore Jamir Watkins had 13 points and eight rebounds, including going 3-of-4 from 3-point range
  • Dayton was led by DaRon Holmes II who had 28 points and 16 rebounds

THE DIFFERENCE

  • The Rams shot 47.3 percent from 3-point range (8-of-17) while limiting the Flyers to shoot just 13.6 percent (3-of-22)
  • VCU shot 46.2 percent overall from the floor and held Dayton to just 32.1 percent
  • The Black and Gold led in bench points 17-2 over the Flyers
  • VCU and Dayton traded blows early, with the Rams holding an 18-15 lead with 7:44 remaining in the first half
  • The Flyers answered back and retook the lead, extending it to to 36-28 on a Holmes II layup with 10 seconds left, but a pair of Baldwin Jr. free throws cut the deficit to 36-30 at the half
  • Dayton pushed its lead to 41-30, its largest of the game, with 18:59 left in the second half. The Rams immediately fought back with the 19-6 run. The Black and Gold eventually pushed the run to  30-13 overall to retake the lead at 60-54 on a DeLoach layup with 3:31 left
  • Dayton cut the deficit to 60-56 on its next possession but Watkins’ 3-pointer allowed the Rams to pull away for the win.

NOTABLE

  • VCU clinched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 19th  time in program history
  • The Rams won their second Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship and first since 2015. It’s the 10th overall tournament championship for the Rams
  • It will be the third NCAA Tournament appearance for VCU under Mike Rhoades

NEXT UP

Twelfth-seeded VCU will take on fifth-seeded St. Mary’s (Calif.) in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 17 at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y.  The game will tip at 1 p.m. and be nationally televised on CBS.

The Rams (27-7) will be making their 19th all-time tournament appearance and return to the field of 68 following a one-year absence. VCU has reached the NCAA Tournament 13 times since 2004.

VCU punched its ticket via a 68-56 win over Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Game Sunday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Rams have won nine straight games and 22 of their last 25 contests.

This will be the second all-time meeting between the Gaels and Rams, both in the NCAA Tournament. St. Mary’s topped VCU 85-77 in the 2017 NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Led by 22nd-year Head Coach Randy Bennett, the Gaels (26-7) tied for first in the West Coast Conference with Gonzaga. St. Mary’s fell in the WCC title game to the Bulldogs 77-51 on March 7. The Gaels boast WCC Defensive Player of the Year Logan Johnson, who averaged 14.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. The Gaels are ranked 16th in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the Coaches Poll.

 

 

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Kickers

Game Preview: Kickers Back to Defend Regular Season Championship

The Kickers fell short in the playoffs but had an incredible season and hope to recapture that magic in 2023.

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Opponent: Charlotte Independence (1-0-1)
Date/Time: Saturday, April 1st, 6:00 PM
Last Result: Kickers 1 – Greenville 0

Weather Forecast from Weatherbug

It’s looking to be a windy affair but the rain should only be in the morning, early afternoon.

Three Things to Kickabout

  1. No Bolanos – Jonathan Bolanos was the lynchpin to Richmond’s success last year. Scoring goals with 6 on the season, and setting up others for a total of 11 assists. The next closest on assists was Ethan Bryant with 6. Both these players have moved on to different leagues/teams. This means the Kickers primary goal scorer (USL1 MVP and Golden Boot Winner) Emiliano Terzaghi is looking for some partners. Who that will be with these new team is hard to say. In the first two road games the Kicker only managed 4 shots so they’re struggling to find the answer as well.
  2. Crowds – Towards the end of last season the Kickers were drawing close to 5,000. During the Covid year in an abbreviated season attendance was capped at 1,000. The Kickers have hosted two viewing parties for the road games and unlike previous years these were packed. What switch has been flipped in the Richmond area we’re not sure. The easy and I think too easy is that local fans like a winner and the Kickers did a ton of that last year. It will be interesting to see if the Kickers keep the numbers up after the home opener because the home opener is always well attended.
  3. Emiliano – Emiliano Terzaghi scored an astonishing 17 goals in 29 games. This won him the USL1 MVP and Golden Boot for an unprecedented third time in a row. So far he’s off to a cool start. In two games only getting off one shot and that wasn’t on target. As mentioned above the team is missing some crucial playmakers in Bolanos and Bryant but the Kickers will need to have Terzaghi find his stride quickly.

Prediction

As we’ve repeated throughout the years I’m not unbiased. My passion for the team taints my ability to adequately analyze this team. If I’m being honest my analytical skill also taint my ability to adequately analyze this team. That doesn’t prevent from doing such so with that out of the way here we go. In the two games I’ve seen the offense is not there and it’s the defense that is keeping the Kickers in the game. This is to be expected. Coach Sawatsky is integrating new players into the system and it will take time. A game at home is a perfect time for it all to click. There is a problem though the Kickers played Charlotte for the season opener to a 0-0 draw. Charlotte’s second game saw them score 3 goals from three different players #12 Brad Dunwell, #5 Shalom Dutey and #90 Khori Bennett. In the off season Charlotte added some offensive power in Dane Kelly who is the all-time USL Championship goal scorer with 100 league goals but has scored yet. If the Kickers are going to win they’ll need to be ready for a much more attacking team than they saw 2 weeks ago. I think the defense is up to the task I’m just not sure the Kickers offense is ready.  Ultimately home field advantage and predicted wind gusts of up to 50 mph are giving the home town a slight advantage.

Kickers 1 
Independence 0

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Sports

VCU Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Rhoades headed to Penn State, Utah State’s Ryan Odom favorite for replacement: reports

A changing of the guard is underway for the VCU Men’s Basketball program, according to multiple verified reports.

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From Richmond.com:

A changing of the guard appears to be afoot on Broad Street, and with it may come a new era of VCU basketball under a leader with history in the commonwealth.

Amid widespread reports that Pennsylvania native Mike Rhoades is set to accept an offer in excess of $3 million annually from Penn State, Utah State coach and former Hampden-Sydney captain and Virginia Tech assistant Ryan Odom has emerged as his likely replacement.

College basketball fans around the state may remember Odom well.

The former University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) coach led the Retrievers to their historic, 74-54 upset win over Virginia in the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament. UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to ever take town a No. 1 seed.

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Community

Richmond to Host 2024 Wheelchair Basketball Nationals

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The National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA), Sportable, Central Virginia’s premier adaptive sports club, Richmond Region Tourism, and Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority are proud to host the 2024 Adult and Junior Division Wheelchair Basketball National Tournaments. To be held over the first two weekends in April, the Championships will be held at the state-of-the-art Henrico Sports & Event Center in Henrico, Virginia.

“We are thrilled to announce that Junior & Adult Wheelchair Basketball Championships will be held in Richmond, VA in 2024,” commented Matt Pierre, NWBA Board of Directors, and National Tournaments Evaluation Team member. “The team in Richmond – Richmond Region Tourism, Sportable, and the Henrico Sports Authority – put together an impressive bid, and are committed to elevating our championship events to the next level. We are excited for this opportunity, and believe our members will love the experience that will be offered.”

“We are grateful for the support of the NWBA, Richmond Region Tourism, and Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority to bring the 2024 Wheelchair Basketball National Championships to Richmond,” commented Hunter Leemon, Sportable Executive Director. “We have the infrastructure in place to execute a world class event, and we are confident that our community will embrace the NWBA – athletes, families, staff, volunteers, and supporters – and create the best championship experience possible.”

The top 16 ranked wheelchair basketball teams for each Adult Division (I, II, III) will earn an invitation to their respective divisions’ national tournament April 12-14, 2024. The top 32 ranked teams for Varsity level and the top 16 ranked teams from Prep level will earn an invitation to participate in the NWBA Varsity and Prep Wheelchair Basketball National Championships one week prior, April 5-7, 2024. In total, 96 teams and over 1,100 wheelchair basketball players will compete for a coveted national title during the two events.

“It is an honor to be selected by the NWBA leadership team to host the NWBA National Championship Series,” said Jerrine Lee, Vice President of Sales for Richmond Region Tourism. “This a great opportunity for our region to showcase our outstanding facilities and attractions, and showcase our pride and commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive destination where everyone can play. We are honored to partner with Sportable and the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority to provide a world-class experience for the athletes, coaches and fans.”

The host venue, Henrico Sports & Event Center, is set to open in September 2023 and features more than 115,000-square feet of adaptable event space with 12 basketball courts.

“We’re very excited to welcome the NWBA and its athletes to our new indoor sports and events center,” said Dennis Bickmeier, Executive Director of the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority. “This tournament will be a signature event in the early history of the facility. We look forward to working with our partners to deliver this showcase event to our community and witnessing the athleticism and teamwork that will happen over the two weeks of competition.”

Founded in 1981, the Rim Riders wheelchair basketball team has been a mainstay in Richmond for more than 40 years. The team merged with Sportable in 2017 and is a Division II member of the NWBA. The Rim Riders are currently ranked 14th in the country, and will compete in the 2023 NWBA National Championships in Wichita, Kansas March 31-April 2.

About Sportable
For nearly 18 years, Sportable has created opportunities and transformed lives through sport for individuals with physical disabilities and visual impairments. The non-profit organization provides sporting opportunities to more than 400 athletes of all ages by offering competitive and recreational adaptive sports programs year-round. By fostering a fun, inclusive, competitive, and accessible environment, Sportable transforms the lives of athletes and frees them to see beyond their disabilities, enhances their peer relationships and helps them to reach their personal finish line. To make an impact today, visit Sportable.com/donate.

About the National Wheelchair Basketball Association
The National Wheelchair Basketball Association is the recognized National Organization for Wheelchair Basketball by the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation and the High Performance Management Organization by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The NWBA trains and selects teams for participation in the Paralympic Games, World Championships, and other international competitions. The NWBA was founded in 1949, and today consists of seven divisions including: Adult Division (I, II and III), Women’s Division, Intercollegiate Men’s Division, Intercollegiate Women’s Division and Junior Division. For more information, visit: www.nwba.org.

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