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
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Record	25–8 (16–2 A-10)
Head coach	Mike Rhoades (2nd season)
Assistant coaches	J. D. Byers Brent Scott Jamal Brunt
Home arena	Stuart C. Siegel Center
Seasons ← 2017–18 2019–20 →

2018–19 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
VCU	16	–	2		.889			25	–	8		.758
Davidson	14	–	4		.778			24	–	10		.706
Dayton	13	–	5		.722			21	–	12		.636
St. Bonaventure	12	–	6		.667			18	–	16		.529
George Mason	11	–	7		.611			18	–	15		.545
Saint Louis †	10	–	8		.556			23	–	13		.639
Duquesne	10	–	8		.556			19	–	13		.594
Rhode Island	9	–	9		.500			18	–	15		.545
La Salle	8	–	10		.444			10	–	21		.323
Saint Joseph's	6	–	12		.333			14	–	19		.424
Richmond	6	–	12		.333			13	–	20		.394
George Washington	4	–	14		.222			9	–	24		.273
Massachusetts	4	–	14		.222			11	–	21		.344
Fordham	3	–	15		.167			12	–	20		.375
† 2019 Atlantic 10 tournament winner

Background

Main article: 2017–18 VCU Rams men's basketball team

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

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Justin Tillman	4	F	6'7"	220	Senior	Detroit, Michigan	Graduated
Jonathan Williams	10	G	6'1"	200	Senior	Richmond, Virginia	Graduated
Khris Lane	21	G	6'7"	245	RS Senior	Richmond, Virginia	Graduated
Tyler Maye	25	G	6'1"	175	Freshman	Farmville, North Carolina	Transferred to Southeastern CC
Lewis Djonkam	22	F	6'9"	245	Freshman	Springfield, Virginia	Transferred to Radford

Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Marcus Evans	2	G	6'2"	195	Junior	Chesapeake, Virginia	Transferred from Rice.[1]
Corey Douglas Jr.	4	F	6'8"	215	RS Sophomore	Louisville, Kentucky	Transferred from Tallahassee Community College.[2]
Michael Gillmore	22	F	6'10"	210	RS Senior	Jacksonville, Florida	Transferred from Florida Gulf Coast.[3]

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
P. J. Byrd PG	Houston, TX	George Bush High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	169 lb (77 kg)	Sep 6, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (NR)
KeShawn Curry SG	Jacksonville, FL	Fork Union Military Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Oct 2, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (NR)
Vince Williams Jr. SF	Toledo, OH	St. John's Jesuit	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	204 lb (93 kg)	Oct 4, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (80)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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. Retrieved February 13, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals. 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
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 De'Riante Jenkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Hargrave Military Academy Eutawville, South Carolina G/F 1 Mike'L Simms 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Cowley Community College Richmond, Virginia G 2 Marcus Evans 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Rice Chesapeake, Virginia F 4 Corey Douglas Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS So Ballard (Louisville) Tallahassee Community College Louisville, Kentucky F 5 Sean Mobley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Montverde Academy Melbourne, Florida G/F 10 Vince Williams Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr St. John's Jesuit Toledo, Ohio G 11 KeShawn Curry 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Fork Union Military Academy Jacksonville, Florida G 12 Dylan Sheehy-Guiseppi (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So St. Francis Prep Lake Havasu City, Arizona G 13 Malik Crowfield 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Riverside Academy LaPlace, Louisiana F 14 Marcus Santos-Silva 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Vermont Academy Taunton, Massachusetts G 15 Xavier Jackson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Sheridan College Hinesville, Georgia F 22 Michael Gillmore 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Sr Florida Gulf Coast Jacksonville, Florida F 23 Issac Vann 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Maine Bridgeport, Connecticut G 24 P. J. Byrd 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr George Bush High School Houston, Texas	Head coach Mike Rhoades (Lebanon Valley) Assistant coach(es) J. D. Byers (Lebanon Valley) Brent Scott (Rice) Jamal Brunt (Randolph–Macon) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Preseason

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2018* 7:00 pm		Virginia–Wise	W 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–Webb	W 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 OT	4–1	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 OT	5–1	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		Iona	W 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 Texas	W 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 Virginia	L 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		Charleston	L 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 State	W 70–54	8–4	18 – Vann	6 – Jenkins	5 – Evans	Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA
December 30, 2018* 2:00 pm, MASN		Rider	W 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 Fordham	W 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 Salle	W 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 Davidson	L 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		Dayton	W 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		UMass	W 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 Island	L 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 Duquesne	W 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 Washington	W 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. Bonaventure	W 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 Dayton	W 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 Island	W 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 Washington	W 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 Louis	W 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's	W 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.