A Season to Remember: VCU's Incredible Tournament Run

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Elite 8: Kansas

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previous left Jamie Skeen goes up to block a shot by Kansas gaurd Tyshawn Taylor in the second half. photo by DEAN HOFFMEYER

right VCU’s Jamie Skeen battles Kansas’ Marcus Morris. photo by MARK GORMUS

VCU heads to Final Four after shocking Kansas March 27, 2011 | VCU vs. Kansas | W 71-61 SAN ANTONIO — Jamie Skeen is scared to death of heights. So as Virginia Commonwealth’s forward started up the ladder to snip a piece of championship net, he stopped on the second rung.

Skeen is 6-foot-9, but that was barely enough to reach the net with the scissors. Somewhat nervously — he was afraid teammate Ed Nixon was going to shake the ladder — he finally got his piece 100

of twine.

“I’m on cloud nine right now,” Skeen said, relieved after he climbed down.

That scene was appropriate, because Skeen and the Rams climbed heights unimaginable Sunday.

VCU is going to the Final Four.

The Rams continued their romp through the Southwest Region, taking down the final No.1 seed left in the NCAA tournament, storied Kansas, 71-61 in the final at the Alamodome and punching their ticket to Houston.

VCU (28-11), the third 11th seed to make the Final Four, will play eighth-seeded Butler (26-9), the Southeast Region champ, in another improbable matchup Saturday at 6:09 p.m.

“Nobody else believes it but us,” Rams point guard Joey

top D.J. Haley shoots in the first half. photo by DEAN HOFFMEYER

left VCU gets pumped during the first half. photo by MARK GORMUS

far left VCU’s Joey Rodriguez (right) battles for the ball with Kansas’ Markieff Morris.

Photo by MARK GORMUS

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Rodriguez said. “We’re shocking the world, but we’re not shocking each other. We always knew we could come out and compete with these teams.”

Who can doubt the Rams at this point? A team that was much maligned as an unworthy at-large selection, a team that finished fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association — and needed a last-second shot from Skeen to advance past the quarterfinals in the CAA tournament — a team that hasn’t snipped nets all year because it didn’t even win the CAA, has put it all together with a stunning, head-shaking run.

“It wasn’t in our heads earlier [that we could get to the Final Four],” Nixon said. “Once we beat USC, it was like, ‘OK.’ Then

we beat — was it Georgetown? — it was like, ‘OK.’ Then we beat Purdue, was it? It was like all right, we can do this. Came here and beat Florida State, the best defensive team in the nation. It was like all right, they’re tough, but they ain’t that tough. And now we beat a No. 1 seed.”

Kansas came in as the second-ranked team in the nation, with a 35-2 record. In the pregame meeting for captains, Rodriguez said one of the Jayhawks’ Morris twins — Marcus or Markieff, he didn’t know which one — told him, “Y’all had a good run. It’s about to end now.”

“We’ll see,” Rodriguez said.

Kansas jumped to a 6-0 lead and was ahead 10-9 with 14:18 left in the first half. That was the Jayhawks’ last lead.

With 3-point-happy VCU bombing in nine shots from behind the arc, the Rams opened a 14-point halftime lead. When the inevitable run came from Kansas — 17-5 to start the second half —

opposite VCU’s Jamie Skeen knocks over Kansas’ Markieff Morris in the second half. photo by MARK GORMUS

left VCU’s Joey Rodriguez during the first half. photo by MARK GORMUS

“We’re shocking the world, but we’re not shocking each other. We always knew we could come out and compete with these teams.”

— Rams point guard Joey Rodriguez VCU weathered the comeback and pulled away.

“We knew in the second half they were going to make a run, a strong run,” VCU’s Bradford Burgess said. “They’re No.1 for a reason. If we stuck together and handled their run, we’d be able to make a run of our own.”

The Jayhawks cut the gap to two with 13 minutes remaining, and things seemed to be unraveling for the Rams. Coach Shaka Smart had been hit with his first technical of the year after Nixon 103

top VCU’s Jamie Skeen drives to the basket as Kansas’ Thomas Robinson defends.

was called for an offensive foul. The crowd of 14,299, heavy with Kansas supporters and sensing the kill, raised the noise to an almost deafening level.

“That was crazy because the crowd got so loud,” Skeen said.

“I’m not going to lie. I was nervous. At the same time, I knew we could counterpunch.”

Skeen made two free throws. Darius Theus made a layup. Toby Veal made a hook shot. Skeen made a 3-pointer, and suddenly VCU was back up by nine with 10:52 left.

Clutch 3-pointers by Rodriguez and Burgess and nearly flawless free-throw shooting down the stretch made sure Kansas never got closer than five.

Skeen, the region’s most valuable player, had 26 points and 10 rebounds. He hit four of the Rams’ 12 3-pointers. Brandon Rozzell, enjoying his 22nd birthday, hit four treys and had 12 points.

Kansas, averaging 81.7 points, made just 2 of 21 3-pointers, shot 35.5 percent overall and connected on just 15 of 28 free throws.

“It’s still hard to believe, but we did it,” Rozzell said. “I knew

photo by MARK GORMUS

bottom Kansas’ coach Bill Self and Thomas Robinson. photo by MARK GORMUS

opposite left VCU’s Bradford Burgess grabs the ball from Kansas’ Marcus Morris.

Photo by MARK GORMUS

opposite top right VCU’s Jamie Skeen (right) and Bradford Burgess (left) defend against Kansas’ Markieff Morris. photo by MARK GORMUS

opposite bottom right VCU’s coach Shaka Smart just before receiving a technical foul in second half. photo by MARK GORMUS

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we could come in and play great basketball, but I had no idea it would carry us this far. This is the best basketball we’ve played all year, and it came at the right time.”

The Rams spent a long time celebrating. As they were waiting for the trophy to be presented, freshman Rob Brandenberg did a little dance on the stage. “Coach didn’t tell me we were going to the Final Four when he was recruiting me,” he said.

They eventually made their way into the stands to slap hands with a strong contingent of fans and family members. Smart, the last one up the ladder, walked around with the net around his neck.

“Ever seen the movie ‘Major League?’” he said. “I can’t say exactly what the guy says, but they get in some situations, and there’s only one thing left to do, win the whole blank thing. And that’s all there is left to do.”

Tim Pearrell | Richmond Times-Dispatch

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right VCU’s Jamie Skeen drives to the basket as Kansas’ Thomas Robinson defends. photo by MARK GORMUS

opposite top VCU’s Jamie Skeen, Ed Nixon, Brandon Rozzell and Bradford Burgess exult as time winds down. photo by MARK GORMUS

opposite bottom Joey Rodriguez celebrates VCU’s 71-61 win over Kansas. photo by DEAN HOFFMEYER

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above VCU celebrates its victory over Kansas. photo by MARK GORMUS

far left VCU’s Bradford Burgess cuts the net after the Rams’ win over Kansas. photo by MARK GORMUS

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The big dance on Broad Street Students and fans celebrate victory over Jayhawks A victory in San Antonio set off a party in the heart of Richmond that likely won’t end for some time.

As the final seconds ticked down on Virginia Commonwealth University’s historic 71-61 victory over Kansas on Sunday afternoon, chants of “VCU! VCU!” filled the Siegel Center.

When the clock struck zero in Texas and the Rams sealed their first-ever trip to the Final Four, nearly 950 students poured onto Richmond’s Broad Street, a sea of black and gold filling the streets in jubilant celebration.

“It amps up pride and it’s something to be really proud about,” said VCU junior theater major Kyle Cornell, one of the thousands of revelers who gathered on Broad Street. “This is very exciting.”

The wave of bodies steadily grew as people came out of nearby apartments and dorms to join in the victory procession. Some jumped up and down on cars – a group even attempted to flip a Nissan Sentra, but cooler heads prevailed – and some climbed light poles while others stood on rooftops. Some waved pompoms or flags in the air.

One student climbed an awning at Johnson Hall and draped a gold VCU T-shirt over a statue on the side of the building.

All whooped and hollered for their team.

As the ever-growing group entered Monroe Park, chants of “We want Butler!” – VCU’s opponent in Saturday’s final four game in Houston – erupted from the fans.

“Virginians are celebrating (VCU’s) victory all across the commonwealth,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said in a statement. “VCU is a great university with a well-deserved reputation for academic and athletic excellence. ... Head coach Shaka Smart and this group of talented student-athletes are doing a tremendous job representing their school and community.”

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones said in a statement, “VCU

above Miles Mogayzel plays his small tuba on West Broad Street as he and a few thousand other Rams fans celebrate VCU’s win over Kansas. photo by P. KEVIN MORLEY

opposite VCU students gather in Monroe Park in the hours after the team earned a trip to the Final Four. photo by James H. Wallace

left VCU students Tiffany Spearman, right, and Tracey Opoku show off their school pride. photo by James H. Wallace

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right Letitia Romera, right, joined a large group of VCU students near Monroe Park in the wake of the Rams’ win. photo by James H. Wallace

advancing to the Final Four is the stuff dreams are made of!

This is a team of players who believe in each other, a coach who believes in the team, and a city that believes in dreams coming true. … VCU is putting Richmond on the map like never before and we’ll see the nation at the Final Four.”

Despite the chill in the air – Richmond awoke Sunday to a light dusting of snow – VCU senior statistics major K.T. Hobson celebrated shirtless at Monroe Park with his classmates.

The thrill of victory left Hobson immune to the cold air.

“VCU is going to the Final Four; that is all that matters,” said Hobson.

Following police commands, the crowd cleared Broad Street after about 30 minutes and moved the celebration to Monroe Park, which police had earlier selected for such a possible post-win public whoop-up.

“On the whole, it was a very orderly crowd, enjoying the celebration,” said police spokesman James Mercante.

A young woman suffered a small cut, apparently from a thrown

“This is a team of players who believe in each other, a coach who believes in the team, and a city that believes in dreams coming true.”

— Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones bottle, during the victory celebration on Broad Street, he said.

“It was a very small injury, not life threatening,” said Mercante.

No further details were available.

Many Rams fans see the unprecedented trip to the Final Four as validation of their inclusion in the NCAA tournament.

“It means national exposure; it means putting this school on the map ... showing that we can play with anybody,” said VCU graduate student Jonathan Lucyshyn. “I love the underdog, and 112

it means everything for this team to play through everybody critiquing us and criticizing us.”

The ebb and flow of the Rams’ Elite Eight game in San Antonio was felt 1,500 miles east in Richmond. A capacity crowd at Home Team Grill in the Fan soaked up the action on the numerous TVs around the restaurant, sharing high-fives as VCU stormed out to a 41-27 halftime lead.

The atmosphere was electric and highlighted the school spirit that VCU students and alumni have, said senior Kelly Belcher.

During halftime, Samantha Monds looked over the black-andgold filled dining room.

“Seeing all this is beautiful,” she said.

Andrew Bailey, who was watching the game with friends, attended James Madison University but was nearly hoarse from cheering on the Rams.

March madness even caught those not directly linked to VCU. Mary Helen Sullivan was celebrating her birthday with friends at The Jefferson Hotel on Sunday and they periodically checked the score by computer, but with about a minute to go, they joined others watching the game in the bar.

“We cheered along with everyone else,” said Sullivan, a longtime Richmond resident. “Everybody has caught the bug.”

Jeremy Slayton | Richmond Times-Dispatch

left VCU fans cheer as the Rams enter the Siegel Center around 1:30 a.m. after returning from their NCAA win over Kansas, putting them in the NCAA Final Four. photo by P. KEVIN MORLEY

bottom left At Home Team Grill in Richmond, VCU fans celebrate a three-pointer as they watch television coverage of VCU playing Kansas in the NCAA tournament. photo by P. KEVIN MORLEy

bottom middle After VCU’s win over Kansas, some climbed on board a TV news truck parked on West Broad Street and jumped into the crowd. photo by P. KEVIN MORLEY

bottom right VCU head basketball coach Shaka Smart is greeted by a few thousand VCU students in the Siegel Center where Smart and the Rams returned early Monday morning after defeating Kansas. photo by P. KEVIN MORLEY

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right VCU Coach Shaka Smart counsels his players during a time out in the January game against Hofstra. photo by Alexa Welch Edlund

Shaka Mania VCU basketball coach is attentive, energetic, inclusive HOUSTON — They were riding along in Shaka Smart’s Escalade, going to their first team dinner last year, when Smart popped in a CD of hip-hop artist Wale.

Joey Rodriguez and a carload of Virginia Commonwealth University players were slightly surprised that their new coach 114

was into their culture.

“I was like, ‘Coach, you listen to this?’” Rodriguez recalled.

“And he was like, ‘Yeah.’ He knew what was going on and knew all the songs. It was pretty impressive.”

The Rams weren’t sure what to think of Smart when he first arrived. But among the things they have come to learn and appreciate are that he is good at building relationships, and his energy, intellect and drive are infectious.

“There’s always a good vibe around him,” Rodriguez said.

Smart sometimes eats breakfast with his players. He hangs out

in the locker room and jokes around. He calls at night to check on them. Before the Rams left for the Final Four this week, he planned to take time from a crazy schedule to take senior forward Jamie Skeen to dinner. The conversation promised to be more about life than basketball.

Smart’s age – 34 on April 8 – certainly helps him connect with 18- to 22-year-olds. But relating to people of any age is something Smart always has been able to do – something he sometimes was forced to do when he was growing up..

That’s part of the reason those around him say they’re not surprised the second-year head coach has set the college basketball world on its ear and spawned Shaka Mania.

Smart’s mother, Monica King, is white. His father, Winston, from Trinidad, is black.

His father left when he was 2 years old and hasn’t been a significant part of his life. They haven’t spoken since Smart was 17.

Smart said “about the best thing” his dad did was name him after Shaka Zulu, the tough chieftain of the Zulu empire.

As a biracial kid growing up in Madison, Wis., Smart said he had his racial identity thrown “in my face a little bit.”

“There were a lot of situations where I didn’t fit in either way,” he said. “When you are a little bit different, you have to learn to relate to people.

“I had a unique experience when I was in eighth grade. I played on two basketball teams at the same time. One was all black, and there were two biracial kids on the team. The other team was all white except for me. It was unbelievable. That was one of the favorite times of my life. I could go back and forth, and the guys on these two teams didn’t know that I was playing on another team. Only my mom and my family knew.

“It was basketball, which I loved. But culturally it was so very different, just the way people talk, they way they interact, the coaching.”

His mother, who raised four boys on a teacher’s salary, taught him to express gratitude if someone did something for him. His grandfather, Walter King, lived a couple hours away in Chicago but helped shape his life as his first male influence. He taught Smart about manners, how to treat people, humility and

appreciation. Mr. King died this week at the age of 90.

In addition to his grandfather’s influence, Smart’s mother made sure he knew the value of an education.

“My mom didn’t have a lot of rules,” he said. “I didn’t have a curfew when I was a kid. I never had to make my bed. But if I came home with a bad grade then I wasn’t able to do what I wanted to do, which was play basketball and the other sports that I competed in. And sometimes a bad grade was as high as a B, so I had to excel in the classroom.”

Those are the same lessons Smart now passes on to his players.

“If we’re at dinner or something,” Skeen said, “he’ll just randomly start talking about academics.”

Smart turned down Harvard, Yale and Brown and went to Division III Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. He didn’t think he’d fit into the “fast-paced attitude” of Ivy League schools and had started to form a close relationship with Kenyon’s coach, Bill Brown.

Brown became the closest thing Smart had to a father figure.

He served as a mentor and confidante, a relationship that continues today.

“I thought [his background] made him understand that in order to be successful he had to be inclusive,” Brown said. “I think it’s allowed him to go in and out of different circles. And it also drove him to excel, to not accept something secondary when he could have the very best.”

Brown left after Smart’s freshman year to become the coach at California University of Pennsylvania. Smart was so crushed that he sat in his living room and cried, not foreseeing they would be reunited as coaches.

At Kenyon, Smart was a four-year starter at point guard, a three-year captain and the school’s all-time leader in assists.

“I’m not surprised [by his success],” Brown said, “because he’s been an achiever his entire life. I remember as a collegiate player, he had his book bag over his left shoulder and his basketball in his right hand. You’d see him in the library with his basketball and book bag. You’d see him in the cafeteria. And he got kidded by his teammates that he was sleeping with the ball. But he has always been focused and determined to succeed.”

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Smart excelled at Kenyon and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in history. One of 20 student-athletes selected for the 1999 USA Today All-USA academic team, he did extensive research on race relations and social issues.

“I’ve always been interested in different societies, how people define themselves,” he said. “In our country’s history, race has been a huge defining factor for a lot of people. That’s always been fascinating to me.

“If they want to make me a rock star because of what Joey Rodriguez and Jamie Skeen and Bradford Burgess and the rest of our team has done, I guess that’s the way it works. But it really hasn’t changed me at all.”

— Shaka Smart “The one thing my background taught me was to be pretty accepting of people regardless of what their background is and what differences we might have. There haven’t been too many times in my life where I have been around a lot of people who are the same as me.

“And that’s OK.” When he left Kenyon, Brown told Smart he’d have a job waiting at California-Pennsylvania as an assistant coach. . With a postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA, the position also enabled Smart to earn a master’s degree in social science.

He spent two years as a coach under Brown, then moved on to Dayton in 2001 as the director of basketball operations, then to Akron, Clemson and Florida as an assistant coach before VCU hired him.

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Smart served with Keith Dambrot at Akron and then under him. Some of the things he picked up from Dambrot reinforced what he learned all along: treating everybody with kindness and making sure he spends enough time with his players.

“When you’re around college-age kids, and they know the person they’re talking to is listening – and I mean really listening – you become more comfortable and respect that person more,” said VCU assistant Mike Rhoades, a former head coach at RandolphMacon College. “And you listen back.”

VCU Athletic Director Norwood Teague tells the story of going to interview Smart after Anthony Grant left VCU to take the job at Alabama.

Teague knew Smart because of the Villa 7 consortium, an annual get-together of athletic directors at mid-major schools and top assistant coaches, and because Smart would drop by unannounced when he was in the area recruiting for Florida.

Organized by VCU, Villa 7 enables athletic directors to get to know assistants so they don’t have to scramble when they lose a head coach.

Smart was in Teague’s top three, but not necessarily the top choice.

Teague interviewed Smart in a diner just outside of Gainesville, Fla., about 6:30 in the morning. They sat in the corner for three hours, and once again, Smart’s ability to relate came into play.

Teague was so taken with Smart’s vision, plan, charisma, reputation as a relentless recruiter and coaching influences from Brown to Dan Hipsher to Dambrot to Oliver Purnell to Billy Donovan that he “almost stopped him during the interview and said, ‘Let’s go ahead and get to Richmond.’”

On the day Smart was hired at VCU, Dambrot predicted Smart would be a star. “He may not win the press conference hire because he’s 32 years old, but I would bet my house this guy’s going to be successful,” he said.

The transition, though, was not easy. Grant had an aura about him and was beloved by his team. He cut a statuesque figure at 6-foot-5, and his demanding, no-nonsense approach had taken the Rams to two NCAA tournaments in three seasons and produced a

famous win over Duke.

Smart is 5-foot-11.

“When I first saw Coach Smart,” guard Bradford Burgess said, “I was thinking, ‘Who is this little guy coming into this room?’”

The Rams admit they gave Smart a hard time at first because they weren’t sure he knew what he was doing.

He eventually won them over with his basketball knowledge, his belief in his system and his personality. At halftime of last week’s Southwest Region final against Kansas, someone rolled a ball across the floor in the locker room. Smart dove on it to illustrate the mindset the Rams needed in the second half.

The family atmosphere he creates is one of the things high school recruits mention.

“If you spend time with your guys, they know you have their back,” Smart said. “They know you care about them, you care about their families. Then when you do get on the court and you ask them to do something, and we ask a lot, they’re more likely to do it.”

Some of VCU’s fans, though, didn’t think they were doing it quickly enough. The Rams went 27-9 and won the postseason College Basketball Invitational in Smart’s first year, but that wasn’t the NCAA tournament.

Teague remembers walking off the Siegel Center floor that first December, after a two-point win over Rhode Island, and three or four people yelling that he needed to hire a new coach.

The criticism continued this year when the Rams faded at the end of the regular season and finished fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association.

That now seems light years away.

Shaka Mania has taken hold in three crazy weeks. As his underdog team has refused to bow to some of college basketball’s royalty and landed in the Final Four, Smart has rocketed into a national figure with the hard-to-forget name.

Interview requests have topped 225, and that doesn’t include the ones for his wife, Maya, an accomplished writer with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard in social studies and a master’s from Northwestern in journalism.

“Ooga Shaka,” set to the tune “Hooked on a Feeling,” is

sweeping the Internet. The “Havoc” image he boldly created in his introductory press conference to describe the Rams’ pressing, up-and-down style of play has become a brand. The motivational sayings that fascinate Smart and the motivational methods he has used with his team – turning the page on a bad February by burning a sheet from a calendar, video loops of TV analysts howling about VCU’s inclusion as an at-large team in the NCAA tournament – have been documented over and over at every stop.

The Chicago Cubs, aware that his grandfather used to take him to Cubs games, apparently are planning to invite Smart and Butler coach Brad Stevens to sing “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” during the famous seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field.

“Can’t sing,” Smart said. “But neither can most of the people they have out there. The seventh-inning stretch is one of those things you really don’t have to be Whitney Houston to take part in.”

Asked how the recent rock-star status has changed his life, Smart said, “If they want to make me a rock star because of what Joey Rodriguez and Jamie Skeen and Bradford Burgess and the rest of our team has done, I guess that’s the way it works. But it really hasn’t changed me at all.”

You’ll still find him driving around with his players, listening to a little Wale.

“As good of a basketball coach as he is, he’s an even better person,” Brown said. “People need to realize this young man – many are called, few are chosen. And he’s one of those chosen.

Because of his work. Because of the way he carries himself. The way he can express himself and communicate with his players, with the community.

“He’s inclusive.”

Tim Pearrell | Richmond Times-Dispatch April 2, 2011

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