On the Rebound

A new era of Rams basketball is underway in Richmond

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The Stuart C. Siegel Center was packed on Monday, Nov. 6, when the VCU Rams opened the 2023-24 men’s basketball season in Richmond. The volume on Broad Street was as loud as ever, but there were new faces on the sidelines.

That sold-out game, a 76-65 loss to McNeese State University, didn’t end the way the hometown crowd had hoped for the regular-season Virginia Commonwealth University debut of new head coach Ryan Odom, whose appointment as a replacement for the departing coach, Mike Rhoades, was announced in March. 

“When I first got the call, it was apparent to me that this was the right decision for my wife and I, and our family, to take on this responsibility,” Odom says. “I’ve always looked at VCU from afar and respected the history and tradition that’s existed there. It’s a special, special place.” 

Parting Ways

Rhoades helmed the VCU team for six years; in the 2022-23 campaign he led the Rams to an Atlantic 10 conference regular season title, the A-10 tournament title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in the Round of 64. Although VCU fell to Saint Mary’s College in the bracket, the season featured win streaks as long as nine games and was Rhoades’ best effort as head coach in terms of both number of wins and winning percentage. 

But after the tournament, Rhoades announced his decision to leave for Penn State’s head coaching vacancy. It’s happened a few times at VCU over the past decade. Prior to Rhoades, head coach Shaka Smart left the program in 2015 to run the Texas Longhorns after leading the Rams to a Final Four berth in 2011; Will Wade returned to VCU to fill that void until his own departure for Louisiana State University after the 2016-17 season. 

The news of Rhoades’ departure broke the morning of March 29; Odom was announced as the head coach that night, and VCU held his introductory press conference two days later. Odom came to VCU from Utah State, where he compiled a 44-25 record across two seasons and took his team to the first round of the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament. Prior to that he helmed University of Maryland, Baltimore County for five years, including leading the Retrievers’ 2018 campaign in which they upset the University of Virginia, the first time a No. 16 seed eliminated a No. 1 seed from the NCAA Division I men’s tournament. He previously had been a head coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, as well.

Team Players

Several players departed VCU when Rhoades did: star junior guard Adrian “Ace” Baldwin Jr. and sophomore guard Nick Kern Jr. followed Rhoades to the Nittany Lions and many others, including forwards Jalen DeLoach and Jamir Watkins and guard Jayden Nunn, transferred elsewhere. This left the VCU men’s hoops program with just five players to bridge the gap to Odom: senior Zeb Jackson, sophomore Christian Fermin, sophomore Toibu “Tobi” Lawal, redshirt freshman Obinnaya Okafor, and Richmond native and redshirt freshman Alphonzo “Fats” Billups III. “We were so excited when several of the guys — [Zeb], Ferm, Tobi, Fats and then Obi — decided to stay,” Odom says. “Their belief in us and belief in VCU was huge.” 

Jackson played in all 35 games for the Rams in 2022-23, starting in five of those contests. The senior has transitioned into the role of starter for the current season. His road to the Rams took him through two seasons at Michigan prior to transferring to VCU, and he cited guidance from his faith, his dad and Michigan associate head coach Phil Martelli as factors in his decision to head to the commonwealth. “It’s been challenging, but it’s been fun at the end of the day,” Jackson says. “Times like this, where it isn’t that easy, are awesome, because not only does it test your faith, but it tests everything. It just makes sure that you’re prepared for what’s to come. I’ve been embracing it and making sure I come in every day ready to work and letting the results take care of themselves.” 

Odom brought three players with him from the Utah State Aggies program: his son, Connor, a senior; Ukraine native and senior Max Shulga; and Australian graduate student Sean Bairstow. Bairstow’s older brother, Cam, was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2014 and logged playing time in 36 NBA games.

To be able to come full-circle [after] being a student-athlete there, and now [to be] on the staff there, has been great.

—Bradford Burgess, director of student-athlete development

Richmond natives Jason Nelson and Roosevelt Wheeler also joined the team. Nelson, a redshirt sophomore, spent last season on the University of Richmond’s men’s program before transferring across town, while Wheeler came to the program from the University of Louisville. Other newcomers include Australian graduate student Kuany Kuany, who transferred from University of California, Berkeley; Michael Belle, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-7-inch freshman from London with some pro time under his belt; and Chesterfield’s Joe Bamisile, a senior who impressed in the preseason after transferring from The University of Oklahoma but didn’t begin 2023-24 on the roster after the NCAA denied his eligibility waiver. 

“Our first order of business was to connect with these guys that were currently here,” Odom says. “They were going through a hard time, and transitions in college basketball have always been tough when you have a new coach coming in. We wanted to make sure we were there for them. 

“They’re all great people, excellent players, excellent students and committed there in that area,” he added. “The biggest thing we tried to do, from our first meeting until now, was really begin to connect this group. We’ve done it both on the court and off the court, and these guys have met every challenge.”

Staffing Up

Odom also brought some familiar faces to his staff, including former VCU basketball standouts Bradford Burgess and Darius Theus. Both are Virginia natives and were on then-head coach Shaka Smart’s 2011 roster that made a run to the Final Four. Theus was named an assistant coach for Odom and Burgess was appointed director of student-athlete development. 

“It was a surreal moment when I actually got back to Richmond and was able to just walk into the BDC [VCU’s Basketball Development Center] as an employee,” Burgess says. “To be able to come full-circle [after] being a student-athlete there, and now [to be] on the staff there, has been great.” 

In addition, several Utah State Aggies joined Odom in his journey east, including assistant coaches Matt Henry and Bryce Crawford; Kelsey Knoche, director of operations; Billy Bales, director of videos; and Matt Hart, director of analytics. “They know our system, our style, and they’re great coaches and great people that I know will mentor our guys the right way,” Odom says. 

“And then to be able to add Darius, who’s one of the best leaders this school has ever seen and who bleeds this place, and Bradford, who’s the same in terms of his passion for VCU and [the Siegel Center’s] got his number in the rafters, it’s really special to incorporate them into our staff. They’re so good, not only for our staff, but for our players. They understand what it means to be a VCU basketball player, what these fans expect and what is expected to be a VCU basketball player, and they can give so much to our players.”

Bringing the Noise

The Rams had 12 home games before their first true road matchup on Jan. 9. That gave the newcomers plenty of time to acclimate to the Siegel Center’s rowdy atmosphere, frequently cited as one of the loudest in the region thanks to its fans and the Peppas band. 

“It’s crazy,” says Jackson. “It’s times where you might feel like you don’t have too much left to give, and then that energy just makes you forget about all of it. The fans make you remember, like, it’s not about me being tired. It’s not about how I feel. It’s about just doing this for the team, doing this for the fans, and it’s awesome.” 

The continued enthusiasm has been evident in and around the Siegel Center. Vicki Wells, who is in her 25th season as head coach of the VCU Gold Rush Dance Team, is on the sidelines with her squad during each game. “I’d dare say there were more people at the first game of the year than last year,” she says. “It was fantastic, the energy was electric, and I thought it was amped up, to be quite frank. It was a lot of fun for me as the coach, but for the girls, it was a really great experience and everybody’s just kind of really happy that basketball season was back.”

Game Plan

After the annual Black & Gold game and a blowout 110-50 exhibition win over Mars Hill, the 2023-24 regular-season schedule got underway in early November. Bairstow had to sit for the first chunk of the season with a foot injury, but Burgess says the team’s “next-man-up mentality” enabled them to experiment with different starting fives and give players opportunities to hit the court. “We worked hard on the chemistry,” Burgess says, “just getting guys familiar with everybody’s games and the offense Coach has us running that he brought in from his previous stops. It’s been fun to watch, to see guys grow and seeing guys get more comfortable with their teammates and especially themselves.” 

Jackson played 37 of 40 minutes in two of the first four games, averaging 16 points over that span. His output was just one part of a more aggressively offensive VCU team. It’s a change for players and fans alike. Although the team had some impressive offensive outbursts last season, under Rhoades the Rams relied on defense, allowing their opponents to score 70 or more points in just five of 35 games.

It’s not about how I feel. It’s about just doing this for the team, doing this for the fans, and it’s awesome.

—Zeb Jackson, senior guard

Odom’s team has added more offense to the game plan. Although the game against Mars Hill was an exhibition, the triple-digit points the team put up did all the talking, with seven players bucketing double-digit efforts and Jackson and Nelson knocking down at least 20 points each. Nelson, who has to wait until early February and March to face his former Spider teammates in the annual home-and-home Capital City Classic series between the two rivals, had a breakout game against Radford with 19 points on Nov. 15. The son of Virginia Union University basketball alum Jason Nelson Sr., he netted a go-ahead three-pointer three days later that proved to be the game-winner against Seattle. 

Outside the arena, the city seems to view Odom’s arrival as a slam dunk. He was met with open arms — and a billboard along Interstate 95. “Richmond’s been awesome,” he says. “The state of Virginia is a place I called home for a ton of years — seven years as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech, growing up when my dad was coaching it in Charlottesville and then four years as a player at Hampton Roads. 

“Coaching at VCU is certainly a blessing. We’ve tried to experience everything Richmond has to offer since April, and my wife, Lucy, and I couldn’t be happier to be here and be a part of this community. We understand how important VCU basketball is to this community, and we’re going to do our best, but at the same time we want to engage with folks and make sure we’re a positive part of this community.”