Hundreds of black-and-gold-clad fans packed into the Siegel Center on Wednesday morning to welcome back the new head coach of the VCU men’s basketball team, Mike Rhoades.
Rhoades, a beloved former VCU assistant, was Athletic Director Ed McLaughlin’s top choice after the unexpected departure of former head coach Will Wade earlier this week.
“There’s been a lot of emotions the last 48 hours here, but the emotion I’ve had the most … was that feeling you have when you see an old friend, you’re back united with an old friend, and you feel really good. That’s the feeling I have with Mike Rhoades back as our basketball coach,” McLaughlin said before introducing Rhoades, who stepped to the podium to a standing ovation.
“You can sit down now, because come November, you won’t be sitting down,” he quipped.
The celebration marked the end of an up-and-down two days for VCU fans. It began when news broke late Monday that Wade had accepted an offer to become the head coach of the Louisiana State University (LSU) men’s basketball team. Wade had taken the helm in April 2015 and reached back-to-back NCAA tournaments, losing 85-78 to Saint Mary's in the first round just last week. In a statement, McLaughlin said the university had met Wade’s requests, but he simply decided to go elsewhere. Stunned fans excoriated his decision on social media.
Enter Rhoades. The 44-year-old becomes the 12th head coach in the program's history. He called the opportunity to return to Richmond a “dream come true.”
“We’ve been on a ride for a long time,” Rhoades said. “And this ride stops here at VCU.”
Rhoades played at Division III Lebanon Valley in the early ’90s and began his coaching career as an assistant at Randolph-Macon in 1996. He took over as head coach in 1999 and led the Yellow Jackets until 2009, when he joined then first-time head coach Shaka Smart’s staff as an assistant. He was part of the staff that shepherded the 2010-2011 team to its fabled Final Four run. He left VCU in 2014 to take the head coaching job at Rice University in Houston. In three seasons, he coached the Conference USA team to a 47-52 record, including a 23-12 campaign this past season, their best mark in more than a decade.
He has a tough task in front of him. He must solidify a roster that Wade left with several holes. Five seniors are graduating. A sixth, Ahmed Hamdy, has not yet been ruled eligible by the NCAA for next season.
Returning are seniors Justin Tillman and Johnny Williams, both of whom Rhoades helped recruit to VCU. Rising sophomores Samir Doughty and De'Riante Jenkins, as well as transfer Issac Vann, will be expected to shoulder significant responsibility on a team with no rising juniors.
Four incoming freshman committed to join the Rams last fall, but Wade’s departure may cause some or all of them to reconsider their decision, jeopardizing what is a top-25 recruiting class in the nation.
Rhoades emphasized that what successes lie ahead won't be his alone.
"VCU basketball has always been about the players and always will be," he said.
In November, the new coach's first home game on the sidelines will mark 100 consecutive sellouts at the Siegel Center.