2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball team

The 2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Mike Rhoades, in his fourth year as VCU head coach. The team played their home games at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia, as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 19–7, 10–4 in A-10 play to finish in second place. The Rams defeated Dayton[1] and Davidson[2] in the A-10 Tournament before losing to St. Bonaventure in the championship.[3] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West region.[4] Their game against Oregon in the First Round was ruled a no contest due to positive COVID-19 tests in the VCU program, thus ending their season.[5][6]

2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, First Round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
2020–21 record19–7 (10–4 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaStuart C. Siegel Center
2020–21 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
St. Bonaventure114 .733165  .762
VCU104 .714197  .731
Davidson74 .636139  .591
Saint Louis64 .600147  .667
UMass64 .60087  .533
George Mason86 .571139  .591
Dayton97 .5631410  .583
Richmond65 .545149  .609
Duquesne77 .50099  .500
Rhode Island710 .4121015  .400
George Washington35 .375512  .294
La Salle611 .353916  .360
Saint Joseph's39 .250515  .250
Fordham211 .154212  .143
2021 A10 Tournament winner

Previous season

The Rams finished the 2019–20 season 18–13, 8–10 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for eighth place. As the No. 8 seed in the A-10 Tournament, they were to play UMass in the second round, but the tournament was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

VCU began the season with a 6–0 record for the first time in program history,[8] and were ranked as high as 20th in the nation. The Rams finished the season with a 2–7 record in their final nine games.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Mike'l Simms1F6'5"210SeniorRichmond, VirginiaGraduated
Marcus Evans2G6'2"190RS-SeniorChesapeake, VirginiaGraduated
Malik Crowfield13G6'4"195SeniorLaPlace, LouisianaGraduated
Issac Vann23F6'6"210RS-SeniorBridgeport, ConnecticutGraduated
Marcus Santos-Silva14F6'7"250JuniorTaunton, MassachusettsGraduate transferred to Texas Tech

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Levi Stockard III35C6'8"240SeniorSt. Louis, MissouriTransferred from Kansas State
Brendan Medley-Bacon34F7'1"245JuniorBaltimore, MarylandTransferred from Coppin State

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Adrian Baldwin
PG
Baltimore, MD St. Frances Academy 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 13, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 80
Josh Banks
SF
Charlotte, NC Olympic High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 1, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 78
Mikeal Brown-Jones
PF
Bradenton, FL IMG Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Nov 13, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 79
Jamir Watkins
SF
Trenton, NJ Trenton Catholic 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 13, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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 2020 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020.

    2021 recruiting class

    US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
    Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
    Jalen DeLoach
    PF
    Savannah, GA The Skill Factory 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Nov 11, 2020 
    Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 77
    Nick Kern
    SF
    St. Louis, MO Vashon High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 11, 2020 
    Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 86
    Overall recruiting rankings:
    • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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:

      Preseason

      Atlantic 10 media poll

      The Atlantic 10 men's basketball media poll was released on November 9, 2020. VCU was picked to finish ninth.

      A10 Preseason Poll
      Predicted finish Team
      1Richmond (19)
      2Saint Louis (7)
      3Dayton (2)
      4St. Bonaventure
      5Duquesne
      6Rhode Island
      7Davidson
      8UMass
      9VCU
      10George Mason
      11George Washington
      12Saint Joseph's
      13La Salle
      14Fordham

      Roster

      2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball team
      PlayersCoaches
      Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
      F 0 Jamir Watkins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrTrenton Catholic Trenton, New Jersey
      G 1 Adrian Baldwin Jr. 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)170 lb (77 kg) FrSt. Frances Academy Baltimore, Maryland
      F 2 Mikeal Brown-Jones 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrIMG Academy Bradenton, Florida
      G 5 Nah'Shon Hyland 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)165 lb (75 kg) SoSt. Georges Technical Wilmington, Delaware
      G/F 10 Vince Williams Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrSt. John's Jesuit Toledo, Ohio
      G 11 KeShawn Curry 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrFork Union Military Academy Jacksonville, Florida
      G 12 Jimmy Clark III* 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoNewton HS Covington, Georgia
      F 13 Corey Douglas Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS SrBallard (Louisville)
      Tallahassee CC
      Louisville, Kentucky
      G 15 Arnold Henderson VI 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoSt. Christopher's School Mechanicsville, Virginia
      F 20 Hason Ward 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoSpringfield Central HS Springfield, Massachusetts
      G 21 Jarren McAllister 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoMassanutten Military Academy Wake Forest, North Carolina
      G 33 Josh Banks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg) FrOlympic Charlotte, North Carolina
      F 34 Levi Stockard III 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)240 lb (109 kg) SrKansas State Saint Louis, Missouri
      C 35 Brendan Medley-Bacon 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)245 lb (111 kg) JrCoppin State Baltimore, Maryland
      Head coach
      Assistant coach(es)

      Legend
      • (C) Team captain
      • (S) Suspended
      • (I) Ineligible
      • (W) Walk-on

      Roster

      Depth chart

      Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
      C Corey Douglas Jr. Brendan Medley-Bacon Mikeal Brown-Jones
      PF Levi Stockard III Hason Ward Vince Williams, Jr.
      SF Keyshawn Curry Jamir Watkins
      SG Nah'Shon Hyland Josh Banks Arnold Henderson VI
      PG Adrian Baldwin Jimmy Clark III* Jarren McAllister

      Suspension of Jimmy Clark III

      On February 3, 2021, in a post-game conference, head coach Mike Rhoades said that Jimmy Clark III was absent for the Rams' game against Rhode Island due to a "university suspension." Rhoades then said that he would "leave it at that" for the time being. On February 4, the university confirmed that Clark was no longer with the program, not giving more detail and indicating they were "not allowed to comment further on this matter."[9]

      Schedule and reults

      VCU originally had games scheduled against Charlotte, Tennessee, and LSU that were canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests.[10][11] Additionally, a game against Louisiana that was canceled due to NCAA scheduling limitations.[12]

      Date
      time, TV
      Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
      city, state
      Non-conference regular season
      November 25, 2020*
      7:00 p.m., ESPN2
      vs. Utah State
      Crossover Classic quarterfinals
      W 85–69  1–0
       23  Hyland  6  Curry  7  Baldwin  Sanford Pentagon (0)
      Sioux Falls, SD
      November 26, 2020*
      2:30 pm, ESPN
      vs. No. 15 West Virginia
      Crossover Classic semifinals
      L 66–78  1–1
       13  Hyland  4  Watkins  6  Baldwin  Sanford Pentagon (0)
      Sioux Falls, SD
      November 27, 2020*
      9:00 p.m., ESPN2
      vs. Memphis
      Crossover Classic third place game
      W 70–59  2–1
       15  Williams  7  Ward  6  Baldwin  Sanford Pentagon (0)
      Sioux Falls, SD
      December 2, 2020*
      5:00 p.m., FS1
      at Penn State L 69–72  2–2
       13  Stockard III  6  Hyland  6  Baldwin  Bryce Jordan Center (283)
      University Park, PA
      December 5, 2020*
      2:00 p.m., ESPN+
      Mount St. Mary's W 60–42  3–2
       14  Hyland  5  Ward  5  Baldwin  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      December 9, 2020*
      7:00 p.m., ESPN+
      North Carolina A&T W 95–59  4–2
       30  Hyland  8  Williams  5  Baldwin  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      December 12, 2020*
      5:00 p.m., NBCSN
      Old Dominion
      ODU Rivalry
      W 77–54  5–2
       15  Hyland  8  Williams  2  Tied  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      December 15, 2020*
      7:00 p.m., MASN
      Western Carolina W 93–68  6–2
       31  Hyland  6  Williams  4  Williams  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      December 22, 2020*
      4:00 p.m., MASN
      James Madison W 82–81  7–2
       15  Tied  8  Williams  10  Baldwin  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      Atlantic 10 regular season
      December 30, 2020
      12:00 p.m., ESPN+
      at Saint Joseph's W 80–64  8–2
      (1–0)
       17  Williams  7  Williams  3  Williams  Hagan Arena (0)
      Philadelphia, PA
      January 6, 2021
      7:00 p.m., MASN
      at George Mason
      Mason Rivalry
      W 66–61  9–2
      (2–0)
       23  Hyland  10  Hyland  3  Williams  EagleBank Arena (250)
      Fairfax, VA
      January 9, 2021
      2:00 p.m., CBSSN
      Rhode Island L 68–83  9–3
      (2–1)
       24  Hyland  6  Williams  5  Clark  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      January 13, 2021
      6:00 p.m., ESPN+
      at George Washington W 84–77  10–3
      (3–1)
       17  Hyland  5  Williams  8  Baldwin  Smith Center (0)
      Washington, DC
      January 20, 2021
      6:00 p.m., CBSSN
      at St. Bonaventure L 54–70  10–4
      (3–2)
       16  Hyland  10  Ward  3  Clark  Reilly Center (0)
      Olean, NY
      January 23, 2021
      4:30 p.m., CBSSN
      Dayton W 66–43  11–4
      (4–2)
       28  Hyland  6  Tied  5  Baldwin  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      January 30, 2021
      1:00 p.m., NBCSN
      La Salle W 73–62  12–4
      (5–2)
       24  Hyland  10  Ward  4  Tied  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      February 3, 2021
      7:00 pm, ESPN+
      at Rhode Island W 63–62  13–4
      (6–2)
       23  Hyland  9  Ward  6  Baldwin  Ryan Center (0)
      Kingston, RI
      February 9, 2021
      5:00 p.m., CBSSN
      at Dayton W 76–67  14–4
      (7–2)
       19  Hyland  5  Hyland  4  Ward  UD Arena (0)
      Dayton, OH
      February 12, 2021
      7:00 p.m., ESPN2
      St. Bonaventure W 67–64  15–4
      (8–2)
       22  Hyland  9  Williams  4  Baldwin  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      February 17, 2021
      7:00 pm, CBSSN
      Richmond
      Capital City Classic
      W 68–56  16–4
      (9–2)
       20  Hyland  12  Hyland  6  Hyland  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      February 20, 2021
      2:30 p.m., NBCSN
      George Mason
      Mason Rivalry
      L 76–79 OT 16–5
      (9–3)
       17  Hyland  7  Williams  5  Williams  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      February 23, 2021
      6:00 pm, CBSSN
      Saint Louis W 67–65  17–5
      (10–3)
       16  Williams  9  Williams  7  Baldwin  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      February 27, 2021
      2:00 pm, ESPNU
      at Davidson L 57–65  17–6
      (10–4)
       14  Watkins  10  Tied  3  Williams  John M. Belk Arena (225)
      Davidson, NC
      Atlantic 10 Tournament
      March 5, 2021
      3:30 pm, NBCSN
      (2) (7) Dayton
      Quarterfinals
      W 73–68  18–6
       30  Hyland  10  Hyland  3  Hyland  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      March 6, 2021
      9:00 pm, CBSSN
      (2) (3) Davidson
      Semifinals
      W 64–52  19–6
       12  Hyland  7  Stockard III  7  Baldwin  Siegel Center (250)
      Richmond, VA
      March 14, 2021
      1:00 pm, CBS
      (2) vs. (1) St. Bonaventure
      Championship
      L 65–74  19–7
       21  Hyland  9  Williams  3  Baldwin  UD Arena (1,500)
      Dayton, OH
      NCAA Tournament
      March 20, 2021
      9:57 pm, TNT
      (10 W) vs. (7 W) Oregon
      First Round
      Declared a no-contest due to COVID-19 protocols Indiana Farmers Coliseum 
      Indianapolis, IN
      *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
      All times are in Eastern Time.
      Notes

        Rankings

        Ranking movements
        Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
        — = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.
        Week
        PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
        APRVRVNot released
        CoachesRVRV

        *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

        Statistics

        No. Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
        0Jamir Watkins9015.4.476.357.7222.80.2220.7770.1117.0
        1Adrian Baldwin9925.65.2
        2Mikeal Brown-Jones909.9.5003.9
        5Nah'Shon Hyland9927.9.44418.2
        10Vince Williams9526.210.6
        11KeShawn Curry5424.69.4
        12Jimmy Clark9016.66.9
        13Corey Douglas9920.45.8
        15Arnold Henderson301.70.0
        20Hason Ward9016.65.4
        21Jarren McAllister000.00.0000.0000.0000.0000.0000.0000.0000.0
        33Josh Banks9010.23.3
        34Levi Stockard9913.95.8
        35Brendan Medley604.70.2

        See also

        References

        1. "Dayton vs. VCU - Game Summary - March 5, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
        2. "Davidson vs. VCU - Game Summary - March 6, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
        3. "St. Bonaventure wins A-10 tourney beating VCU for NCAA bid". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
        4. Davis, Marc. "VCU earns at-large NCAA Tournament bid". www.nbc12.com. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
        5. "Oregon-VCU declared no-contest; Ducks advance". ESPN.com. 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
        6. Dotson, Kevin. "Covid-19 Claims First Game Of NCAA Men's Tournament". CNN. Retrieved 2021-03-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
        7. "Atlantic 10 Cancels 2020 Spring Sports Competitions and Championships". Atlantic10.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
        8. "No. 20 VCU dumps Alabama St. for first 6-0 start". Reuters. November 25, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
        9. Epps Jr., Wayne. "Tre Clark no longer with VCU men's basketball program". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
        10. "VCU's opening two games canceled due to Tenn. coronavirus tests". RSN. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
        11. Guilbeau, Glenn. "LSU basketball game vs VCU canceled due to COVID-19 spike with the Tigers". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
        12. Newsroom, NBC12. "VCU men's basketball game against Louisiana canceled". www.nbc12.com. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
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