VCU Basketball: Samir Doughty transferring away from Rams
By Doug Winkey
VCU basketball will enter the summer without one of next season’s potential stars. Sophomore Samir Doughty will leave the Rams and transfer.
VCU basketball has had a mixed offseason thus far. They reeled in Marcus Smart from Rice but lost big man Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed to TCU.
They will also enter next season without rising star Samir Doughty, who will transfer elsewhere for the remainder of his college career. Doughty will sit next season but will have three season’s left to play.
With Doughty leaving, the Rams lose a versatile presence on the wing. The 6’4″, 185-pound guard had a great inaugural campaign after redshirting his first season. Doughty averaged 9.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals as part of VCU’s 26-9 season and NCAA run.
The team has now lost three of it’s top five scorers from 2016-2017. Coach Mike Rhoades will need to find someone to replace Doughty’s all-around production.
The best option might be sophomore De’Riante Jenkins. The 6’5″ wing averaged just 4.3 points but hit 45% of his long range attempts in limited action. He might not have Doughty’s overall ability, but Jenkins can fill in from deep and let other guys handle rebounding and distribution.
Johnathan Williams, Malik Crowfield, and Maine transfer Isaac Vann will also be factors in the perimeter rotation. Vann, in particular, should entice fans after putting up 16.4 points and 5.8 boards for the Black Bears in 2015-2016.
On the other side, Doughty will also have a chance to go to a another quality program for his three remaining seasons. His numbers were great as a first-year player — except for his 28% mark from deep.
More experience should help his accuracy and overall effectiveness. He originally hails from Philadelphia, so the ACC or Big East are options, but I think Temple might love adding another strong wing guy.
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This hurts VCU for next season, but the Rams still have options for next year. Evans will also regain eligibility in 2018-2019. Both sides of this separation will likely be fine in the long run.