There’s going to be a ton of new faces coming in for VCU basketball. The newest one is Vincent Williams, a three-star forward from Toledo, Ohio.
First-year head coach Mike Rhodes has had a bit of retooling to do. The Rams lost a lot with the graduations of JeQuan Lewis, Mo Allie-Cox, and Jordan Burgess. Add to it that Rhodes is the third coach in four years for the program, and things will look different on the court.
This season will have four freshmen coming in, all being three-star prospects. The Rams were heavy with upperclassmen during the past couple of years, meaning there will be another large group of freshmen coming for 2018.
VCU already has four commitments for the class of 2018. P.J. Byrd, Corey Douglas, and KeyShawn Curry were the first three, with Vincent Williams as the newest commitment. A 6’6″, 220-pound wing, Williams committed to the Rams on Oct. 4.
Williams chose VCU over Wichita State, Richmond, Akron, and Toledo. He fits well into the reputation of a Rams player. He is tough, physical and defensively sound. In his junior season, he averaged 16 ppg and 8.6 rpg while being a solid playmaker with the ball.
He’s not the best shooter in the world right now, but if he extends his range, be could become a nightmare at the three spot.
Despite the amount of talent lost, the Rams are still in good position to win the Atlantic 10 regular season title. While Rhode Island will be formidable for sure, but Dayton lost their coach and best players while the rest of the league has some catching up to do.
Next: Sun Belt 2017-18 rankings
If Rhodes can hit on just a few of these upcoming underclassmen, then the program will still maintain their status as an elite mid-major. Williams has the same look of the other under-recruited players that turned the Rams into who they are today. Starting next year we’ll see if he plays like it.