NCAA Basketball: Injury to VCU’s Marcus Evans shakes up A-10 Basketball for 2018-19 season
VCU Basketball wanted to get back to the top of the A-10. An injury to guard Marcus Evans could derail those hopes for the Rams.
Few mid-major programs have achieved the same kind of success over the last decade like VCU Basketball. The Rams made seven straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, as well as 11 consecutive seasons with at least 24 total wins.
But things took a slight dip under first-year VCU Head Coach Mike Rhoades, finishing with an 18-15 record and missing out on the Big Dance. It was a somewhat disappointing season, considering that the team’s two best players (Justin Tillman and Jonathan Williams) both were seniors.
The Rams do bring back some legit talent, including rising juniors De’Riante Jenkins and Isaac Vann. They were supposed to be joined by a player Rhoades brought with him at his previous stop at Rice, a potential First-Team All-A 10 candidate.
Marcus Evans averaged 20.1 ppg in his first two seasons at Rice, ranking as one of the best in the country. He followed his coach after he left, and sat out this past season. The 6’2 guard was supposed to take over for Williams and his 5.7 apg for next season while providing a scoring punch on the perimeter.
That has potentially changed, with Evans reportedly suffering an Achilles injury.
VCU guard Marcus Evans hurt his right Achilles last Friday playing pickup, Mike Rhoades said. There is a tear, and Evans will undergo a procedure today that will determine the severity of it and repair it. He tore his left Achilles last summer.
— Wayne Epps Jr. (@wayneeppsjr) June 4, 2018
The extent (and timetable) for this new injury for the guard is unknown, but it’s safe to stay that he likely won’t be suiting up on opening night.
Even if he’s out for the non-conference, this is a devastating blow for the Rams’ at-large chances. He’ll essentially be missing the key games needed for their resume, as VCU tends to play a very tough pre-conference group of contests.
For the team, they’ll have to start making plans without Evans. At the point guard position, Top-200 freshman PJ Byrd might be relied on early as the only true ball handler on the 2018-19 roster. Or Jenkins could have even more responsibilities, having to distribute just as much as scoring.
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The A-10 has lost a good amount of talent from their top teams, so a healthy VCU had a great shot at reclaiming their throne. But if Evans is unable to go for most of next season, the Rams will be staring back-to-back missed NCAA Tournament bids right in the face.