VCU Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Rams

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 15: De'Riante Jenkins #0 of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams celebrates a basket against the Rhode Island Rams during their Atlantic 10 basketball tournament quarterfinal game at Barclays Center on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Evans of the Rams reacts. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Projected Starting Backcourt

Marcus Evans | 6-foot-2 | 190 lbs | Senior

Arguably one of the most important players in the entire country, Marcus Evans is VCU’s pulse. The 6-foot-2 senior lead guard is absolutely outstanding on both ends of the floor and deserves credit as a national star. Even though his per-game averages might not jump off the computer screen, he is the catalyst for the Rams on both ends of the floor. He is a dynamic attacker off the dribble and does an exceptional job creating for himself.

Considering VCU’s biggest weakness last season was suffering through scoring droughts, having someone who is capable of creating a decent look out of nothing like Evans is absolutely critical. He is the team’s top returning scorer and is also arguably the best one-on-one defender in the entire nation.

Over the course of last season, Evans posted averages of 13.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. These are very strong numbers and he obviously put together a great campaign, but there are also reasons to believe he could be even better this time around. After shooting 37.6% from 3-point range during his last full seasons at Rice, Evans’ percentage plummeted down to a dreadful 27.3% last year. If he is able to regain some of his consistency as a deadly perimeter threat, watch out for his scoring to take a significant leap.

Evans is a star. It’s that simple. If you didn’t know his name coming into this season, you will in a hurry. He is the guiding force of the Rams and the squad absolutely need him to remain healthy.

De’Riante Jenkins | 6-foot-5 | 190 lbs | Senior

Joining Evans in the backcourt will be another standout defender in De’Riante Jenkins. A full-time starter from last season, Jenkins is back to reprise his role as a potential All-Conference contributor. When watching the 6-foot-5 guard on film, the first thing that jumps out is his incredible energy on defense. While the entire Rams’ roster features strong defenders with great instincts, Jenkins is one of the best. He is flat-out elite on that side of the ball and pairs tremendously well with Evans as a result. To put it simply, Evans/Jenkins is the best defensive backcourt in the country and there might not be another duo in the same stratosphere.

Additionally, though, Jenkins is a reliable perimeter threat on the offensive end. Even though his 3-point percentage dipped from 41.8% to 34.1% last season, he is definitely an elite shooter from beyond the arc and opponents respect that. Considering VCU’s struggles from beyond the arc last season, Jenkins could be an even bigger difference-maker with a shooting resurgence. He averaged 11.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game last season. Expect a similar campaign this time around, but perhaps on better shooting splits. Jenkins is an All-Atlantic 10 caliber player.