The offseason story for the Rams was one that these fans are far too used to hearing in Richmond. Another successful VCU season led to their head coach being poached, as Ryan Odom left town for the opening nearby at Virginia. Never panicking, VCU made what could be yet another smart hire by nabbing Bryant’s Phil Martelli Jr. who’s fresh off his own trip to the Big Dance and is hoping to make new memories with this program.
What initially stings is that a senior-laden lineup did the damage for VCU last season, meaning Martelli won’t have the surfaces of Max Shulga, Joseph Bamisile, or any of their top five scorers. Christian Fermin is the top player back and now a senior could slide into a major role in the frontcourt. A few younger pieces are back too, though Martelli and his new staff have brought in fresh talent to supplement those major losses.
First and foremost, Martelli brought with him two starting forwards from Bryant in Barry Evans and Keyshawn Mitchell while also luring Lazar Djokovic from Charleston. The other three transfers all come from power conference schools searching for better opportunities. Jadrian Tracey put up respectable numbers with Oregon the last two years after previous work at Saint Joseph’s. Another notable addition is Tyrell Ward, a former Top 30 recruit at LSU who stepped away from basketball last season but was good for 9 points a game as an SEC wing as a sophomore.
The third of those types of transfers is Ahmad Nowell and this 6-0 combo guard just might be the most important for VCU’s imminent potential. A Philadelphia native and former Top 40 recruit, Nowell spent last season at UConn but couldn’t carve out a significant role in the Huskies’ rotation and is hoping that can change here with the Rams.
When the dust settles and the season begins, Nowell is likely not the player who’s going to be the leading scorer for VCU, but he just might be the one setting the tone. VCU brought in significant talent in the frontcourt, but Nowell is the experienced piece in the backcourt, if you can call last season real experience. He’s a scrappy athlete who gives it all on both ends and will make everyone else around him better with his play.
VCU could get 15 points a game from one or more of their other new additions but Nowell is still a more important factor here. We’ll see if he can make that step forward as a sophomore and establish himself as a dynamic guard, much as was expected when he was named a top recruit last year. Opportunities that weren’t available at UConn are right for the taking in this lineup and we just might see a very special year in Richmond for this young guard.