The stretch run at VCU

Wow! The season seems like it has blown right by. With the end of the regular season approaching, we are fortunate to be in the conference title race here at VCU. We have two conference games remaining as well as a Bracket Buster game with Northern Iowa. Often times, these last few weeks determine who has the opportunity to be the Cinderella next month.  We are looking forward to a strong finish!

For the last two months, we have been in the day in, day out routine of conference play. In the CAA, we play an 18 game conference schedule which means we see many of the same team two times within a short time frame. This is why the ESPN Bracket Buster game is a great reprieve from conference play and allows us a chance to prepare for fresh faces which is exciting this time of year. We are thrilled to be at home where we will play Northern Iowa in front of our 17^th consecutive sellout crowd. These games are critical for RPI and tournament selection as we found out last season when we were one of the final teams included in the tournament. Little did we know at the time, but our 1 point win at Wichita State was probably the game the pushed us into the tournament. The Missouri Valley is a tremendous conference and we are looking forward to the challenge of facing a tough Northern Iowa team.  This will be a great test for our team and give us a ‘March Madness’ type game in February.

We worked very hard this season to position ourselves for success down the stretch run. We are the ninth youngest team in the country which has made it rewarding and challenging bringing this team along. We had some bumps early in the season as we adjusted to new roles, but have now won 11 consecutive games going into the home stretch. We’ve had great ‘buy in’ from our players all year long which has allowed us to progress as a team. Our guys have made a concerted effort to carry out the plan every day and every game. While we have not been perfect, the effort and enthusiasm has been there daily which is all we can ask as coaches.

I am not one for reflection, but the month of March has a whole new meaning after the run we went on last season. I still cannot believe the great experiences we had as a program. A lot of the best times were away from the public eye and in private:

1. Selection Sunday – The celebration we had in the office hallway when we realized we were in the tournament as a staff. After about five minutes of going crazy, we finally sat down to figure out who we actually played!
2. The feeling of winning the First Four game in Dayton - We had a small traveling party (it would grow substantially in the coming weeks) and just the looks on everyone’s faces after we defeated Southern Cal. We had no idea of what was to come and we were just so excited!
3. Locker room after beating Purdue to go to the Sweet 16 – There has probably never been a louder sprint down the back hallways of the United Center than our team running to the locker room after the win. It was an historic win for our school and everyone was so excited to be a part of it. We were also happy that the run was not going to end and we had another week to enjoy the fun!
4. Plane ride back from San Antonio to Richmond after defeating Kansas – I will never forget the pilot coming over the speaker and saying that our flight was going to be 45 minutes shorter because they cleared the air space once they heard VCU was on board. This was the first time that it hit me what a national news story our run had become.
5. Drive to airport for the Final 4 – I will never forget the police escort and all of the streets / interstate being shut down on the drive. People were standing on top of their cars waiving at us, honking their horns, and standing on the overpasses to cheer us on. It was a great sight and one that I will never forget!

I hope everyone has a great rest of February to set up a run in March! What a great experience March can be and I hope some players, coaches, and fans get to experience the ride we took last March!

Go Rams!