Colonial Athletic Association

[EPJr]

Even the VCU pep band refuses to play by the rules. Alamodome security came over again and again to warn the rambunctious group about this violation or that (trying to play while a video was on the scoreboard, flinging drum sticks into the air). The Ram band would sit there and politely smile at each rebuke. Then wait a few minutes and do it all over again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... qwPXWltLio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGBLfoBs ... detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... zpHwHpASmk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... tpwhnz_9w8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cini0UZ4_ng&NR=1

"We feed off them every single game," Smart says, becoming perhaps the first Elite Eight coach in history to credit the band.

There are no rules for Cinderella.

http://culturemap.com/newsdetail/03-26- ... power-vcu/

[EPJr]

RICHMOND, Va. - For the past 72 hours, "VCU" or "Virginia Commonwealth University" was among the top searches on Google.

Wanna know why? Oh yeah, that basketball team we have here is going to the Final Four.

After being the media step-child for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the Rams have become the media darling, taking over the media on television, radio and print.

The VCU Athletic Communications office has fielded over 400 requests in the past week and are receiving more and more on a daily basis.

Let's take a look at how the Black & Gold are telling their story:

http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb ... 03291gbr7p

[EPJr]

Rams’ magical run comes to an end

The Rams were badly beaten on the glass, as Butler grabbed 16 offensive boards and a 16 overall rebound advantage.

A large part of this was perhaps due in part to VCU’s bigs saddled with foul trouble, seeing DJ Haley, Juvonte Reddic, and Toby Veal pick up 8 total fouls in a combined 25 minutes of play.

The Rams finished the game with a -12 disadvantage at the free throw line, as VCU was whistled eight more times than the Bulldogs on the night.

Jamie Skeen picked up four fouls of his own, but posted a game high 27 points, his second consecutive 26+ point performance.

http://www.vcuramnation.com/2011/04/ram ... to-an-end/

[EPJr]

SMART AGREES TO NEW EIGHT-YEAR CONTRACT AT VCU

RICHMOND, VA (April 4, 2011)

– Virginia Commonwealth University officials announced today that head men's basketball coach Shaka Smart has agreed to an eight-year contract.

The agreement comes on the heels of VCU's historic appearance in the Final Four of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

"Coach Smart's contributions to the university are unquantifiable," said VCU President Michael Rao. "His character, intelligence and pursuit of excellence embody VCU's core values."

Shaka Smart's leadership has forever raised awareness of VCU as the major public research university that it is," Rao said.

Terms will be released when the contract is fully executed. VCU Director of Athletics Norwood Teague said they indicate Coach Smart's commitment to VCU.

http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb ... 0404rhhlp0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

http://www.portsmouthinvitational.com/rosters2.php

[EPJr]

RICHMOND, Va. – It's a well-known fact that Head Coach Shaka Smart of the VCU men's basketball program is a history buff.

Then it really comes as no surprise as Smart and his Rams continue to rewrite the history books when it comes to VCU basketball. For the first time ever, the Black & Gold earned a top-10 ranking, finishing sixth in the final USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll of the 2010-11 season.

"I'm extremely proud of this group of guys and what they've accomplished over the past month," Smart said. "They've forever changed not only this basketball program, but this university as a whole. It speaks volumes to the type of players that we are privileged enough to have as part of our family."

It's the highest-ever ranking by any CAA school and the first top-10 appearance since George Mason in 2006, when they finished eighth. The last time a Rams team appeared in the top-25 was in 1984-85, when they finished 11th in the country according to the AP poll.

http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb ... 0405bzx9gm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

SportsQuest bringing Sweet 16 floor to Richmond

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports/20 ... ar-958457/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

pieces given to VCU and UR

[jacobadam]

The CAA was founded in 1983 as the ECAC South basketball league. It was renamed the Colonial Athletic Association in 1985 when it added championships in other sports (although a number of members maintain ECAC affiliation in some sports). As of 2006, it organizes championships in 21 men's and women's sports. The addition of Northeastern University in 2005 gave the conference the NCAA minimum of six football programs needed to sponsor football. For the 2007 football season, all of the Atlantic Ten Conference's football programs joined the CAA football conference, as agreed upon in May 2005.

[EPJr]

After entering the field as the goat, VCU has quickly become the darling of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. It seems like they are already parlaying that success and popularity into some greater opportunities for the future.


http://dc.sbnation.com/2011/3/25/207151 ... -t-classic" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

WeAreTheCAA.com (http://www.wearethecaa.com/) for features, blogs, videos & more. Content is done for & by CAA student-athletes!

[EPJr]

Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com just posted this interesting little tidbid about Coach Larranaga:

"George Mason's Jim Larranaga has had serious discussions with Miami officials about the ACC school's coaching vacancy, multiple sources told CBSSports.com on Thursday. Whether Larranaga is leveraging for a better deal from George Mason or on the verge of actually moving to Miami is unclear, both sources said. But the talks are advanced and ongoing, and the 61-year-old New York native has developed into Miami's top target."

http://eye-on-college-basketball.blogs. ... 6/28731422" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

National Hoops Report

Joey Rodriguez was one of the faces of the Virginia Commonwealth team that made it to the Final Four this season. I caught up with the senior to talk about the run, his future plans, going back home to Florida and we dive into some quick hitting questions that you don’t want to miss.

http://nationalhoopsreport.net/2011/04/ ... iguez-vcu/

[EPJr]

Fairfax, Va. -- Paul Hewitt is the new men's basketball coach at George Mason.

The former Georgia Tech coach was hired Saturday to replace Jim Larranaga, who left this month for the University of Miami.

Hewitt was fired by the Yellow Jackets last month. He went 190-162 in 11 years at the school and was just 72-104 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Hewitt coached Georgia Tech to the 2004 national title game, losing 82-73 to Connecticut in San Antonio.


http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6456028" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

SMART EARNS NATIONAL COACH OF YEAR HONOR FROM NSSA

SALISBURY, N.C. – Just a few days after he was a distinquished guest at the White House Correspondant's Dinner, Head Coach Shaka Smart was being honored on the national stage once again.

This time, Smart was named the Division I recipient of the first-ever Clarence E. "Big House" Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year award by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association & Hall of Fame.

"It's quite an honor to be recognized on a national level and I want to thank the NSSA for this award," Head Coach Shaka Smart said. "My coaching staff and the 14 guys in that locker room are the reason for this and I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of it."

http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/201 ... 05027wslde" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

http://store.cstv.com/store.cfm?dept_id ... artner_ID=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

http://www.thehoopsreport.com/article.aspx?id=723

[EPJr]

1st Four to the Final Four DVD Trailers

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[EPJr]

He came back to see HIS seniors graduate

[EPJr]

ESPN ANNOUNCES FULL EIGHT-TEAM FIELD
FOR 2011 CHARLESTON CLASSIC


CHARLESTON, S.C. – It's never too early to start planning your travel schedule for the 2011-12 VCU men's basketball season.

One trip that is a must for Ram Nation? The 2011 Charleston Classic.

ESPN and the Charleston Classic announced the full eight-team field on Thursday which, along with the Rams, includes Georgia Tech, LSU, Saint Joseph's, Seton Hall, Tulsa, Western Kentucky and Northwestern.

It's the fourth straight year for the event which is set for Thursday, Friday and Sunday, Nov. 17, 18 and 20 at the Carolina First Arena in Charleston, S.C. It will feature 12 games over three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that reamin undefeated throughout will face off in a championship match on Sunday, Nov. 20.

This family-friendly tournament offers the teams a week of practice, play and experiences in-and-around historic Charleston. Additional information, including travel packages, can be found on the Charleston Classic Web site at http://www.charlestonclassic.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Fans can purchase official hotel accommodations and game tickets by going to http://www.anthonytravel.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (search Charleston Classic) or by calling 1-888-632-6951. For more information on the event, go to http://www.charlestonclassic.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and for event updates, follow http://www.twitter.com/CharlestonClsc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.facebook.com/charlestonclassic" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb ... 06029zq7n7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

BURGESS AMONG 22 INVITEES TO 2011 USA BASKETBALL UNIVERSITY GAME S TEAM TRAINING CAMP


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Representing your country is an honor that only a distinguished group of athletes ever get the chance to do.

Rising senior Bradford Burgess will get that chance as he was among 22 of the nation's top collegiate athletes to accept invitations from the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee to attend the 2011 USA Basketball Men's World University Games Team training camp.

"I'm humbled and blessed to get this opportunity to be among some of the country's best players and coaches," Burgess said. "I'm just going to go out there and give it everything I have and hope for the best."

http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb ... 060882xd7l

[EPJr]

Subscribe to Basketball Times by visiting http://www.basketballtimes.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

By reaching the Final Four just five years apart, George Mason and VCU placed some mighty impressive dots on the basketball map.

And what about the line that is the Colonial Athletic Association that connects them?

Much less has been said about a conference that has placed more teams in the past half-dozen Final Fours than the Mountain West, Atlantic 10 and Conference USA combined (a feat equaled by the Horizon League, though by a single team from Butler).

Much more deserves to be said about the Virginia-centric league that also has sent more teams to the Final Four over those six seasons than a Big 12 Conference that produced Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Michael Beasley over that same period, but just one Final Four team (albeit a national-champion Kansas in 2008).

http://www.caasports.com/ViewArticle.db ... =205158794" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUalum11]

How about JJ Barea's performance in the finals?! Who knows what the finals would have been like without him... He represented the CAA pretty well. Not even ODU, VCU or George Mason, the CAA big three, can say they had a player play a major role in the NBA Finals.

Barea brilliant as Mavs win NBA Title

Former Northeastern star J.J. Barea is an NBA champion.

Barea, who earned his third consecutive start of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, finished with 15 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals in the Dallas Mavericks’ 105-95 Game 6 win over the Miami Heat.

The former CAA Player of the Year turned in a brilliant performance. He logged nearly 30 minutes of action—his most in the 2011 playoffs—in what was the most important game in Mavericks franchise history. The victory gave Dallas its first-ever NBA title.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle inserted Barea into the starting lineup before Game 4 of the Finals. That move proved to be a turning point in the series. Dallas went a perfect 3-0 with Barea as a starter, and the team’s offensive production improved by an average of 13 points per game—from an average of 88 points over the first three games to 101 points over the final three games.

For the series, Barea averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 assists per game. His numbers over the final three games, all of which he started, were even more impressive--13.3 points and 4.7 assists.

Barea is just the second Northeastern player to win an NBA title, joining Rick Weitzman, who accomplished that feat with the Boston Celtics in 1968.

After struggling offensively for the first four games of the series, Dallas eclipsed 100 points for the second straight game. Jason Terry came off the Dallas bench to lead all scorers with 27 points. Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki contributed a double-double, with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Barea (15) and Shawn Marion (12) were the other Dallas players to score in double figures. NBA veteran Jason Kidd added nine points, eight assists and four rebounds.

Five Miami players scored in double figures, led by LeBron James with 21. Chris Bosh added 19 points, followed by Mario Chalmers (18), Dwayne Wade (17) and Udonis Haslem (11).

The Mavs stormed through the first three rounds of the playoffs, dispatching Portland, 4-2, sweeping the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, 4-0, and ousting Oklahoma City, 4-1.

http://www.gonu.com/news/2011/6/13/MBB_0613114810.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

Radford has hired VCU assistant Mike Jones.

According to sources, Radford athletic director Robert Lineburg has tabbed Jones to succeed Brad Greenberg – who resigned last month following an NCAA investigation.

A news conference is scheduled for Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Jones has been on Shaka Smart’s staff for the past two years. Previously, he worked for Dennis Felton at Georgia. Jones, the son of former NBA/ABA player Jimmy Jones, played and coached at Howard University – and was also an assistant under John Beilein at Richmond and briefly at West Virginia.

Jones will inherit a program that has struggled the last two seasons after winning the Big South title and going to the NCAA tournament in 2009.

Radford was 5-24 this past season.

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entr ... 6/30027685

[ODUalum11]

Congrats to Mike Jones. That leaves ODU's Jim Corrigan missing another opportunity.

[EPJr]

RAMS’ MAGICAL NCAA TOURNAMENT RUN EARNS ESPY NOMINATION FOR “BIGGEST UPSET”



BRISTOL, Conn. – Music stars have the Grammys, movie stars have the Oscars. TV stars have the Emmys and sports stars have the ESPYs.

It's an exclusive list that gets to enjoy one of the best night in sports, but the VCU men's basketball team will be on that list next month. The Rams have earned an ESPY Nomination for "Biggest Upset" for their unforgettable March and their upset of top-seeded Kansas in the Southwest Regional Final.

"This is just a really cool opportunity for us and I'm blessed to be able enjoy it with some of my closest friends," senior Joey Rodriguez said. "To be invited to one of the biggest nights in sports and in the same crowd as these superstars is something we'll never forget."

Along with Rodriguez, Head Coach Shaka Smart, Jamie Skeen, Ed Nixon and Brandon Rozzell will head to Los Angeles from July 12-14th. An exclusive gathering for all the nominees will take place on July 12th and the live taping of the ESPYs on Wednesday, July 13th at Nokia Theatre.

The Black & Gold will be competing against the Seattle Seahawks' upset of the New Orleans Saints in the first round of last year's NFL playoffs, Fabricio Werdum's MMA upset of Fedor Emelianenko and Blame's upset over Zenyatta in the Breeder's Cup.

Seth Myers will be the host for the event and fans will vote for the winner of multiple categories. Voting has opened up to the public via http://espn.go.com/espys/#!/voting/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.