Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
VCU (Projected: 3rd in A10)
Ryan Odom had a moderately successful first season as head coach at VCU in 2023-24. The Rams went 24-14 and made runs in the A10 Tournament and NIT. Odom returns six key players from last year’s team and has VCU set to compete for an NCAA Tournament berth once again in 2024-25.
Max Shulga (14 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg) was VCU’s biggest portal pickup of the off-season and yet he’s listed as a returner. Shulga entered the portal to begin the offseason, committed to Villanova, then retracted his commitment and returned to VCU. I don’t think Rams fans will care about that ordeal, as Shulga will likely be the favorite to win Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. Shulga led the Rams in scoring last season and along with a great passing ability is an elite three-point shooter at 41.5% last season.
The returning stars in the backcourt doesn’t stop with Shulga though, as Zeb Jackson (11 ppg, 4 rpg) and sixth man star Joe Bamisile (13 ppg) come back for their fifth years. Jackson and Bamisile both have high major experience from years’ past and were essential to VCU’s success last season. Jackson is a do-it-all guard, impacting the game heavily on both sides of the floor. Bamisile missed the first eight games of the season before evolving into a super sub for Ryan Odom, scoring 24 or more points in four different contests.
Christian Fermin (5 ppg, 4 rpg) is the lone returner in the frontcourt for the Rams. Fermin started all 38 games for the Rams last season and is seldom used offensively but provides great rim protection. Sophomore guards Alphonzo Billups III (5 ppg) and Michael Belle (3 ppg) predominantly came off the bench last season in the backcourt as freshman and will likely see similar roles this season. The final returner is forward Obinnaya Okafor, who did not appear in a game last season as a redshirt freshman.
VCU lost four players this off-season, all of whom played 16+ minutes per game. Sean Bairstow (10 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg), the 6-8 Australian point guard graduated while sophomore Jason Nelson (5 ppg) transferred out in the backcourt. The frontcourt lost the duo of Toibu Lawal (8 ppg, 6 rpg) and Kuany Kuany (6 ppg). Lawal and Kuany are both extremely athletic big men, often scoring easy baskets last season on lobs and cuts to the hoop.
Two players join the Rams this season via the transfer portal, the first being UT Arlington senior guard Phillip Russell (15 ppg, 4 apg at UTA). Russell started just 11 of the 22 games he played last season at UTA, giving the Rams two different experienced options at sixth man, whether they choose to start Russell or Joe Bamisile. Russell stands just 5-10 but has great speed and vision and is able to get his shot off against anybody. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, he’ll give this team a great boost offensively. Senior forward Jack Clark (5 ppg, 5 rpg at Clemson) comes in as another very important transfer, trying to fill the holes left by Toibu Lawal and Kuany Kuany. Like Lawal and Kuany, Clark saw most of his scoring from cuts to the hoop and lobs above the rim. Clark gives a bit of a floor spacing option like Kuany did, shooting 16 for 53 (30.2%) from three last season at Clemson.
Ryan Odom only brought in five newcomers this season, three of whom were freshmen. Forward Luke Bamgboye (3*, NAT 133) will likely have an impact from day one as the Rams frontcourt looks extremely thin heading into August. Odom needs Bamgboye to be impactful, as he brings the extreme athleticism in the frontcourt lost by the departure of Lawal. Guards Brandon Jennings (Unranked) and Terrence Hill Jr. (Unranked) should both have a year to learn the system with Shulga, Jackson, Bamisile, Russell, Billups III, and Belle ahead of them in the backcourt’s depth chart.
Ever since leading UMBC to its historical upset over Virginia, Ryan Odom has been a hot name in the coaching world. Odom stuck around at UMBC for a couple years before spending two years at Utah State and came back across the country last offseason to coach at VCU. VCU is a great spot to be a winning coach, with great resources and in a league that can send multiple teams to the tournament on occasion. I think this team may come up just short of a tournament berth once again in 2024-25, but I’m confident in Odom having this team highly competitive at the top of the A10.
The backcourt for VCU is set and looks like one of the best at the mid-major level. Max Shulga, Zeb Jackson, and Joe Bamisile all return as double-digit scorers and UTA transfer Phillip Russell will add a spark. The spot where I’m unsure of this team at is the frontcourt where they lost Toibu Lawal and Kuany Kuany last season. Both extremly athletic, they were able to give the Rams another dimension on both sides of the floor last season, getting easy dunks and erasing opposing shots at the rim. The X-factors for this team for me are Jack Clark and Luke Bamgboye because of this. Clark has high major experience from his time at NC State and Clemson, but will now have a much more important role and have to provide a consistent defensive presence. Bamgboye seems like he can be the replacement for Lawal, but he’s definitely at least a year away from having the same impact as Lawal. The more these two can provide in the frontcourt, the better the chance the Rams have at competing at the top of the A10 and reaching the NCAA Tournament.
With an extremely thin frontcourt, I’m worried about how foul trouble may take its toll on the Rams this season. The backcourt does give this team a very high ceiling though, and you have to give a coach like Ryan Odom the benefit of the doubt. I’ve got the Rams finishing 3rd in the Atlantic 10, just behind Dayton and Saint Louis.