March 4, 2010

SANDERS, RODRIGUEZ EARN ALL-CAA HONORS; SANDERS NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

RICHMOND, Va. – The 1980s movie “Twins” features the odd pairing of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as co-stars.

Over 20 years later, the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball team featured another odd pairing as the leaders of the 2009-10 version of the Rams. Separated by over a foot in height, the junior duo of Joey Rodriguez (Oviedo, Fla.) and Larry Sanders (Fort Pierce, Fla.) led the Black & Gold to a 20-8 overall record and the fifth seed in the upcoming Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.

Both third-year standouts were honored at the CAA’s Annual banquet with All-Conference honors. Sanders earned his second consecutive CAA Defensive Player of the Year award, along with First-Team honors, while Rodriguez was named to the Second-Team, his first all-conference accolade.

Sanders became the only the second player ever to capture back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards, ranking third in the conference and 24th in the nation with 67 blocked shots. He is also second in the conference in rebounding with 8.9 rebounds per game. In less than three seasons, Sanders has moved up to fourth on the CAA’s all-time blocked shots list with 254. He grabbed double-digit rebounds 12 times this season and is four rebounds shy of 700 for his career.

“The thing about Larry’s defense is that it can’t all be measured on the stat sheet,” Head Coach Shaka Smart said. “When he is focused, he can disrupt so many shots and force the opposition into a stagnant offense, which ultimately buys time for our guards to try and force a turnover.”

Along with his defensive abilities, Sanders led the scoring attack with 14.8 points per outing, recording double-digits in 22 of his 27 games. He also ranked second in the conference in field-goal percentage with a 54.9% clip.

“Larry had some tremendous offensive performances this year,” Smart added. “His approach is so important because when he comes with the energy and determination that he possesses, he’s tough for anybody to stop.”

Maybe the heart and soul of this year’s squad can be found in Rodriguez’s 5-10, 175-pound body. The hard-nosed, gritty leader of the Black & Gold led the conference and ranked in the top-10 in the country in assists (6.0 apg) and steals (1.9 spg). In addition, he averaged 12.0 points per game, including five 20-plus point performances.

“I really can’t say enough about the way Joey has played this year,” Smart said. “We knew coming into the year that with Eric leaving the point guard spot would be a focal point and Joey has been outstanding. To have him develop not only as a player, but a leader the way he has, it’s been vital for us.”

Rodriguez and Sanders will lead the Rams into their first round match-up with 12th-seeded Delaware. Game time on Friday, March 5 is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Richmond Coliseum.