MEN’S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
By Chris Kowalczyk
12-15-09

BIG MAN IN THE BIG EASY
Wake Forest junior transfer Jamie Skeen will make his first appearance in a VCU uniform during Saturday’s game at Tulane in New Orleans. How much Skeen will we see? That’s still up in the air, according to VCU Coach Shaka Smart.

“I can’t tell you for sure how many minutes he’s going to play,” Smart said. “We just got Terrance [Saintil] back Saturday. Larry [Sanders] is playing well, T.J. (Gwynn) is playing well. Jamie’s definitely going to see some time, how much is to be determined.”

Skeen will be a welcome addition to VCU’s front line. For the first part of the season, the Rams were missing the 6-8, 240-pound Saintil and the 6-9, 245-pound Skeen. Without those two, VCU was often undersized. Six-foot-eleven Larry Sanders is the only Ram taller than 6-5 averaging at least 10 minutes per game.

“It’s the Christmas season,” Smart said with a smile. “We definitely appreciate the addition to our front line. We’ve had games where Larry’s been in foul trouble and we’ve found ourselves playing four, sometimes even five guards.”

Smart added that he thought Skeen should help the Rams on the boards. VCU currently ranks ninth in the Colonial Athletic Association in rebounding margin.  

Skeen averaged 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in two seasons at Wake Forest. A four-star recruit out of North Mecklenburg (NC) High School, Skeen is said to have a solid inside-outside skill set. He also hit 58-of-159 3-pointers (37 percent).

He has not played in a game since March 13, 2008, a span of 21 months.

UP NEXT: TULANE
When the Rams meet Tulane Saturday, it will be a test of contrasting styles. VCU is known for its full court press and transition offense, while the Green Wave run a slower, rhythmic offense.

“They run a ton of plays,” Smart said. “There’s no way you can go everything they do, so we have to do a good job of being sound with our defensive principles.”

Tulane (3-5) is led by senior point guard Kevin Sims (11.8 ppg, 3.0 apg) and junior Kris Richard (12.6 ppg). The Green Wave averages just 12.4 turnovers per game, but also ranks 326th nationally in rebounding margin (-8.6). Tulane finished 14-17 and placed eighth in Conference USA last season.

OFF THE MARK
Known for his long-range shooting, sophomore Jay Gavin hasn’t been able to buy a bucket of late. In the five games since he scored 20 points against Oklahoma on Nov. 21, Gavin has averaged 4.4 points and shot 22 percent (6-of-27). Gavin is just 1-of-14 from 3-point range in those games.

On Saturday against Richmond, Gavin was replaced in the starting lineup by junior Brandon Rozzell.  
“Jay’s done some good things in those games. It’s not like he hasn’t contributed to us playing well or us winning,” Smart said. “Anytime as a shooter, if you’re not seeing the ball go in the basket, you probably do press a little. But the thing I’ve told Jay is, if you’re taking good shots and the last one didn’t go in, you’ve got to look at that as a fluke. You’ve got to assume the next one is going in.”

For the year, Gavin is averaging 8.0 points and shooting 37 percent. In 2007-08, during his freshman year at Marist, Gavin averaged 12.3 points and shot 39 percent (73-of-189) from 3-point range.

SANDERS RECOVERING
Junior forward Larry Sanders is making progress after experiencing flu-like symptoms the last two games. Despite the illness, Sanders recorded a double-double and averaged 13.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in those two contests, much to Smart’s delight.

“I certainly felt he played with a lot of energy Saturday,” Smart said. “At William & Mary (Dec. 5), he was really sick. For him to get a double-double in that game was very significant. A half hour before the game, we weren’t even sure he could play.”

PROPRIETOR OF THE PAINT
With five blocks against Richmond, Sanders moved past L.F. Likcholitov and into second place on VCU’s all-time list with 211 rejections.

Sanders still has a ways to go to catch Ren Watson, who blocked 391 shots between 1975 and 1979.

In addition, the 6-11 Sanders moved into sixth on the CAA’s career blocks list. Sanders needs nine blocks to pass Cal Bowdler, who rejected 219 shots for Old Dominion from 1996 to 1999, for fifth.

HAVOC STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS
At Saturday’s post game press conference, style of play was a hot topic. In VCU’s 65-57 win over Richmond, the Rams seemed to belie the “Wreak Havoc” theme that has been prevalent since Smart’s arrival in April.

VCU had zero fast break points against the Spiders. In the second half, the Rams scored 45 points, but did so with effective half court offense and 57-percent shooting. Although VCU and its full court press forced just 12 turnovers, Smart believes the Rams’ defense did its job.

“We’re not all the way where I want to be in terms of style of play,” Smart said. “But our press, in every game this year, has helped us in different ways. Against Richmond, I really felt like it was a cumulative effect of fatigue. A few of their key guys, if you go back and watch the tape, a lot of their shots came up short. That can have just as devastating an effect as a turnover.”

Richmond shot 36 percent (11-of-31) in the second half of Saturday’s game.

Smart said that the team sets about 15 statistical goals for each game, and the Rams want to force at least 18 turnovers per night. VCU has been successful in that regard three times this year, against Bethune-Cookman, Western Michigan and Rhode Island. The Rams are forcing an average of 14.5 turnovers per game this season.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
VCU players will get about four days off to spend the holidays with family and friends, Smart said. When the Rams return from New Orleans, they’ll practice Dec. 20 and 21 before dispersing. The team will resume practice Dec. 26.

RANDOMS
Senior T.J. Gwynn was named CAA Co-Player of the Week on Monday. Gwynn scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Rams’ win over Richmond Dec. 12. Despite his 4.4 points per game career average, Gwynn has scored 20 points four times in his career. Ironically, two are against Richmond…. Larry Sanders recorded his fourth straight double-double Saturday, the first time in his career he’s done that… Junior Joey Rodriguez is averaging career highs of 4.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game… Saturday’s crowd of 7,567 marked the 19th sellout in the 11-year history of the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Siegel Center. VCU is 16-3 in those contests… The Rams are 5-0 at home this year and 126-22 all-time at the Siegel Center.

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