EVERYBODY LOVES BRANDON
By Chris Kowalczyk
2-4-10

Brandon Rozzell is a pretty easy guy to root for. He’s the consummate hometown kid making good before an audience of friends, family and admirers - not to mention the fact that he’s just so darn nice. If you see a group of VCU players laughing and having a good time, chances are that Rozzell is probably nearby.

“I think it just comes from my personality,” Rozzell said. “I like to have fun. I like to make guys laugh. Guys laugh at me. It’s all about chemistry. I’ve been with these guys a long time.”

Rozzell’s popularity extends throughout the city of Richmond and the Siegel Center, a building he’s been patrolling since he was a high school star at Highland Springs. He’s so popular, in fact, that Rams’ Head Coach Shaka Smart often refers to his junior shooting guard as “The Mayor.”

“It’s because he knows everybody and he’s so well liked around Richmond,” Smart said. “I’ve run into countless people that either know him or have some story about him or his family. They’re all positive. Brandon has built up a tremendous relationship with the people in this city.”

Rozzell’s relationship with the city is, perhaps, too good.

“Tickets are terrible, just terrible,” He said with a smile.

For an average home game, Rozzell needs to find around 15 tickets for friends and family. That number jumps to between 20-25 for big games like Richmond or Old Dominion.

“For Oklahoma I had like 20 to 25 people asking, but I had to cut them all off,” Rozzell said. “I stuck with my 10 family members and five lucky people.”

This season, Rozzell is providing his fans with plenty of new material. Rozzell is the Rams’ starting shooting guard and is averaging a career-high 8.6 points and shooting 44 percent from 3-point range.

Rozzell’s affable, high-energy personality was a hit with Smart from the beginning. His and teammate Ed Nixon’s effort in practice and games earned the duo the moniker, “The Energy Brothers” from Smart. However, there are plenty of nice, fun guys who can’t play a lick. This isn’t about patting nice guys on the back. It’s about sweat equity.

Rozzell could always score. Scoring punched his ticket to VCU, but Rozzell wants to be a complete player. This summer, Rozzell spent countless hours at Franklin Street Gym, working on his ball handling and shooting skills. In high school, Rozzell could slash to the basket for buckets, but now he’s got a long-distance stroke to boot.  He’s also trying to become a better defender. Highland Springs employed a 2-3 zone, almost exclusively, but the VCU is primarily a man-to-man team.  Smart isn’t ready to label Rozzell his best defender, but he made it clear that the guard has made great strides on that side of the floor.

“He’s always kind of been known as an offensive guy,” Smart said. “One thing we’ve really stressed is to try to help him get better with his defense and rebounding. It’s definitely still a work in progress, but in terms of him becoming a more complete player, that’s actually more a focal point for us than how he scores on offense.”

One of the keys to Rozzell’s development this season has been his diligence in the weight room with VCU Strength and Conditioning Coach Daniel Roose. When he got to VCU three years ago, Rozzell was 160 pounds, soaking wet. Since, he’s added more than 20 pounds to his 6-foot-2 frame, but it wasn’t easy.

“The first time I met Roose, he punished me,” Rozzell said. “I was supposed to work out the next day and I called him and told him I couldn’t get out of bed. I hated Roose for a week. But it started to grow on me that he was here to help me and things started working out. We just kept working and now I think I’m one of his favorite guys and he’s one of mine.”

This summer, if he wasn’t at Franklin Street or the weight room, Rozzell was busy hopping from pickup game to pickup game. Mind you, these aren’t just a bunch of intramural superstars. No sir. The names of these players read like a who’s who of Richmond basketball. VCU legends Kendrick Warren, Bo Jones, Lamar Taylor, past and present NBA players Cory Alexander, Ben Wallace and Andre Ingram and former Boston College star Tyrese Rice are all regulars, as well as players from the University of Richmond and Virginia Union.  

These games, which run anywhere from Highland Springs or John Marshall High Schools to the Robins Center, are ultra-competitive proving grounds. Nobody gets a free pass. 

“Whenever there’s a pickup game, whether it be eight in the morning or 10 at night, if you’re not there, it’s kind of like there’s punishment the next time you come, so I have to show up,” Rozzell said. “It’s intense. All of us are competitors and all of us hate to lose, so, it’s crazy.”

Win, lose or draw, these games are Rozzell’s training camp, and once they’re over, there are plenty of veterans who are ready to teach.

“It I do something wrong, they’re all over me. If I do something right, they don’t give me any compliments,” Rozzell said, flashing a smile. “But after it’s all over, they talk to me, sit me down and let me know what I need to improve on and what I’m doing good.”

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