2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball team

2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, Did not play due to COVID-19 protocols
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Record	19–7 (10–4 A-10)
Head coach	Mike Rhoades (4th season)
Assistant coaches	J. D. Byers Brent Scott Jamal Brunt
Home arena	Stuart C. Siegel Center

2020–21 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
St. Bonaventure†	11	–	4		.733			16	–	5		.762
VCU	10	–	4		.714			19	–	7		.731
Davidson	7	–	4		.636			13	–	9		.591
Saint Louis	6	–	4		.600			14	–	7		.667
UMass	6	–	4		.600			8	–	7		.533
George Mason	8	–	6		.571			13	–	9		.591
Dayton	9	–	7		.563			14	–	10		.583
Richmond	6	–	5		.545			14	–	9		.609
Duquesne	7	–	7		.500			9	–	9		.500
Rhode Island	7	–	10		.412			10	–	15		.400
George Washington	3	–	5		.375			5	–	12		.294
La Salle	6	–	11		.353			9	–	16		.360
Saint Joseph's	3	–	9		.250			5	–	15		.250
Fordham	2	–	11		.154			2	–	12		.143
† 2021 A10 Tournament winner

The 2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach is Mike Rhoades, his fourth year as VCU head coach. The team played its home games at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia, as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They were forced to be eliminated by Oregon because one player from VCU had tested positive for COVID-19.

Previous season

Main article: 2019–20 VCU Rams men's basketball team

VCU finished the 2019–20 season with an 18–13 record and an 8–10 record in Atlantic 10 play. VCU had begun the season with a 6–0 record, for the first time in program history, and were ranked as high as 20th in the nation. The Rams finished the season with a 2–7 record in their final nine games. They were seeded eighth in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament, against ninth-seeded UMass. The tournament, however, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Mike'l Simms	1	F	6'5"	210	Senior	Richmond, Virginia	Graduated
Marcus Evans	2	G	6'2"	190	RS-Senior	Chesapeake, Virginia	Graduated
Malik Crowfield	13	G	6'4"	195	Senior	LaPlace, Louisiana	Graduated
Issac Vann	23	F	6'6"	210	RS-Senior	Bridgeport, Connecticut	Graduated
Marcus Santos-Silva	14	F	6'7"	250	Junior	Taunton, Massachusetts	Graduate transferred to Texas Tech

Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Levi Stockard III	35	C	6'8"	240	Senior	St. Louis, Missouri	Transferred from Kansas State
Brendan Medley-Bacon	34	F	7'1"	245	Junior	Baltimore, Maryland	Transferred from Coppin State

2020 Recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Adrian Baldwin PG	Baltimore, MD	St. Frances Academy	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Nov 13, 2019
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 80
Josh Banks SF	Charlotte, NC	Olympic High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sep 1, 2019
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 78
Mikeal Brown-Jones PF	Bradenton, FL	IMG Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Nov 13, 2019
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 79
Jamir Watkins SF	Trenton, NJ	Trenton Catholic	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Nov 13, 2019
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "VCU 2020 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020.

2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jalen DeLoach PF	Savannah, GA	The Skill Factory	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 11, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 77
Nick Kern SF	St. Louis, MO	Vashon High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Nov 11, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 86
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "VCU 2021 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.

Preseason

A10 media poll

The Atlantic 10 men's basketball media poll was released on November 9, 2020. VCU was picked to finish ninth.

A10 Preseason Poll
Predicted finish	Team
1	Richmond (19)
2	Saint Louis (7)
3	Dayton (2)
4	St. Bonaventure
5	Duquesne
6	Rhode Island
7	Davidson
8	UMass
9	VCU
10	George Mason
11	George Washington
12	Saint Joseph's
13	La Salle
14	Fordham

Roster

2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Jamir Watkins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Trenton Catholic Trenton, New Jersey G 1 Adrian Baldwin Jr. 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr St. Frances Academy Baltimore, Maryland F 2 Mikeal Brown-Jones 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr IMG Academy Bradenton, Florida G 5 Nah'Shon Hyland 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So St. Georges Technical Wilmington, Delaware G/F 10 Vince Williams Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr St. John's Jesuit Toledo, Ohio G 11 KeShawn Curry 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Fork Union Military Academy Jacksonville, Florida G 12 Jimmy Clark III* 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Newton HS Covington, Georgia F 13 Corey Douglas Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Sr Ballard (Louisville) Tallahassee CC Louisville, Kentucky G 15 Arnold Henderson VI 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So St. Christopher's School Mechanicsville, Virginia F 20 Hason Ward 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Springfield Central HS Springfield, Massachusetts G 21 Jarren McAllister 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Massanutten Military Academy Wake Forest, North Carolina G 33 Josh Banks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Olympic Charlotte, North Carolina F 34 Levi Stockard III 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Kansas State Saint Louis, Missouri C 35 Brendan Medley-Bacon 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Coppin State Baltimore, Maryland	Head coach Mike Rhoades (Lebanon Valley) Assistant coach(es) J. D. Byers (Lebanon Valley) Brent Scott (Rice) Jamal Brunt (Randolph–Macon) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
C	Corey Douglas Jr.	Brendan Medley-Bacon	Mikeal Brown-Jones
PF	Levi Stockard III	Hason Ward	Vince Williams, Jr.
SF	Keyshawn Curry	Jamir Watkins
SG	Nah'Shon Hyland	Josh Banks	Arnold Henderson VI
PG	Adrian Baldwin	Jimmy Clark III*	Jarren McAllister

Schedule

VCU originally had games scheduled against Charlotte, Tennessee, and LSU that were cancelled due to positive COVID-19 tests; they also had a match scheduled against Louisiana that was cancelled due to NCAA scheduling limitations.

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 25, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2		vs. Utah State Crossover Classic quarterfinals	W 85–69	1–0	23 – Hyland	6 – Curry	7 – Baldwin	Sanford Pentagon (0) Sioux Falls, SD
November 26, 2020* 2:30 pm, ESPN		vs. No. 15 West Virginia Crossover Classic semifinals	L 66–78	1–1	13 – Hyland	4 – Watkins	6 – Baldwin	Sanford Pentagon (0) Sioux Falls, SD
November 27, 2020* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2		vs. Memphis Crossover Classic third place game	W 70–59	2–1	15 – Williams	7 – Ward	6 – Baldwin	Sanford Pentagon (0) Sioux Falls, SD
December 2, 2020* 5:00 p.m., FS1		at Penn State	L 69–72	2–2	13 – Stockard III	6 – Hyland	6 – Baldwin	Bryce Jordan Center (283) University Park, PA
December 5, 2020* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Mount St. Mary's	W 60–42	3–2	14 – Hyland	5 – Ward	5 – Baldwin	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
December 9, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		North Carolina A&T	W 95–59	4–2	30 – Hyland	8 – Williams	5 – Baldwin	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
December 12, 2020* 5:00 p.m., NBCSN		Old Dominion ODU Rivalry	W 77–54	5–2	15 – Hyland	8 – Williams	2 – Tied	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
December 15, 2020* 7:00 p.m., MASN		Western Carolina	W 93–68	6–2	31 – Hyland	6 – Williams	4 – Williams	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
December 22, 2020* 4:00 p.m., MASN		James Madison	W 82–81	7–2	15 – Tied	8 – Williams	10 – Baldwin	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
Atlantic 10 regular season
December 30, 2020 12:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Saint Joseph's	W 80–64	8–2 (1–0)	17 – Williams	7 – Williams	3 – Williams	Hagan Arena (0) Philadelphia, PA
January 6, 2021 7:00 p.m., MASN		at George Mason Mason Rivalry	W 66–61	9–2 (2–0)	23 – Hyland	10 – Hyland	3 – Williams	EagleBank Arena (250) Fairfax, VA
January 9, 2021 2:00 p.m., CBSSN		Rhode Island	L 68–83	9–3 (2–1)	24 – Hyland	6 – Williams	5 – Clark	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
January 13, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at George Washington	W 84–77	10–3 (3–1)	17 – Hyland	5 – Williams	8 – Baldwin	Smith Center (0) Washington, DC
January 20, 2021 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		at St. Bonaventure	L 54–70	10–4 (3–2)	16 – Hyland	10 – Ward	3 – Clark	Reilly Center (0) Olean, NY
January 23, 2021 4:30 p.m., CBSSN		Dayton	W 66–43	11–4 (4–2)	28 – Hyland	6 – Tied	5 – Baldwin	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
January 30, 2021 1:00 p.m., NBCSN		La Salle	W 73–62	12–4 (5–2)	24 – Hyland	10 – Ward	4 – Tied	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
February 3, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Rhode Island	W 63–62	13–4 (6–2)	23 – Hyland	9 – Ward	6 – Baldwin	Ryan Center (0) Kingston, RI
February 9, 2021 5:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Dayton	W 76–67	14–4 (7–2)	19 – Hyland	5 – Hyland	4 – Ward	UD Arena (0) Dayton, OH
February 12, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN2		St. Bonaventure	W 67–64	15–4 (8–2)	22 – Hyland	9 – Williams	4 – Baldwin	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
February 17, 2021 7:00 pm, CBSSN		Richmond Capital City Classic	W 68–56	16–4 (9–2)	20 – Hyland	12 – Hyland	6 – Hyland	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
February 20, 2021 2:30 p.m., NBCSN		George Mason Mason Rivalry	L 76–79 OT	16–5 (9–3)	17 – Hyland	7 – Williams	5 – Williams	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
February 23, 2021 6:00 pm, CBSSN		Saint Louis	W 67–65	17–5 (10–3)	16 – Williams	9 – Williams	7 – Baldwin	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
February 27, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPNU		at Davidson	L 57–65	17–6 (10–4)	14 – Watkins	10 – Tied	3 – Williams	John M. Belk Arena (225) Davidson, NC
Atlantic 10 Tournament
March 5, 2021 3:30 pm, NBCSN	(2)	(7) Dayton Quarterfinals	W 73–68	18–6	30 – Hyland	10 – Hyland	3 – Hyland	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
March 6, 2021 9:00 pm, CBSSN	(2)	(3) Davidson Semifinals	W 64–52	19–6	12 – Hyland	7 – Stockard III	7 – Baldwin	Siegel Center (250) Richmond, VA
March 14, 2021 1:00 pm, CBS	(2)	vs. (1) St. Bonaventure Championship	L 65–74	19–7	21 – Hyland	9 – Williams	3 – Baldwin	UD Arena (1,500) Dayton, OH
NCAA Tournament
March 20, 2021 9:57 pm, TNT	(10 W)	vs. (7 W) Oregon First Round	Declared a no-contest due to COVID-19 protocols					Indiana Farmers Coliseum  Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Notes

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	—	—	—			Not released
Coaches	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	—	—

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

Statistics

No.	Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
0	Jamir Watkins	9	0	15.4	.476	.357	.722	2.8	0.222	0.777	0.111	7.0
1	Adrian Baldwin	9	9	25.6								5.2
2	Mikeal Brown-Jones	9	0	9.9	.500							3.9
5	Nah'Shon Hyland	9	9	27.9	.444							18.2
10	Vince Williams	9	5	26.2								10.6
11	KeShawn Curry	5	4	24.6								9.4
12	Jimmy Clark	9	0	16.6								6.9
13	Corey Douglas	9	9	20.4								5.8
15	Arnold Henderson	3	0	1.7								0.0
20	Hason Ward	9	0	16.6								5.4
21	Jarren McAllister	0	0	0.0	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.0
33	Josh Banks	9	0	10.2								3.3
34	Levi Stockard	9	9	13.9								5.8
35	Brendan Medley	6	0	4.7								0.2

Suspension of Jimmy Clark III

On February 3rd, in a post-game conference, Coach Mike Rhoades said that Jimmy Clark III was absent for the Rams' game against Rhode Island due to a "university suspension." Rhoades then said that he would "leave it at that" for the time being. On February 4th, the University confirmed that Jimmy Clark III was no longer with the men's basketball program, not giving more detail and indicating they were "not allowed to comment further on this matter."

NCAA Tournament

In that year's NCAA Men's Tournament, VCU was scheduled to play 7 seed Oregon. However, with positive COVID-19 tests, the Rams were forced to pull out, ultimately being the only team thus affected.

See also

• 2020–21 VCU Rams women's basketball team

External links

• VCU Basketball