When life gets particularly tough, Jessica Taylor likes to get her emotions on paper. An avid writer, Taylor uses poetry as her release.
“Being able to express those feelings helped me, even if I didn’t read them to anybody,” Taylor said. “Just having them out of my body just helped me have a more positive energy and mindset, instead of keeping them in and being angry or sad.”
Although she began writing in high school, Taylor has filled volumes of journals during her three years at VCU. Taylor, a senior shooting guard for the Rams, has weathered a career hindered by a multitude of health problems.
However, with her pen and paper as her aid, Taylor has managed to emerge older, wiser and hopeful for a promising future in 2010-11 and beyond.
Taylor, a double major in English and women’s studies, has a faulty thyroid gland. The thyroid controls how the body uses energy, makes proteins and controls how sensitive the body should be to other hormones. Three years ago, Taylor was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid or, hyperthyroidism. Recently, the gland reversed course and became sluggish, a condition known as hypothyroidism. READ MORE..
In case you missed it, junior Courtney Hurt torched Drexel for 23 points and 20 rebounds yesterday in a 69-65 win. Just a couple of quick notes on that outstanding performance. No. 1, it’s the first 20-20 game by a Ram since Quanitra Hollingsworth had 24 points an 21 rebounds against William & Mary on Feb. 12, 2006. No. 2, Hurt literally had 20 of VCU’s 29 rebounds.
The crazy thing is, that’s not even the nuttiest rebounding stat from the CAA last week. That honor goes to the Towson men’s team, which is still winless (0-11) in CAA play. You’ll see why in a second. In its 80-57 loss to Old Dominion last week, Towson grabbed 12 rebounds THE ENTIRE GAME. The (toothless) Tigers were outrebounded 33-12. Ouch.
BRACKETBUSTERS ANNOUNCEMENT
ESPN will announce its annual BracketBusters games tonight at 6 p.m. on ESPNU. If I’ve learned one thing about BracketBusters matchups, it’s that you can’t predict BracketBusters matchups. Like, ESPN floats some nonsense about RPI and then picks whatever games they want anyway. So, I have no idea who the Rams will play.
What I can tell you is that VCU is a shoo-in for a television game on one of the network’s stations, likely ESPN2/ESPNU.
VCU sophomore guard Troy Daniels is out indefinitely with a broken right foot. Daniels injured the foot near the VCU bench with 18:24 left in the first half of Saturday’s 79-70 win over UNC Wilmington. It is unclear how much time he will miss.
Daniels is averaging 2.4 points in 22 games this season. He is also one of VCU’s top 3-point shooters. Daniels is 17-of-51 (.333) from beyond the arc this season.
Senior Jamie Skeen, who injured a knee in the Rams’ win over Hofstra on Thursday, missed Saturday’s game, as did senior Brandon Rozzell, who is recovering from hand surgery.
RICHMOND, Va. – If VCU’s Thursday night’s nationally televised contest with Hofstra was supposed to be a “statement” game, the statement the Rams delivered to the upstart Pride was simply, “get the heck off of my lawn!”
VCU thumped Hofstra, led by reigning CAA Player of the Year Charles Jenkins 82-67 Thursday night in front of a frenzied, season-high crowd of 7,208 at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. The win vaulted the Rams (17-5, 9-1 CAA) into sole possession of first place in the Colonial Athletic Association. It is VCU’s eighth straight victory overall and the 21st in a row at the increasingly impenetrable Siegel Center.
In a showdown of first place squads, VCU looked a cut above. The Rams took the lead for good early in the first half and never looked back. They led by as many as 22 points before backing off the accelerator in the closing minutes.
The Rams, never ones to shy away from fast break basketball, seemed to find a willing participant in Hofstra (14-7, 8-2 CAA). VCU pushed a frenetic pace in the first half, scoring its most points (48) in a period since opening night on the way to a 48-33 lead at intermission. READ MORE…
This, as they say, is the “meat” of the schedule. VCU, riding a seven-game winning streak hosts Hofstra tonight in an unlikely battle for first place in The Association.
The Flying Dutchmen Pride are led by Charles Jenkins, reigning CAA Player of the Year and 24-point-per-game scorer. Jenkins was great last season, but he’s even better this year, if that’s possible. If you want proof, perhaps the nine NBA scouts who have requested credentials for tonight will convince you.
“He’s terrific,” says VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart. “I coached in the ACC as an assistant coach, I coached in the SEC as an assistant coach. He’s every bit as good as any of the guards I coached against in those leagues.”
There’s not much Jenkins doesn’t do well. He can shoot (his .557 shooting percentage, including .449 from 3-point range, is ridiculous for a guard), he can put it on the floor, he can get to the line he handles contact well and he can dish (5.0 apg). So it begs the question, how do you stop the guy nobody can stop?
“You’re not going to shut him down. That’s the first thing,” Smart says. “If you feel like you’re going to go into the game and hold him to single digits, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. You have to contain a great player and you have to do it with five guys on the floor. Not just the guy that’s matched up with him at the current time.”
The Rams will almost certainly deploy senior Ed Nixon on Jenkins, but Smart will also likely use freshman Rob Brandenberg and sophomore Darius Theus against the nation’s third-leading scorer. Brandenberg, who has emerged as a solid on-ball defender for the Rams this season, is looking forward to the challenge.
“The thing with me is I just want to make everything tough,” Brandenberg said. “You want to take away the shot first and foremost, because he can shoot, and then after that I just want to make sure I play his drive. Hopefully I can slow him down. My teammates are going to help if he drives. Helpside’s going to be there, but the main thing is just to make everything tough for him. Make him shoot over high hands or over our bigs.”
Jenkins scored 23 against the Rams the last time these two teams met on Jan. 12, 2010 in Hempstead, N.Y., an 81-68 VCU victory. Despite those 23 points, Jenkins was just 7-of-18 from the field and committed seven turnovers.
I’ve got a lot of random things spinning around in my head, so hang in there this morning.
While listening to the the game last night, all I could think about was Admiral Ackbar screaming, “It’s a trap!” Seriously. Everybody knew this was a classic trap game, and it delivered (almost). Braxton Dupree can’t miss? It’s a trap! Isaiah Philmore going 6-of-7? It’s a trap! Josh Brown dropping 17 points? It’s a trap!
I guess Joey Rodriguez picked a good time to find that shooter’s stroke, eh? Now onto Hofstra on Thursday in a game that is huuuuge.
THE STREAK
VCU has won 20 in a row at home. It’s the fourth-longest home streak in the country and while it belongs to the Rams as a team, it also belongs to you the fan.
It’s time for VCU fans to take ownership of this thing. Make it your own. Defend it as only you know how. I’m not saying you should be Tonya Harding-ing people out there. What I’m saying is, especially for these last five home games, pack the house, rock the stands, heckle the heck out of guys (but be classy, you know?). Get your friends, your roomates, your parents, your grandma to the game. This is OUR streak, and defending it won’t be easy. The Rams will face Hofstra, UNC Wilmington, Old Dominion, George Mason and James Madison down the stretch. Let’s win ‘em all. That would be truly special.
NICKNAMES
Scott Day referred to Joey Rodriguez as “The General” last night and it got me thinking. Joey literally has about 14 nicknames, most of them terrible. I realize that “Boo Boo” is sort of a term of endearment, but seriously? There are others, but most of them are bad. I floated “Flash”, as in “Flash Rodriguez” this summer, but really I was just grasping at straws. I think this “The General” thing has some legs, since Joey’s the point guard and that’s your floor general, ect. In a nod to Joey’s Puerto Rican heritage, why not, “El Capitan”? I think this should be seriously considered.
Meanwhile, Rob Brandenberg obviously needs a firm nickname. I put a poll up one night on the live blog and I’ve thought about this extensively. From here on out, I’m going with “Superberg”. It’s a nickname with everything. It incorporates his last name, while also cluing you into the fact that, he is, well, super. Superberg. Book it.
EL CAPITAN EN FUEGO
Nice job by El Capitan last night, bombing 28 points when the Rams needed it the most. Rodriguez hit five 3-pointers last night to move into second place on the Rams’ career list with 184. Congrats to him.
VCU Career 3-pointers
1-B.A. Walker 269
2-Joey Rodriguez 184
3-Bo Jones 182
4-Chris Brower 175
5-Jamal Shuler 170
THE LINKS
VCU hangs on to beat Towson 80-76(Richmond Times-Dispatch). Somebody’s asleep at the wheel at the TD today. I really had to dig for this article.
Talk about a solid four-day stretch. Women’s basketball win at Old Dominion on Thursday? Check. Men’s basketball win on Saturday? Check. Good times celebrating with old friends at ODU’s University Pizza until the wee hours? Check. Steelers to the Super Bowl? Check. And boom. We’re done.
Sorry to see the VCU women fall at James Madison yesterday, but congrats to “The Courtney Hurt Experience”. Ms. Hurt scored 26 yesterday and became VCU’s newest 1,000 point scorer.
We’ve got another big week ahead. The VCU men are at Towson tonight. This is about as classic a trap game as you can get. Coming off a huge win, playing a bad team, on the road, in front of virtually nobody, with a potentially huge game coming up on Thursday. Gotta stay focused.
NORFOLK, Va. – Speed kills, or at least that’s what the old adage says. I guess it depends on your perspective.
VCU and Old Dominion showcased both sides of that coin Saturday, when the Rams used their full court press to control the pace take the Monarchs out of their comfort zone in a 59-50 win before a frenzied sellout crowd 8,457 of Ted Constant Center.
The Rams’ victory sent shockwaves through the Colonial Athletic Association race, which got a whole lot more interesting. The Rams, picked third in the CAA preseason poll, are now tied with Hofstra (picked fifth) atop the league with identical 7-1 records. Old Dominion, the preseason No. 1 and defending champion, slipped to 14-5 overall and 5-3 in league action.
A month ago, the Rams had the stigma of a team that couldn’t rebound, couldn’t defend, couldn’t hold leads down the stretch. It’s amazing how much difference a month can make. READ MORE..
I’m back in Norfolk for the second time in three days. The VCU Women picked up a huge win over Old Dominion on Thursday. Can the VCU Men complete the sweep? Only one way to find out. I’ll be blogging live. Drop by to follow the action!
When life gets particularly tough, Jessica Taylor likes to get her emotions on paper. An avid writer, Taylor uses poetry as her release.
