GRAHAM IS NO SOFT SOPH

Sophomore Treveon Graham leads the Rams in scoring (16.1 ppg) and is second in rebounding (6.0).

Treveon Graham’s rapid development has helped mold VCU into a contender for an Atlantic 10 championship and is making Shaka Smart (who all but predicted this) look clairvoyant. In short order, the sophomore from Washington, D.C. has become the Rams’ best scorer and a rugged rebounder. At 16.1 points per game, Graham ranks seventh in the A-10 in scoring, the only underclassman in the top nine.

So, nobody’s disputing that Graham has been good – very good – this season. But I would argue that what you’ve seen through 22 games this season has been historically significant. Prior to this season, just eight VCU sophomores had averaged 15.0 points per game, and none since Dom Jones in 2001-02.

In VCU’s infancy in the 70s and 80s, the Rams churned out an impact sophomore every year or so, from Charles Wilkins to Gerald Henderson to Ren Watson to Calvin Duncan. But somewhere along the way, either VCU or college basketball (or both) changed. Sure, there were solid contributors as sophomores, but the truly elite, impact second-year players became pretty rare.

CATCHING UP WITH VCU’S OLYMPIANS: EVGENY KISURIN

Evgeny Kisurin averaged 6.0 points and 5.7 rebounds for VCU during the 1992-93 season. He would become an Olympian with Russian in 2000.

To many VCU fans, Evgeny Kisurin’s time at the university was merely a one-year tease before he disappeared out of their collective conscience. Few may even know how close he came to being a part of Olympic history.

Kisurin, more commonly known to Ram fans as Eugene Kissourine, played basketball for VCU during the 1992-93 season and went on to become a member of Russia’s 2000 Sydney Olympic squad, a team that flirted with a stunning upset.

Eight years removed from the “Dream Team” in Barcelona, the talent gap between the Americans and the rest of the world was closing. In the quarterfinals, Russia pounced on a USA team that included Vince Carter, Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton. In a physical, contentious matchup, the Russians stormed to a 10-point lead and led by five at the half. It was the Americans’ smallest lead at intermission since 1988.

It was a clear wake-up call for the U.S., which rallied in the second half to win 85-75. The United States went on to win gold, while the Russians eventually lost to Canada – and former VCU guard Sherman Hamilton – in consolation play and finished eighth.

It’s been 12 years, but that loss to the Americans still tugs at Kisurin a bit.

“Team USA came back and beat us, but not without a fight,” the 43-year-old Kisurin said recently.

WE WERE MERELY FRESHMEN

Larry Sanders averaged 4.9 points and 5.2 rebounds as a freshman in 2007-08

They say youth is wasted on the young. I just think those of us in the post-30 crowd hate that The Jersey Shore has taken over MTV. When I was a college freshman, I could run a sub-5:00 mile, sleep three hours a night and had great hair (true story). Of course, I didn’t know what I was doing half the time, and I didn’t care.  The experience, one painful lesson at a time, was all worth it. It made me better personally and professionally (at least, that’s what I’m going with).

There are six freshmen on this year’s VCU Men’s Basketball team. Statistically speaking, the Rams are the 10^th-youngest team in the country. They’re all great basketball players. They wouldn’t be here otherwise. But there are going to be mistakes, plenty of youthful mistakes. Enough to cause Shaka Smart to lose some of his hair…wait…let’s move on.

The point here is that these guys are all great talents, it’s just a matter of getting the best out of them. It’s going to take time. You’ll see it some nights and others you might shake your head. It’s rare to find a guy ahead of the curve, who can come in and dominate right away. Just like I didn’t come in and just dominate the blogging game. It took years of experience to be this awesome.

NUMBERS GAME

Sophomore Rob Brandenberg scored 23 points in a game against Georgia State last season.

Sophomore guard Rob Brandenberg will look a little different on the basketball court this year.

It’s not because he’s worked out hard in the weight room over the offseason, which we’re told he has. It’s because Brandenberg, who excited VCU fans as an athletic and energetic slasher as a freshman, will be wearing No. 11 this season, a change from No. 23.

Brandenberg chose the No. 23 prior to his freshman year at VCU and wasn’t aware that the number was once owned by Kendrick Warren, the second-leading scorer in program history. Warren’s No. 23 jersey was retired several years ago.

“Just out of respect, I want to leave that jersey alone because that’s his jersey and when people remember No. 23, they remember Kendrick Warren,” Brandenberg said.

“I thought to myself, I don’t want to be associated with another guy, because no matter what happens in my career, they’re going to remember him, so I just thought, let me start my own legacy and switch to No. 11.”

Brandenberg wore No. 1 at Gahanna Lincoln High School in Ohio, but chose No. 11 in deference to Larry Sanders, who wore the number from 2007-10. Sanders was drafted 15^th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Last season, Brandenberg appeared in 39 games and averaged 4.9 points and 1.7 rebounds. He also knocked down 31-of-89 3-pointers (35 percent). Brandenberg recorded games of 23 and 22 points, the most by a VCU freshman in more than 10 years. Following the graduation of guards Joey Rodriguez, Ed Nixon and Brandon Rozzell, Brandenberg figures to play a more prominent role this season and will have a chance to build a legacy for the No. 11 jersey.