WHAT A TIME TO BRI ALIVE

 

The soon-to-be Disney story that is Briante Weber’s basketball career continues to gain momentum. The former VCU Minister of Defense is busy blowing up ball handlers in the NBA Summer League with the Miami Heat.

It was always understood that Weber’s offense would need time to develop, and his 40-percent shooting in eight summer league contests doesn’t dispel that notion, but he’s looking more comfortable all the time. On Wednesday, Weber dropped in 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Weber also appears to be getting a handle on his role as a facilitator at the point.

On the defensive side of the ball, he’s Briante “Bleeping” Weber, G.O.A.T, esq. He’s averaging 4.3 steals per game combined in the Orlando and Las Vegas Summer Leagues, including two 6-steal contests and one 5-swipe game. In one game, Weber scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out six assists and ripped six steals.

In all, Weber is averaging 8.8 points, 4.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game.

Weber is one of four VCU alums playing in NBA Summer Leagues. Treveon Graham shredded the Orlando Summer League with the Magic’s White squad. The second-leading scorer in VCU history averaged 16.0 points, while shooting .558 from the floor in five games. Graham is a member of Utah’s Las Vegas Summer League team, but hasn’t received much in the way of minutes. We’ll conduct a full investigation on behalf of Ram Nation shortly.

Melvin Johnson is playing with Houston in Las Vegas. He’s appeared in one game so far for eight minutes. He knocked down one 3-pointer in that contest.

Juvonte Reddic, meanwhile, has appeared in three games for the NBA D-League Select squad. He’s averaging 2.7 points and scored six Wednesday in a loss to Philadelphia.

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JOHNSON LOOKS AHEAD TO PRO CAREER

Melvin Johnson bolstered his pro prospects in 2015-16 by averaging 17.4 points, while knocking down 110 three-pointers for the Rams.

Melvin Johnson has enjoyed a busy summer, logging workouts with nearly a dozen NBA teams. Although Johnson, VCU’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals, isn’t guaranteed to receive a phone call on draft night, an NBA Summer League stint, the professional entry point for a number of former Rams, seems highly likely. He took a break from working summer camps to sit down with us.

NCAA PRACTICE AND PRESSERS FROM OKLAHOMA CITY

Greetings from Oklahoma City! The Rams met with the media today and cranked out an open practice at Chesapeake Arena as they prepare for Oregon State Friday at 1:30. Side note. I keep having to remind myself that the game is at 12:30 here in the central time zone. I hope I don’t miss it.

MEDIA MINUTES – MARCH 9

The Atlantic 10 Tournament is upon us, but before we got out of town, we put cameras in Melvin Johnson’s and Korey Billbury’s faces and asked them tough questions.

ICYMI: RAMS TOP BONA FOR 10TH STRAIGHT VICTORY

VIDEO: RAMS OUTLAST SPIDERS IN OT

My only comment is, what a college basketball game. This job is pretty fun some days.

BONUS RADIO GOODIES

VIDEO: RAMS CHASE AWAY BULLS

FALL GRADUATES HONORED

Emma Kruse, Garrett Cyprus, Mo Alie-Cox and Melvin Johnson are among seven VCU student-athletes set to graduate on Dec. 12

We’re taught to always think about graduation as a late spring/early summer thing. But! The academic calendar runs all year. There’s also a fall commencement, and seven VCU student-athletes will walk in those ceremonies on Dec. 12, including a couple of recognizable Rams’ hoops stars, Mo Alie-Cox and Melvin Johnson.

On Thursday, VCU took a moment to honor its fall graduates and to think about what it all means. 

TWO TALKS TO SHARE

Not all of you get a chance to see these interviews that run on our pregame show on CBS 6.3, so I wanted to make sure you had an opportunity. I chatted with Melvin Johnson and Mo Alie-Cox last week briefly, where we discussed the ODU rivalry, Mo’s slimmer frame and Melvin’s love of playing in New York.

 

VIDEO: RAMS RUN PAST RADFORD

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Also, here’s an interview I did recently with Korey Billbury for the pregame show.