MIKE RHOADES MEDIA MINUTES (JAN. 29)

SHAKA SMART MEDIA MINUTES (JAN. 12)

Shaka Smart speaks on a variety of topics as the Rams get ready to battle Rhode Island.

MATTERS OF CONSISTENCY

VCU has won sixth straight games and 11 of its last 12.

RICHMOND, Va. – It’s not enough to just be talented or skilled or, in the simplest sense, good. The key to being good is replicating that performance. It’s consistency.

I mean, Bruce Willis isn’t Bruce Willis because he makes one Die Hard movie where he levels entire office buildings, airports and the East Coast in 120 minutes of one-liner-muttering splendor. Bruce Willis is Bruce Willis because he can do that five times.

Forgive my affection for bloated, Willisian action cinema. The point is, consistency is a skill in and of itself. High-end potential is great, but it can be a maddening pursuit when you’re only teased the best on occasion. There are plenty of basketball teams out there that haven’t mastered the skill of consistency. Speaking strictly on a macro level, Kentucky is a good example. There are probably 7-8 future NBA players on that team. Sometimes, they look like a terrific, cohesive unit, others a storm of wasted motion and discombobulation. Consistency is a skill as valuable as any other.

VIDEO: VCU SHUTS DOWN RHODE ISLAND 68-52

HIGHLIGHTS

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RHODE ISLAND COACH DANNY HURLEY

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SHAKA SMART

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JORDAN BURGESS, JEQUAN LEWIS, JUVONTE REDDIC

WINDMILL, SON

No, not that windmill. This windmill: