VCU hoops update

The season may be over, but news surrounding the VCU Men’s Basketball program has not slowed down since VCU lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

April 3, 2014; 7:32 AM • by Aaron Williams

Juvonte Reddic

On Tuesday, senior forward Juvonte Reddic was selected to participate in the 2014 Reese’s NABC All-Star Game in Dallas. Bradford Burgess participated in 2012 and Troy Daniels participated in 2013.

The Reese’s Division I College All-Star game will be played in Arlington, Texas as part of the NCAA Final Four. The teams are composed of senior student-athletes in NCAA Division I including Indiana’s Will Sheehey, Towson’s Jerrelle Benimon, Georgetown’s Markel Starks, and Saint Joseph’s Halil Kanacevic.

The game will be telecast on a tape delay on Saturday, April 5, from 12:00 – 2:00 PM on CBS.

Briante Weber

Junior point guard Briante Weber has been named one of 25 finalists for the 2014 Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year award. Weber, who finished with more steals this season than a handful of teams and more steals than all but 12 players to ever lace up and play college basketball, has made quite a name for himself as one of the premier on-ball defenders in the nation.

The award will be announced on April 4th in Arlington, Texas. Briante Weber will play his final campaign in the black & gold next season. He is in a position to set the Atlantic 10 and NCAA career records for steals at 365 and 385 respectively.

Coach Smart’s Contract

Since the Final 4, renegotiating Coach Smart’s contract has become an annual tradition. This year has a bit of a different feel. After signing a contract that extends through 2023 last season that includes an automatic $50,000 increase in supplemental pay moving into next season, Smart has his focus on his assistants and players.

According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, VCU will increase it’s basketball budget by $200,000 this year and $100,000 next year in order to improve the student-athlete experience and increase the assistant coaches’ salaries.

With a $25 million practice facility set to break ground in the spring, new scoreboards in the works, and a premier recruiting class headed to campus in the fall, Coach Smart and VCU Basketball are primed for success moving forward.

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April 3, 2014 7:32 AM 0