On Selection Sunday VCU beat George Mason 68-63 in the A-10 tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Rams missed the NCAA tourney in each of the past 4 even-numbered years but have now made it a ridiculous 10 odd-numbered years in a row since 2007. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with VCU director of student-athlete development Bradford Burgess about making the Final 4 as a player and making the NCAA tourney again this week.
You grew up in Midlothian, VA: what made you choose VCU for college? In the beginning of my recruitment I envisioned myself getting away from home, but as I took more time to know the local coaching staffs I decided to stay in town. It came down to Richmond or VCU, and after VCU beat Duke in the 2007 NCAA tourney I thought it would be exciting to come in as a freshman and play with a future NBA player like Eric Maynor. I thought it was the best fit because VCU has a history of success with local guys.
Take me through the magical 2011 NCAA tourney as a player at VCU:
You scored 26 PTS including the game-winning shot in a 1-PT OT win over Florida State in the Sweet 16: how did that shot change your life (if at all)? People still asked me about it last weekend at the A-10 tourney, and hopefully the Rams have some more success this time around. Being successful in March is where legends are made! It can provide opportunities for people who want to play at the next level. It also gave me opportunities in coaching and helped me get my job here. It was huge for me to have things come full-circle.
You scored 15 PTS in an 8-PT loss to Butler in the Final 4: how close did you get to making it to the title game? Not close enough! It was a weird game: some of the shots we had been making all month were not falling, be it tip-ins or wide-open shots. We did not have the same feeling that we had in the games prior, but it was still an amazing experience. Butler has an amazing program and they were ready for the moment so I do not know if we could have done anything different in Houston.
You finished your career with a D-1 record 146 consecutive starts: what is the secret to being an “iron man”? I did not know the exact # but my life has always been about accountability. My parents stressed the importance of being there for my teammates/coaches. I did not want to let anyone down so I let everyone know that I was trying my hardest while keeping the team in mind first and foremost.
After retiring as a player, you spent several years working in the NBA: what was the best part? Just being around all the legendary talent in the pros. Sometimes the older players would recognize me for what VCU did in the NCAA tourney. In Chicago I got to work with Nikola Vucevic, who played at USC when we beat them in the 1st 4 in 2011, and we would joke around about it. I also got to work with Hall of Fame coaches like Billy Donovan/Maurice Cheeks,w hich helped me fine-tune my own coaching craft. It was an invaluable experience to learn a lot and travel like the pros do: it was such a blessing.
You work for Coach Ryan Odom: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? As great a coach as he is, he is an even better man. He is high-level in every sense of the word and makes it so easy to work for him. He is so understanding/personable and allows you to be you. You want to do everything you can to help him be the best version of himself. He has won everywhere he has been and knows how to get the best out of guys so that we want to win for him.
What does a director of student-athlete development do? The easiest way to explain it is that I teach the team different ways to make plays and the ins/outs of the game. I also share my knowledge of how things were done from when I was a player and how things have changed. I want them to be successful and show them how to do things at the next level. I played pro for a few years after college so I have been around the world and seen a lot. I want the next generation of Rams to do great things both at and after VCU.
Last December you had back-to-back games against a pair of tourney teams from the MWC in Colorado State/New Mexico: which of them impressed you the most? I will start with the New Mexico game because their PG Donovan Dent scored 40 PTS against us! He got in the paint at will and everything he shot was going in. Nique Clifford at Colorado State is also very talented: he did not have the best game against us but I have kept my eye on him from afar because he is so gifted. They are the keys to their teams.
On Selection Sunday your team had a 5-PT win over GMU to win the A-10 tourney title game: what did it mean to you to win a title? I won 2 conference titles as a player in the CAA. I am well-versed in playing George Mason and it was so great to make it back to the title game again after losing to Duquesne last March. The arena in DC was filled with loud fans from both schools and reminiscent of our games from my era.
How do you feel about being a #11 seed, and what do you know about BYU? They can score and shoot the 3-ball very well. I am excited to experience the tourney again and hopefully we can make some noise again in March so I am looking forward to it.
