Last Sunday VCU beat Dayton 70-66 in the A-10 tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Rams have now made the NCAA tourney 12 times in the past 16 years, and after an awesome 82-78 OT win over North Carolina on Thursday, they will face #3 seed Illinois in Greenville on Saturday evening with the winner going to the Sweet 16. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with VCU Gold Rush Dancer Zeariah Reeves about last night’s amazing win and making the NCAA tourney.
You are from Martinsville, VA: what made you choose VCU? I put in my application for a couple of schools and was unsure what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to be in an enviroment that was different from the factory-area I was used to. I found a family here in the dance team.
You are majoring in International Social Justice Studies: how did you choose that subject? I felt like it chose me! VCU was the place I liked the most and this was just something that I wanted to do. When you are young you have a lot of different things that you want to accomplish, so it was a good starting place.
You are a JR: what is the post-graduation plan? I am graduating this semester and will be auditioning for some pro football teams like the Miami Dolphins/Jacksonville Jaguars. I am hoping to start my masters’ degree for business in the fall/spring depending on my applications/auditions and seeing what other opportunities are available.
You are a member of the Gold Rush Dance Team: how did you 1st get into dancing? I danced for 4 years during middle school. My aunt put me in it, but then I decided that I wanted to do martial arts/kickboxing for several years. When I got to VCU my mentor saw a flyer for a dance audition and suggested I check it out. I was not expecting anything but am still doing it for fun.
You made the Dean’s List last year: how do you balance your work on the dance team with your work in the classroom? Dance is a full-time job and school is a full-time job. I do not let any of it get to me and just put my best foot forward no matter how drained I am. If you show up and try hard then you will do the best you can.
1 of your hobbies is watching movies: any suggestions for our readers who want to watch a good movie? I am a big Marvel fan so any of those movies are amazing. I also liked Avatar because there is so much in it.
How does your school decide who gets to attend the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? There is a bit of seniority, but the biggest thing is your dedication to the team and how you represent yourself. You have to be on top of your academics and do different things to support your team, whether it is helping with choreography or attending extra practices. Seeing my team on the court is unreal: it is hard to describe but definitely something I never take for granted. When you walk onto the court the air is different and it makes you hungry for more.
You beat UNC last night in OT after overcoming 19-PT deficit: where does that rank among the most exciting experiences of your life? Exciting would be an understatement. The energy on the court was great…but I feel we always have that energy. It was just another game, although 1 where most of the crowd was cheering for our opponent.
Your team started 2-2 in conference play but has now won 17 of past 18 games: has it reached a point where the fans expect them to win every time they step onto the court? I do not expect anything other than the team to put its best foot forward while we cheer them on and create a great atmosphere for the team to succeed.
Any predictions for your game vs. Illinois tomorrow? It is going to be amazing. The Illini were cheering us on as we beat the Tar Heels so it will be good to share the court with them.
