Photo courtesy of Richmond Times Dispatch
Saying he was “at home” and “the ride stops here,” Mike Rhoades was introduced as VCU’s new basketball coach on Wednesday at the Siegel Center.
“We’ve been on a ride for a long time, and this ride stops here while I’m here at VCU,” Rhoades said before a large crowd in the Siegel Center.
Rhoades, 44, was an assistant under Shaka Smart from 2009-14, and was the head coach at Division III Randolph-Macon for 10 seasons, going 197-76.
For the past three seasons, he has been turning around the program at Rice as the head coach. The Owls went 23-12 this season, the second-most wins in program history.
Rhoades replaces Will Wade, who left after two seasons to become the coach at LSU.
Rhoades called VCU his “dream job.”
“I love it here,” he said. “My family loves it here. When we got off the plane last night, we had 20-some friends (waiting) who are now our family when we moved down here. That’s why this was so exciting. Everybody knows my affection for VCU and VCU
basketball.
“Our roots are already here. We just came back to connect with them.”
Rhoades will be the Rams’ third coach in four seasons, and the revolving door has been frustrating for the fan base.
