2025–26 VCU Rams men's basketball team

2025–26 VCU Rams men's basketball
2025–26 VCU Rams men's basketball
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Record	8–4 (0–0 A-10)
Head coach	Phil Martelli Jr. (1st season);
Associate head coach	Jimmy Martelli (1st season)
Assistant coaches	Chris Cole (1st season); Ryan Daly (1st season); Brandon Rozzell (1st season);
Home arena	Stuart C. Siegel Center

2025–26 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
George Mason	0	–	0	–	11	–	1	.917
Saint Louis	0	–	0	–	11	–	1	.917
St. Bonaventure	0	–	0	–	11	–	2	.846
Richmond	0	–	0	–	10	–	2	.833
Dayton	0	–	0	–	9	–	4	.692
Fordham	0	–	0	–	9	–	4	.692
George Washington	0	–	0	–	9	–	4	.692
Rhode Island	0	–	0	–	9	–	4	.692
VCU	0	–	0	–	9	–	4	.692
Davidson	0	–	0	–	8	–	4	.667
Duquesne	0	–	0	–	7	–	5	.583
Saint Joseph's	0	–	0	–	7	–	5	.583
La Salle	0	–	0	–	4	–	9	.308
Loyola Chicago	0	–	0	–	4	–	9	.308

† 2026 A-10 tournament winner As of December 22, 2025

The 2025–26 VCU Rams men's basketball team represents Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams, led by first-year head coach Phil Martelli Jr., play their home games at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia, as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Previous season

The 2024–25 team finished the season as both Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament champions, making it the first year since 2023 the Rams won both the regular season and tournament. During the season, VCU finished with a 28–7 overall record, and a 15–3 record in Atlantic 10 conference play. The Rams defeated their rivals, George Mason, in the Atlantic 10 championship game, earning the conference's automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.^[1] There, the Rams were seeded 11th and lost in the opening round to the six-seed, BYU.^[2]

VCU point guard, Max Shulga, finished the season earning the Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year.^[3] Following the season, head coach, Ryan Odom, accepted a job to coach the University of Virginia,^[4] his alma mater, finishing his two-year coaching career with VCU with a 52–21 record and a 26–10 record in Atlantic 10 play. Three days after Odom's departure, VCU hired Bryant University's men's basketball coach, Phil Martelli Jr.,^[5] making Martelli Jr. the fifth head coach at VCU in the last ten years.^[6]

Offseason

Departures

VCU departures
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Phillip Russell	1	PG	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 pounds (82 kg)	Senior	St. Louis, MO	Graduated
Zeb Jackson	2	SG	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 pounds (86 kg)	Graduate	Toledo, OH	Graduated
Jack Clark	4	PF	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	215 pounds (98 kg)	Graduate	Cheltenham, PA	Graduated
Max Shulga	11	PG	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	197 pounds (89 kg)	Graduate	Kyiv, UKR	Graduated
Joe Bamisile	22	SG	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 pounds (91 kg)	Graduate	Richmond, VA	Graduated

Outgoing transfers

Outgoing Transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Hometown	Year	New school
Alphonzo Billups III	5	UTL	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	180 pounds (82 kg)	Richmond, VA	RS Junior	Longwood
Luke Bamgboye	9	C	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	200 pounds (91 kg)	London, GBR	Sophomore	Texas Tech
Martin Carrère	17	UTL	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	180 pounds (82 kg)	Pontonx-sur-l'Adour, FR	Sophomore	Virginia

Incoming transfers

VCU incoming transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Jadrian Tracey	2	G	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 pounds (95 kg)	RS-Senior	Fort Myers, FL	Oregon
Ahmad Nowell	4	PG	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	195 pounds (88 kg)	Sophomore	Philadelphia, PA	UConn
Barry Evans	5	SF	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 pounds (98 kg)	Junior	Baltimore, MD	Bryant
Tyrell Ward	15	G	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 pounds (88 kg)	Junior	Washington, D.C.	LSU
Lazar Đjoković	17	PF	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	235 pounds (107 kg)	Junior	Gornji Milanovac, Serbia	Charleston
Keyshawn Mitchell	22	PF	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	215 pounds (98 kg)	Sophomore	Brooklyn, NY	Bryant

Roster

2025–26 VCU Rams men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Brandon Jennings	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	So	St. Christopher School	Richmond, VA
G	1	Nyk Lewis	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Fr	Gonzaga College	Washington, D.C.
G	2	Jadrian Tracey	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	RS Sr	Oregon	Fort Myers, FL
G	4	Ahmad Nowell	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	So	UConn	Philadelphia, PA
F	5	Barry Evans	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Sr	Bryant	Baltimore, MD
G	6	Terrence Hill Jr.	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	So	Roosevelt	Portland, OR
F	7	Obinnaya Okafor (W)	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	RS Jr	Bethel	Hampton, VA
G/F	8	Michael Belle	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jr	Strasbourg	London, England
F	10	Jordann Dumont	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	So	Villanova	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
G	14	Jordan Tillery	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	IMG Academy	Orlando, FL
G	15	Tyrell Ward	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	LSU	Washington, D.C.
F	17	Lazar Đjoković	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jr	Charleston	Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
F	21	Christian Fermin	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Sr	Pocono Mountain West	Tobyhanna, PA
F	22	Keyshawn Mitchell	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jr	Bryant	Brooklyn, NY

Head coach

Phil Martelli Jr. (Saint Joseph's)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 19, 2025* 5:00 p.m.	at Villanova	L 51–70		12 – Tracey	6 – Tied	3 – Evans	Finneran Pavilion (4,799) Philadelphia, PA
October 26, 2025* 2:00 p.m.	Fairfield	W 82–64		18 – Ward	11 – Evans	5 – Tracey	Siegel Center (6,080) Richmond, VA
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+	Wagner	W 103–74	1–0	21 – Đjoković	8 – Jennings	6 – Jennings	Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA
November 7, 2025* 8:00 p.m., Urban Edge Network	vs. Utah State Texas Showcase	L 77–80	1–1	19 – Lewis	8 – Evans	6 – Evans	Comerica Center (2,049) Frisco, TX
November 12, 2025* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+	Saint Peter's	W 78–61	2–1	15 – Ward	8 – Evans	4 – Evans	Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA
November 17, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCN	at No. 25 NC State	L 79–85	2–2	18 – Evans	5 – Tied	7 – Tracey	Lenovo Center (14,805) Raleigh, NC
November 22, 2025* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+	Coppin State	W 101–58	3–2	11 – Tied	8 – Đjoković	4 – Evans	Siegel Center (7,242) Richmond, VA
November 26, 2025* 2:30 p.m., ESPN2	vs. South Florida Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals	W 78–66	4–2	20 – Đjoković	10 – Evans	3 – Tracey	Imperial Arena (446) Nassau, Bahamas
November 27, 2025* 12:00 p.m., ESPN	vs. No. 24 Vanderbilt Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals	L 74–89	4–3	16 – Lewis	6 – Belle	2 – Tied	Imperial Arena (417) Nassau, Bahamas
November 28, 2025* 10:30 a.m., ESPN2	vs. Virginia Tech Battle 4 Atlantis 3rd place game	W 86–68	5–3	21 – Hill Jr.	6 – Belle	3 – Tied	Imperial Arena (485) Nassau, Bahamas
December 5, 2025* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+	Samford	W 83–57	6–3	22 – Hill Jr.	13 – Tracey	6 – Evans	Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA
December 10, 2025* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+	New Mexico	L 78–81	6–4	14 – Lewis	8 – Evans	6 – Jennings	Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA
December 15, 2025* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+	Niagara	W 84–58	7–4	18 – Djokovic	12 – Lewis	4 – Lewis	Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA
December 18, 2025* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+	American	W 105–83	8–4	17 – Hill Jr.	8 – Belle	6 – Lewis	Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA
December 22, 2025* 7:00 p.m., MASN/WTVR/ESPN+	Rider						Siegel Center Richmond, VA
Atlantic 10 regular season
December 31, 2025 2:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+	St. Bonaventure						Siegel Center Richmond, VA
January 3, 2026 12:00 p.m., USA	at Duquesne						UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse Pittsburgh, PA
January 7, 2026 7:00 p.m., CBSSN	Saint Louis						Siegel Center Richmond, VA
January 10, 2026 12:00 p.m., ESPNU	at George Mason Rivalry						EagleBank Arena Fairfax, VA
January 14, 2026 6:00 p.m., CBSSN	at Rhode Island						Ryan Center Kingston, RI
January 19, 2026 3:00 p.m., CBSSN	Saint Joseph's						Siegel Center Richmond, VA
January 24, 2026 5:00 p.m., USA	at Davidson						John M. Belk Arena Davidson, NC
January 27, 2026 7:00 p.m., CBSSN	Richmond Capital City Classic						Siegel Center Richmond, VA
January 30, 2026 9:00 p.m., ESPN Networks	Loyola Chicago						Siegel Center Richmond, VA
February 3, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Fordham						Rose Hill Gymnasium Bronx, NY
February 6, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN Networks	Dayton						Siegel Center Richmond, VA
February 11, 2026 6:30 p.m., ESPN+	at La Salle						John Glaser Arena Philadelphia, PA
February 14, 2026 6:00 p.m., CBSSN	at Richmond Capital City Classic						Robins Center Richmond, VA
February 17, 2026 8:00 p.m., CBSSN	George Washington						Siegel Center Richmond, VA
February 20, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN Networks	at Saint Louis						Chaifetz Arena St. Louis, MO
February 28, 2026 12:30 p.m., USA	Fordham						Siegel Center Richmond, VA
March 3, 2026 7:00 p.m., CBSSN	George Mason						Siegel Center Richmond, VA
March 6, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN Networks	at Dayton						UD Arena Dayton, OH
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source:^[7]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP^[8]	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

References

^ "VCU holds off George Mason 68-63 to claim Atlantic 10 title and NCAA berth". NBC Sports. March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
^ Stapleton, Arnie (March 20, 2025). "BYU enjoys March Madness success with 80-71 win over VCU a year after NCAA Tournament flop". Times Union. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
^ "Shulga, Billups, Skinn Voted Top Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Award Winners". atlantic10.com. March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
^ Axson, Scooby (March 22, 2025). "Virginia basketball hires coach Ryan Odom, who led No. 16-seed upset of Cavaliers". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
^ Thamel, Pete; Borzello, Jeff (March 25, 2025). "VCU hires Bryant's Phil Martelli Jr. as men's basketball coach". ESPN. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
^ Teel, David (March 28, 2025). "Phil Martelli Jr. has tough acts to follow at VCU". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
^ "2025–26 Men's Basketball Schedule". VCU Rams Athletics.
^ "AP Top 25 Men's College Basketball Poll". AP News. Retrieved October 14, 2025.

External links

VCU Basketball

[1] "VCU holds off George Mason 68-63 to claim Atlantic 10 title and NCAA berth". NBC Sports. March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.

[2] Stapleton, Arnie (March 20, 2025). "BYU enjoys March Madness success with 80-71 win over VCU a year after NCAA Tournament flop". Times Union. Retrieved March 28, 2025.

[3] "Shulga, Billups, Skinn Voted Top Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Award Winners". atlantic10.com. March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.

[4] Axson, Scooby (March 22, 2025). "Virginia basketball hires coach Ryan Odom, who led No. 16-seed upset of Cavaliers". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved March 28, 2025.

[5] Thamel, Pete; Borzello, Jeff (March 25, 2025). "VCU hires Bryant's Phil Martelli Jr. as men's basketball coach". ESPN. Retrieved March 28, 2025.

[6] Teel, David (March 28, 2025). "Phil Martelli Jr. has tough acts to follow at VCU". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved March 28, 2025.

[7] "2025–26 Men's Basketball Schedule". VCU Rams Athletics.

[8] "AP Top 25 Men's College Basketball Poll". AP News. Retrieved October 14, 2025.

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VCU Rams men's basketball
Venues	Franklin Street Gym (1968–1971) Richmond Coliseum (1971–1999) Siegel Center (1999–present)
Rivalries	George Mason Old Dominion Richmond
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics