RICHMOND, Va. - During a Virginia Commonwealth basketball practice over Christmas break during the 2009-10 season, guard Jay Gavin picked four teammates to participate in a defensive drill in which they had to make three straight stops against the offense.
Gavin did not pick Rams guard Brandon Rozzell, which proved to be a fateful decision. Rozzell - with Gavin defending -spent the rest of the drill making shots of varied distance and difficulty. Rumor is Rozzell scored 70 points that day. Witnesses say the Virginia capital's native son - dubbed the "Mayor of Richmond" - couldn't miss.
"It was frustrating because you're trying to get out of the drill … you get two (stops) three different times and then he makes a shot, or you're so worried about him and then he passes it to somebody else beside him," said Gavin, who transferred from VCU to Bowie State at the end of that season. "Brandon is very talented. He's a really good scorer, and sometimes you've just got to live with it."
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The teams VCU has defeated the past two weeks en route to the first Final Four appearance in program history can relate. Rozzell, who doesn't start, is riding a five-game stretch in which he has shot 48.6 percent (17 for 35) from three-point range and averaged 14 points. Rams assistant Mike Jones calls Rozzell "the face of confidence for our team," and no squad in this year's tournament has played with more bravado than VCU.
Ever the public servant, Rozzell says he merely listens to his fellow citizens and answers their call. During a 72-71 overtime win Friday over Florida State in the Sweet 16, Rozzell did not attempt a single shot in the first half. His teammates implored him to be more assertive, and Rozzell responded by tallying 16 points after the break.
"I don't really think it's me, man," Rozzell said. "It's more my teammates being in my head. They want me to shoot whenever I can whether it's a good shot or a bad shot, so I feed off them. … I just find my spots and knock down shots."
By all accounts, Rozzell is a little quirky. "Brandon's a different guy," VCU point guard Joey Rodriguez said.
Before each game during the regular season, VCU coach Shaka Smart selected an assistant to lead the team prayer. If the team won, the same assistant would repeat the duty. But Rodriguez said that before VCU began its tournament run March 16 against USC, Rozzell cut off Smart, said a few words to the team and then made his own selection.
Before every game since, it has been Rozzell who has decided which assistant leads prayer.
"Our guys, to a man, really respect and like Brandon," Smart said. "So when he goes in the game he has unbelievable belief in himself. He could go out there against anybody and he's going to believe that he can get it done."
