The hunt for a new head coach began following Ryan Odom’s departure from VCU to Virginia. On Wednesday, VCU announced Bryant coach Phil Martelli Jr. as the program’s new head coach, reportedly signing a six-year contract with the Atlantic 10 tournament champions.
Martelli Jr. comes from a lineage of legendary coaching, with his father Phil Martelli Sr. coaching fellow A-10 team St. Joseph for 24 years, winning A-10 Coach of the Year four times and taking the Hawks to seven NCAA Tournaments during his legendary career.
Martelli Jr. has quickly been carving out his successful head coach career since taking the reins at Bryant two seasons ago. In Martelli Jr.’s first season, he led the Bulldogs to a 20-13 record, marking the first time a Bryant coach hit 20 wins in its debut season in over 50 years.
Bryant’s second season under Martelli Jr. saw it go to its second-ever NCAA Tournament and hit a Division I program record with 23 wins in a single season.
Martelli Jr., in his introductory press conference, spoke on his commitment to upholding VCU’s legacy of success.
“VCU men’s basketball has been synonymous with excellence. You look around at all those banners, you see the trophies, and you recognize that you are upholding a longstanding legacy,” Martelli Jr. said. “I take that very seriously, protectingthat legacy is always, always, always on my mind.”
Martelli Jr. believes that having former VCU players and coaches on his staff is a must in the future.
“I want those former players back,” Martelli Jr. said in an interview posted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “They wore that jersey, they built this.”
Martelli Jr. will have his work cut out for him in this opening season, with much roster work to be done.
VCU has potentially 10 out of its 13 players leaving this offseason. The Rams have five graduate players who will likely go on elsewhere in their careers. Notable players from this group include senior guard Max Shulga, who won the A-10 player of the year and graduate forward Jack Clark, who played a pivotal role in VCU’s tournament championship, being named the tournament’s most valuable player.
Furthermore, as of Thursday night, VCU has had five players enter their names into the transfer portal.
Of these players are starting freshman forward Luke Bamgboye, who acted as a strong defensive anchor for the Rams all season long, and freshman guard Brandon Jennings, who provided a spark throughout the season, most notably in the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament against St. Bonaventure.
Martelli Jr. will have to focus on bringing in the right coaching staff and convincing players to stay with the team going forward. In the new era of NIL, it can be difficult to build a long-term team, so trying to keep a steady core of players who have already proven themselves is a must.
In Martelli Jr.’s two seasons at Bryant, the team finished in the top 10 in the country in pace. Carrying this trend to VCU will undoubtedly be a priority for the young coach.
“For us, it’s get the ball down the floor and keep flowing,” Martelli Jr. said in an interview posted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “I don’t want to get hoopers and turn them into robots. I want to get hoopers and let them hoop.”
