Mike Rhoades is a basketball man. Just ask him.
“I don’t have hobbies. It’s basketball.
It’s my family and basketball, that’s it,” says
the father of three, matter-of-factly. “I know sometimes I
have to golf. I don’t want to golf. I’ll go play with
my kids or play pickup basketball now before I do anything
else.”
It’s a mindset that was carved out on the playgrounds of his
Pennsylvania hometown as boy, but has followed him throughout an
impressive career. Rhoades gave himself to the game, and the game
rewarded him. He’s been All-State, an All-American, a
National Champion and a Coach of the Year. He was a college head
coach at 25. Now, 40, Mike Rhoades has already accomplished more
than some do in a lifetime.
Success has followed Rhoades at every coaching stop. After 10 years
at the helm at nearby Randolph-Macon College, he brought his
knowledge to VCU and the Rams have been the beneficiary ever
since.
“Mike is an invaluable member of our coaching staff and a
terrific resource for our student-athletes,” Smart said.
“His work ethic, knowledge of the game and enthusiasm have
contributed significantly to our success.”
In three seasons with the Black & Gold, Rhoades has helped
guide VCU to the most wins, 84, in any three-year span in school
history. The 84 wins are the eighth-most in the country over the
past three seasons.
Every season that Rhoades has been on the sideline for VCU has seen
the Rams reach the postseason, including back-to-back NCAA
Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2012.
“It was an unbelievably special time for everyone involved
with our program and it’s something my family and I will
never, ever forget,” Rhoades said.
Not only does Rhoades bring an incredibly high basketball IQ to the
staff, but he’s been an invaluable recruiter, helping bring
in some of the best non-BCS recruiting classes in the country.
“Mike’s intense and he has a toughness about him
that belies his kind and caring personality,” Smart said.
“He has an intensity on the floor that in some ways reminds
me of Billy Donovan’s. I really value that, because
let’s face it, if we want our players to be intense and
competitive and tough, then we have to be that way too.”
Rhoades lives just 20 minutes away from VCU, but his first meeting
with Smart came in Detroit, at the 2009 Final Four. Just days
later, Rhoades accepted an offer to join Smart’s staff.
“I had some opportunities over the years, but I just felt
like it was the time and it was the place I wanted to be,”
Rhoades said. “At this point in my career, it was time to
follow through in my career with something I wanted to
do.”
It didn’t take long for Rhoades to adjust to his new locale
at Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.
“Kids want to be coached,” Rhoades said. “People
say things about the kids of today, I don’t buy any of it.
These guys at VCU, they want to win. The program is bigger than any
individual. They want to be successful.”
Rhoades graduated from Lebanon Valley in 1995 with a degree in
history and promptly went to work on his basketball career.
In the summer of 1995, he was invited to the Phoenix Suns summer
camp, but NBA owners locked out the players in July. Rhoades took
his ball went to France for what he calls, “a brief
stint,” before he was let go. Rhoades worked as a substitute
teacher and aimed for another shot at the pros, but a broken ankle
that February convinced him it was time to move into coaching.
In May of 1996, Rhoades interviewed for and accepted a position
under Hal Nunnally at Division III Randolph-Macon in Ashland,
Va.
Rhoades spent three successful years under Nunnally, but in March
of 1999, the longtime coach had to retire due to a myriad of health
problems. Nunnally went to the school’s president and
recommended Rhoades, who would agree to take over the storied
Yellow Jackets’ program before his 26th birthday.
“That was the question, is he ready,” Rhoades said of
his hire. “But when I was 20 years old as a junior in
college, I was sitting in the office with Coach (Pat) Flannery
watching tape. In the summer, my summer job was basketball camps.
I’ve never had a real job to this day. So, I thought I was
ready. I knew what I needed to do.”
Apparently, Rhoades was right.
In 10 seasons, the Yellow Jackets were 197-76 and made four NCAA
Tournament appearances. During the 2002-03 season, Randolph-Macon
grabbed the nation’s No. 1 ranking for several weeks,
captured the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament and
reached the NCAA Sweet 16. Rhoades was named ODAC Coach of the
Year, his third such honor, as well as NABC South District Coach of
the Year and State Coach of the Year by the Richmond-Times
Dispatch.
“The qualities that Mike possessed as a player lend
themselves well to coaching,” says Flannery. “Mike
could have gone out and got 40 points every night, but
there’s night’s he’d go out and get 15 assists,
or that he’d be the best defensive player on the floor. He
learned the game right and he knows what it’s
about.”
How did a 26-year old guy with just three seasons of coaching
experience under his belt achieve so much? With players that are
willing to outwork everybody else.
“Of course you always have to see the talent,” Rhoades
said. “But I also want that kid that has an edge,
that’s very competitive, hates to lose, but knows how to
handle it. I just think, if kids aren’t afraid to compete and
have that edge about being successful, they’ll find a way. I
love tough kids.”
