Rice head coach Mike Rhoades is returning to VCU as the Rams’ new head coach. Rhoades was an assistant and associate head coach under Shaka Smart at VCU for five seasons before leaving for Rice in 2014.
VCU moved very quickly in naming Rhoades the new head coach, the announcement coming just one day after Will Wade left the school for LSU. Athletic director Ed McLaughlin again stayed within the VCU family in hopes that the program will continue its current success. The Rams have been to the NCAA Tournament nine times in the past eleven seasons.
Rhoades was actually a finalist for the VCU job in 2015, despite being at Rice for just one year at the time. During his short tenure, Rhoades turned the 7-23 Owls team that he inherited into a 23-12 CBI team in just three years.
