North Richmond Today

SHRIVER BOOSTS VCU, SELF IN NIU ROMP

 Shooter's shoot, and in VCU's 90-63 Saturday afternoon win over Northern Illinois, VCU senior forward David Shriver reminded people that he is, in fact, a shooter.
 
Shriver buried his first three 3-pointers Saturday afternoon on the way to a season-high 14 points. In the process, he set the tone for a game that produced VCU's largest offensive output and biggest margin of victory of the season. He was a shot in the arm for a VCU offense in need of a lift. Shriver may have also given himself a lift.
 
"Seeing those first three go in was a huge confidence booster," said Shriver. "It got the momentum going for the rest of the game and it allowed us to keep the foot down on the pedal."
 
It was the Hartford transfer's first start at VCU. Graduate forward Brandon Johns Jr. has been dealing with back spasms, and it was decided during pregame warmups he would be unable to play. Shriver, a fifth-year senior with 81 career starts in his career, was ready to go.
 
"We got into the locker room [Coach] is just like, get ready to go. Your number is being called up," Shriver said.
 
"David was ready to step up today, and I was really proud of him," said VCU Head Coach Mike Rhoades. "Once I let the team know he was starting, the guys were gassing him up to get him going, and it showed on the court. Good shooters that take the right shots usually make them, and I thought he did that today."
 
"We are always telling him [Shriver] to shoot the ball every time he touches it," said junior guard Ace Baldwin Jr. "When we see shots going in it helps us on the defensive end, and today it led to a lot of turnovers for us on the back end."
 
Shriver's early outburst was a surely welcome development for VCU, but no one was likely happier than Shriver himself. The 6-foot-6 forward hit 88 three-pointers last season at Hartford and shot .413 from long range. But the Philippi, W.Va. native entered Saturday's contest amid a 4-of-27 (.148) stretch from beyond the arc in his past seven games.
 
The saying goes that shooters are either hot or due. Shriver, who hit 303 three-pointers and scored nearly 1,300 points in four collegiate seasons prior to his arrival at VCU, was due.
 
Baldwin found Shriver on the right wing on VCU's second possession of the game. Shriver, three steps outside the 3-point line, buried the deep jumper in rhythm.  A short time later, Shriver splashed back-to-back triples, including a deep trail three, to ignite a 13-0 VCU run that supplied the Rams with a 24-6 cushion with 14:24 left. From there, the Rams were off to the races and on their way to their first 90-point outburst since last season.
 
Shriver hopes Saturday's performance is just a preview.
 
"It's a huge confidence booster…especially being in that little bit of a slump, seeing those first threes go in is a huge confidence booster, especially going on in the future," Shriver said.
 
"He's been making those shots in practice since he got here in the summer," said Rhoades. "I told him his recipe for success is to keep finding windows and taking open shots. What was important about him making those shots is that his guy never left him and because he's such a threat out there that will be the case throughout the season." 

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