North Richmond Today

KING OF FUN: JOYFUL KERN SPARKS VCU

VCU sophomore guard Nick Kern Jr. is having fun.
 
And over the past three games with Kern Jr. cracking the starting five, the VCU Rams have been winning. And winning is fun.
 
"My game is just to have fun," said Kern. "If you don't see Nick smiling, then that's not Nick. I just want to have fun every time I take the court."
 
On Tuesday night, Kern's energy was infectious, as the VCU sophomore scored a career-high 12 points (5-for-8 from the field) and had himself a few highlight plays. It helped carry the Rams to an 83-55 Atlantic 10 victory over UMass, which extended the Rams' win streak to four games.
 
"Nick being in the starting five has given us a huge lift," said VCU Head Coach Mike Rhoades. "He brings energy, and he is starring in his role. His role is to play really good defense, rebound, run the court and cut to the basket and he's doing that at a high level."
 
It took a few games, but Kern worked his way into the lineup thanks to hours in the gym.
 
"I've been putting in the work when nobody is watching, and I've really focused on creating more for my teammates and bringing more energy for them," He said.
 
Since cracking the starting lineup for the first time in his career in VCU's 78-64 win at Loyola Chicago on Jan. 10, he's averaged 9.3 points per game while converting 12-for-19 from the field.
 
And he's been having fun while doing it.
 
"Nick is a difference maker for us," said VCU sophomore forward Jalen DeLoach. "He's a great cutter and brings us energy on defense. He has no problem guarding the other team's best player which makes a big impact for us."
 
Throughout Tuesday night's game, Kern was making plays up and down the court, and after scoring six points in the opening half, he got the Rams on the board to open the second half.
 
With graduate forward Brandon Johns Jr. controlling the ball at the top of the offense, Kern made a quick backdoor cut on the baseline and received the bounce pass from Johns. Kern laid the ball into the basket, and the Rams rumbled the rest of the way.
 
The opening bucket was just the start, as midway through the period, with the Rams beginning to take control of the game, Kern's energy showed up above the rim. On a UMass turnover at half court, the Rams hit the break. Junior guard Zeb Jackson tossed the ball ahead to Kern, streaking up the left sideline. Kern was ready for maximum fun.
 
It took just one step, but after receiving the pass from Jackson, Kern took flight and slammed home a thunderous dunk to send the Siegel Center crowd of nearly 7,300 into a frenzy.
 
"Nick has been doing the same stuff he was doing from off the bench, brings a lot of energy," said Jackson. "The difference now is he's bringing that to the starting lineup."
 
The VCU sophomore was not done exciting the Siegel Center.
 
With the game decided late, the Rams forced yet another turnover (VCU turned UMass over 16 times) to again send VCU off and running. And once again it was a Jackson to Kern Jr. connection that finished the break.
 
This time the pass was a smooth chest floater from Jackson that hit Kern Jr. in stride. Taking two steps, the St. Louis, Mo. native took to the sky and brought the house down with a loud one-handed slam.
 
A fun punctuation mark to a fun evening for VCU.
 
But Tuesday night was not the first time the Rams have enjoyed themselves since Kern entered the starting five.
 
In VCU's riveting 63-62 road win at Dayton (Jan. 13), Kern ended the Flyers' night with a steal and game-winning layup with under 16 seconds left to cap the Rams' 16-point comeback. In his first start days earlier at Loyola, Kern finished with seven points, shooting 75 percent from the field.
 
When Kern has touched the floor, the Rams have benefited from his energy, his defense and his smile. And over the past three games, Kern Jr. has settled into the starting five and given VCU a punch in the arm from the start.
 
"I'm really proud of him and what he's done," said Rhoades. "Nick is thinking about how important the name on the front is then the name on the back and it shows." 

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