Adam Cheek's Sports Week

Got to sit down again with VCU basketball head coach Phil Martelli Jr. a few weeks after the Rams played in the NCAA tournament! Martelli is coming off a 28-8 debut season with the Black and Gold, leading the Rams to an A-10 Tournament championship and Round of 32 appearance in March Madness.

Coach and I look back at his first season -- from the way the team came together and the run VCU made in the tournament to his first experience with the Siegel Center atmosphere and some of his most memorable moments. We also talk about Phil's favorite spots in Richmond so far, his dad coming out to games, navigating the offseason / portal and more!

-------------------------

Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

VCU's Jacob Lee, ranked the preseason No. 7 catcher in Division I baseball, sat down with me in late February to talk about his second season on the Rams.

The backstop batted .288 with 59 hits, 17 homers and 65 RBI last season, along with 333 putouts behind the plate. We discussed what brought him to VCU in the first place, working with head coach Sean Thompson -- they both began their respective roles at the same time last season -- and what he learned most from his freshman year, along with what he worked on most in the offseason.

-------------------------

Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

I sat down with Reese Ahalt, who was a member of the VCU Gold Rush dance team before joining the ROAR of the Jacksonville Jaguars on the NFL sidelines. We caught up just ahead of the team's Alumni Weekend performance at VCU's homecoming game against Fordham.

Reese talks about some of the similarities and differences between dancing for VCU and cheerleading for the Jaguars, along with what brought her to VCU and then to Florida. We also discuss her career with the Rams, where she was a part of the Gold Rush for all four years at VCU, and how she got into the art form to begin with.

-------------------------

Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

I sit down with WVCW Sports' Ben Rekosh to talk about VCU's trip to the NCAA Tournament, huge upset win over North Carolina in Greenville, Phil Martelli Jr.'s extension and the offseason ahead for the Rams. As a VCU and WVCW alum myself, it was awesome to see Ben and company spotlighted by Martelli in his postgame presser, and we talk about what it meant to the radio crew.

We cover a ton of ground in this episode -- first, Ben discusses Greenville, the lead-up to the Round of 64 game and VCU's incredible 19-point comeback over the Tar Heels, spearheaded by Terrence Hill Jr.'s 34 points. Ben and I then recount the second-round game against Illinois, where VCU hung with the Fighting Illini through halftime but faded late.

Then, we turn our attention to the offseason: Martelli's extension will keep him at the helm of the Rams as VCU tries to run it back in the 2026-27 season, while NIL deals could target players like Hill and Nyk Lewis. We talk about what we really liked from the team this past season and how they could get even better next year.

Follow me on Twitter: @adamncheek

Follow Ben on Twitter: @Ben_Rekosh

Follow Ben on Instagram: @benrekosh.media

Follow WVCW on Instagram: @wvcw_sports

-------------------------

Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

GalaxyCon Richmond is back! I covered the event for the fourth year straight and caught up with some recurring podcast guests, along with a couple celebrities at the ribbon-cutting to open the weekend.

First, Brian O'Halloran talked about his love for the Richmond restaurant scene and how he caught VCU-UNC at Penny Lane Pub on Thursday, along with appearing with fellow View Askewniverse-ers Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson at a convention for the first time in years.

At the ribbon-cutting, I got the chance to walk with Lou Ferrigno -- the OG Incredible Hulk himself -- and early Flash actor John Wesley Shipp, who hails from Norfolk and considers the Richmond convention a homecoming. I also chatted again with Astravoid Cosplay, who's also from Virginia, about what she's been up to.

VCU tournament breakdown coming later this week!

-------------------------

Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

VCU is headed to March Madness! After running the table in the A-10 tournament, the Rams are on their way to a first-round matchup with North Carolina as an 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

I sit down once again with Ben Rekosh, co-sports director at WVCW at VCU, to talk about his time in Pittsburgh watching VCU get crowned conference champions and what he expects from the Rams in Greenville. We talk about the matchup with UNC, Coach Martelli's first season at the helm, players like Nyk Lewis and Terrence Hill Jr. who came up big in the conference tournament ... and our own bracket picks, too.

VCU plays at 6:50pm ET on Thursday!

-------------------------

Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

My buddy Alex Soderstrom is back on the podcast for his fourth Sports Movie Showcase -- this time his first non-football movie with Hoosiers. The film turns 40 this year, but we thought we'd tackle it with March Madness just around the corner -- though this is my first time watching it.

We talk about Gene Hackman's leading role as head coach Norman Dale and Dennis Hopper's Oscar-nominated supporting role (in the same year he was in Blue Velvet, no less), how the basketball scenes are put together and how it's an early example of typical sports-movie and underdog tropes. We also get into how it stacks up to other similar movies, talk about March Madness a little bit and more!

-------------------------

Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

Ben Rekosh, the current co-sports director of WVCW Radio at VCU, jumps back on the podcast to talk about the Rams' men's basketball season at length and preview the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

We talk about what head coach Phil Martelli Jr. said in his press conference just before Ben and I recorded at the Siegel Center, as well as our takeaways from his first season at the helm of the team. Ben and I also break down the roster -- how the starting five has remained consistent over the course of the year and some of the standouts -- and look ahead to the tournament and (maybe) a potential NCAA Tournament berth.

-------------------------

Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

I caught up with Sean Thompson a few games into the VCU Rams' 2026 baseball season. The former VCU pitcher, who spent some time in the White Sox organization, was named as the Rams' head baseball coach last season.

We talk about the roster turnover in the offseason and what Sean learned the most from his first year at the helm of the Black and Gold. Thompson also discusses what he and the team worked on most heading into 2026 and what he learned about coaching during his playing time at VCU.

-------------------------

Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

I sat down with Michael Belle, one of the longest-tenured VCU Rams men's basketball members, ahead of the team's final two home games of the 2025-26 season. The junior guard/forward is in his third season with the team and has found success from beyond the arc, making twice as many threes this year as his first two seasons combined.

Mike talked about the differences between Coach Odom and Coach Martelli's leadership styles and his own expanding role within the team, especially as a leader with all the turnover last offseason. He also talks about his path to VCU from England and France, where he played against opponents like Bronny James; going to the A-10, NIT and NCAA tournaments over the course of the past two years; and what he's worked on the most this season.

-------------------------

Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco