After three transfers and an NCAA lawsuit, he found a home at VCU
RICHMOND — Joe Bamisile thought about the question for a moment, then repeated it before answering.
“What plans do I have?” he said on Friday. “I’m going to defeat Richmond tomorrow. That’s usually as far ahead of me as I think about my life. I intended to attend Virginia Tech for four years before graduating. Not at all. My objective was to attend George Washington University and obtain my degree there. Not at all. Then Oklahoma — just the same. Since I graduated from high school, very little of what I had anticipated has actually transpired. I’ve thus essentially ceased making plans. I’m merely taking it all in.”
The strategy on Saturday paid off as VCU defeated Richmond 63–52 to snap their 11-game winning streak at the always-full Siegel Center. Bamisile didn’t have a particularly good game; he only scored five points, which is about eight fewer than his average. However, late in the second half, his lone three-pointer gave VCU its biggest lead of the game, eight points.
“I’m just happy that I’m out there playing,” he said while sitting in the empty arena after practice Friday. “I want to play well, and I want us to win. I’m as competitive as anyone, but just playing basketball every day is a blessing for me.”
It took a court order to get Bamisile on the court for the Rams this season.
After averaging 3.5 points and nine minutes per game in 13 games as a rookie, Bamisile left Virginia Tech. The previous season, the Hokies had finished 16–16 under head coach Mike Young, who was trying to strengthen his team by adding new players. Bamisile remarked, “He sat me down and was very honest with me.” “You must use the transfer portal if you want to play a lot next year,” he stated. I valued his candor.
Bamisile ended up at George Washington as a sophomore, playing for Jamion Christian, who had recruited him coming out of high school. He averaged more than 16 points and was third-team all-Atlantic 10.
“I just never felt comfortable there,” said Bamisile, who grew up outside Richmond. “. . . I was lonely. And then Coach Christian got fired.”
