Things around VCU basketball might change, but the program’s long-established identity of tenacious, physically aggressive play remains the same. 

Just look at Marcus Santos-Silva. 

The 6-foot-7 forward is in his third year with VCU, joining the program the same year as head coach Mike Rhoades , and has established himself as one of the nation’s most formidable presences inside. 

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He averages 61.2 percent shooting from the floor, blocks 1.3 shots per game and generates 1.5 steals, setting the tone for the always-stifling VCU defense. And there’s the board word. 

“My goal every time there’s a [missed shot] is to get the rebound,” he said. 

A David Robinson t-shirt from the ‘90s foreshadowed Santos-Silva’s mindset pretty nicely: You can dribble too much, you can shoot too much, you can even pass too much. But you never can rebound too much. 

So that’s a little before Santos-Silva’s time – but VCU as a destination for players with such an approach to the game dates back long before his arrival. 

In its 51-year history, VCU has made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances. Eight have come in the last decade, beginning with the Rams’ remarkable run to the 2011 Final Four. The common thread throughout this remarkable and still ongoing emergence of a national basketball brand name is commitment to defense and rebounding. 

Santos-Silva, moves for days. And-1.

VCU 23, ODU 20, 4:47, 1st#ThisIsRamNation #LetsGoVCU pic.twitter.com/dyHOp8xJUP

— VCU Basketball (@VCU_Hoops) December 8, 2019

The Rams have ranked in the top 100 nationally for adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.com metrics every season since 2010-11 but one. Four times, they were top 25 – including last season’s No. 7 rank. 

Defense and rebounding often go hand-in-hand, and last year, Santos-Silva contributed in both phases with a 5.3 percent block rating (No. 158 among all Div. I players) and 15.7 percent offensive rebounding percentage (sixth in Div. I). 

Through 10 games in 2019-20, Santos-Silva ranked in the top 70 among all players in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage, No. 135 in blocked-shot percentage, and No. 204 in steal percentage. 

Indeed, Santos-Silva has been a seamless fit into the long-held style of Rams basketball. 

“It appealed to me a lot,” Santos-Silva said of VCU’s reputation during the recruiting process. “When you think of VCU, they’re just junkyard dogs, guys who go after it. And I’m just one of those type of players.”

The tradition at VCU continues on, while adding new layers through changes. 

Santos-Silva named to Oscar Robertson Award Watch List: https://t.co/gyBEbd1XNA

⚫???#ThisIsRamNation #LetsGoVCU pic.twitter.com/mAVRVrEKHJ

— VCU Basketball (@VCU_Hoops) December 5, 2019

VCU earned another three NCAA Tournament bids in the 2000s. With last year’s berth, Rhoades become the fifth different Rams coach to lead the program to the Dance in 15 years – a remarkable feat of consistency. 

And while Rhoades’ teams have defended hard, hit the glass hard, and frustrated opposing offenses, Santos-Silva said this year’s Rams are defined by their ability to push the tempo. 

Boasting the nation’s top-ranking in steal percentage, No. 12 ranking for defensive possessions resulting in blocks, and second overall rank in total turnovers forced, VCU has a defense that turns change-of-possession into quick scoring opportunities. 

The Rams are No. 71 in the nation in adjusted tempo, and have one of the fastest possessions lengths in the country at 15.3. Late ‘80s Big East or early 2000s NBA, this ain’t. 

Ahead of an Atlantic 10 Conference slate that includes surprise breakout teams Dayton and Richmond, Santos-Silva and the Rams wrap up non-conference play with some formidable non-conference opponents. 

Another recent Final Four participant, Wichita State, looms on Dec. 21. Before then, VCU visits Charleston to face one of the favorites in the Colonial Athletic Association. 

Facing one of the nation’s most explosive scorers in Grant Riller is exactly the kind of challenge a defense of VCU’s caliber, with a defensive dynamo like Santos-Silva, relishes.