VCU coach Phil Martelli Jr. praises student journalists after comeback win over UNC in NCAA first round
Authored by prc-kaiyunsports.com, 21/03/2026
No. 11 seed VCU defeated No. 6 seed North Carolina in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament following a significant comeback.
During the post-game press conference, VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. interrupted student journalist Ben Rekosh, director and on-air commentator for WVCW Sports -- VCU's student radio station -- to praise the student media team.
"I am gonna shout you guys out. I know there's a lot of professional media, our student media, the best in the country. They are unreal. Unreal, unreal," Martelli said. He noted that three student journalists had driven through a snowstorm to cover a game at Davidson and traveled to St. Louis and other locations during the team's run.
Martelli added a light-hearted comment about the reporters missing a Valentine's Day game for young love, before reiterating his thanks: "I told them in Pittsburgh, I'll tell them again, I cannot thank you guys enough. You are what this is about, right there. The rest of these [media members] are getting paid -- not enough. They don't get paid enough, but they get paid to be here -- they're not paid to be here, and they show up every single day, every single game, and I can't thank you guys (enough)."
Rekosh thanked Martelli and continued with his question.
The game was played at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The venue has hosted previous NCAA tournament games.[1]
Virginia Commonwealth University, based in Richmond, Virginia, competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference.[2]
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament first round features the top four seeds from each region playing the 13 through 16 seeds, and seeds five through 12 facing the corresponding lower seeds, including 11 vs. 6.[3]
Sources
- Bon Secours Wellness Arena - Wikipedia. Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Secours_Wellness_Arena
- VCU Rams men's basketball - Wikipedia. Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCU_Rams_men%27s_basketball
- 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament - NCAA.com (tournament format). Accessed October 2024. https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/d1/article/2024-03-17/2024-ncaa-di-mens-basketball-bracket-and-schedule