Virginia Commonwealth has reached a deal to hire Rice head coach Mike Rhoades to the same position, sources confirm to Newschannel 5 as reported by multiple outlets.
Rhoades, 44, is 47-52 in three seasons at Rice. He previously posted a 197-76 record in 10 seasons at Randolph-Macon, guiding teams to four NCAA Division III tournaments.
Rhoades is very familiar with the VCU position. He spent time on the Rams' staff as an assistant coach from 2009-14 under Shaka Smart, and was considered a prime candidate for the job when Smart left to take the Texas job after the 2014-15 season.
Rhoades, however, remained at Rice posting a second consecutive 12-20 season before turning the Owls around this year, going 23-12 and advancing to the second round of the CIT.
He replaces Will Wade, who accepted the head coaching position at LSU late Monday night after just two seasons on the bench in Richmond.
