College coaches usually go viral for scolding the media, but VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. is garnering attention for a wholesome shoutout to the student reporters at his press conference.
Fresh off coaching VCU to a stunning comeback win against North Carolina in the first round of the men’s NCAA Tournament, Martelli Jr. had plenty of praise for his players during his postgame press conference.
But he has just as notable praise for the student reporters who made the trip, and have been making the trip all season.
Really cool moment tonight postgame after VCU upset UNC. VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. made a point to shoutout the student reporters that made the trip.
Lots of great stuff this time of year, but this was a really awesome, genuine exchange. pic.twitter.com/9NiDQHfz63
— Ben Portnoy (@bportnoy15) March 20, 2026
“I am gonna shout you out,” Martelli Jr. said while speaking to the media after completing the sixth largest comeback win in men’s NCAA Tournament history. “I know there’s a lot of professional media here, our student media – the best in the country. They are unreal. Three of these guys drove in a snowstorm, I’m not sure why they did it, to Davidson to cover Davidson, they came out to St. Louis, they’ve been everywhere along the way.”
Well, almost everywhere. Phil Martelli Jr. did chide two of the reporters a bit for missing a game last month on Valentine’s Day, joking, “young love is young love.”
“This crew right here, I told them in Pittsburgh, and I’ll tell them again,” Martelli Jr. continued. “Cannot thank you guys enough. You are what this is about…they’re not paid to be here, and they show up every single game.”
The best part about this exchange may have been the initial response from the student reporter. After briefly noting how much he appreciated Martelli Jr’s praise, the reporter got right back to business, quickly pivoting to ask a question about the end of VCU’s win over UNC.
This isn’t the first time a college coach expressed appreciation for young journalists. Last year, Texas women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer praised three student reporters for making a 16-hour drive to cover their SEC Championship loss, telling them to use him as a reference on their resume. Georgetown’s Ed Cooley even once challenged the program’s young reporters to ask him tough questions during press conferences.
There have been other examples as well. And in this case, no one would have blamed Phil Martelli Jr. if he kept all the attention on his basketball program and players in the wake of what was a historic NCAA Tournament comeback win over UNC. But hiss gesture of appreciation for those student reporters stood out.
