Quick sidebar on a serious note…

The VCU athletics department is holding a silent auction beginning Wednesday morning in which all proceeds from the event will benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

“The devastation in Haiti is something that we will never comprehend,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “Anything that we can do to supply just a little bit of help is something we want to be involved with.”

Hit the VCU athletics website for more detail and the full list of items and bidding process. A link on the front page will provide a list of available items, along with an email address where fans can send their bids. Three times a day, the website will be updated with the highest bid for each item.

The auction closes at 5:00pm Friday.

There’s obviously a long list of VCU items (click through to see them), but there’s some general CAA swag worth noting:

• Co-host for an afternoon with Greg Burton with ESPN 950
• Four tickets to a Baltimore Orioles’ game
• Four CAA Basketball t-shirts and 4 tickets to the one of the Friday Sessions of the men’s basketball championship
• A Richmond Flying Squirrels Prize Pack
• Special for ODU fans: Lunch with Shaka Smart and his staff
• I’ve seen some of you: one-hour workout session with Men’s Basketball Strength Coach Daniel Roose

They’ve said they will add more to the prize mix, so check back.