VANDERBILT commodores

SEC PREDICTION

2ND

here was no press conference. No proclamations on Twitter. Nothing fancy. Just a simple press release. On April 20, Vanderbilt sent an email to announce that Festus Ezeli, John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor would be back in school for the 2011-12 season. The return of the Commodores version of the Big Three puts Vanderbilt on a very short list of SEC title contenders and, according to some, in position to play for the sports ultimate prize. I think they have a team that can contend for the Final Four, says Georgia coach Mark Fox. They have a great backcourt, great wing play and terrific shooting. They have an NBA center. There isnt much missing from Vandys team. Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings agrees with Fox I like how this team is constructed. We have a chance to be pretty 2010-11 STATLINE Vanderbilt SEC Rank good, he says but is quick to point out that his team still has SCORING OFFENSE 75.9 1 SCORING DEFENSE 67.7 9 one, rather large, hurdle to climb. The hype and projections FG% .458 3 need to be kept in check a bit because we have to win an FT% .743 2 (NCAA) Tournament game before we are going to have the type 3FG% .371 2 of year we want to have. REBOUND MARGIN +2.4 7 The Commodores have lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed (10) and No. 5 (11) in the past two seasons. FRONTCOURT The unofficial winner of the 2010-11 Most Improved Player award in college basketball, Ezeli emerged as a force on the low block in his first season as a starter. His averages improved from 3.8 points and 3.2 rebounds as a sophomore to 13.0 and 6.3 as a junior in only 23.5 minutes per game. His biggest gains came at the foul line, where he a jumped from a dreadful .373 to a respectable .648. The Nigerian-born big man is one more solid season away from the NBA Lottery. Power forward Lance Goulbourne teased Commodore fans by playing the best basketball of his career last January before going down with an ankle injury in a home loss to Arkansas. He played through the injury but didnt regain his bounce until late February. Goulbourne is capable of averaging a double-double. John Jenkins The Commodores have more options off the bench this season. Steve Tchiengang, a rugged senior whose shooting range extends beyond the 3-point line, played most of his minutes as a backup center last year but has also logged considerable time at power forward. Tchiengang might get more TRACKING THE COMMODORES of his minutes at the 4 if redshirt freshman Josh Henderson proves to be a capable backup to Ezeli 07 08 09 10 11 at center. Rod Odom, a slender power forward, provided sporadic quality minutes as a freshman and POSTSEASON Sweet 16 One & Done None One & Done One & Done was a better-than-expected outside shooter. Stallings would like to see him score more points around SEC RECORD 10-6 10-6 8-8 12-4 9-7 the basket as a sophomore. BACKCOURT Jenkins enters his junior season as one of the preVANDERBILT COMMODORES 2011-12 ROSTER mier scorers in the nation. He led the SEC with a 19.5-point averHEAD COACH: Kevin Stallings 2010-11 RECORD (SEC): 2311 (97) age, thanks in large part to his ability to get to the free throw line 2010-11 POSTSEASON: NCAA: Lost to Richmond 6966 in the Round of 64 KEY LOSSES: None almost one-quarter of his 624 points came from the stripe. Ball-han# Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown G/GS MPG PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 3FG% dling and perimeter defense were his two areas of emphasis over the 3 Festus Ezeli C 6-11 255 Sr. Benin City, Nigeria 34/34 23.5 13.0 6.3 0.2 58.8 64.8 0.0 summer. Jenkins will be flanked on the wing by Taylor, a dynamic 11 Kyle Fuller G 6-1 200 So. Moreno Valley, CA 34/0 14.7 1.9 1.4 1.6 30.8 50.0 24.1 athlete who struggles with consistency. Consider the following: Tay5 Lance Goulbourne F 6-8 230 Sr. Brooklyn, NY 32/21 25.0 6.9 7.3 1.3 42.2 70.8 27.6 lor averaged 20.7 points in Vanderbilts three SEC Tournament 23 John Jenkins G 6-4 220 Jr. Hendersonville, TN 32/32 34.5 19.5 3.0 1.2 46.2 89.4 40.8 14 Aaron Noll F 6-7 220 Sr. Fort Mitchell, KY 4/0 2.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 games, but scored only four points (on 1-of-10 shooting) in the 45 Rod Odom F 6-9 215 So. Central Islip, NY 34/8 15.7 3.9 2.6 0.4 40.9 62.5 37.3 NCAA Tournament loss to Richmond. 12 Jordan Smart G/F 6-6 200 Jr. Lexington, KY 14/0 3.4 0.4 0.6 0.3 40.0 0.0 40.0 After spending his first two seasons as the starting 2-guard, Brad 44 Jeffery Taylor G/F 6-7 225 Sr. Norrkoping, Sweden 34/33 31.7 14.7 5.5 2.4 44.9 71.9 34.5 Tinsley slid over to the point last year. He did a solid job running the 33 Steve Tchiengang F 6-9 245 Sr. Douala, Cameroon 34/0 16.4 4.8 3.0 0.4 44.9 75.6 41.5 1 Brad Tinsley G 6-3 210 Sr. Oregon City, OR 34/34 32.7 10.6 3.7 4.6 43.6 82.4 36.9 team, and he regained his 3-point stroke after shooting .295 as a sophomore, but he has trouble on the defensive end of the floor. NEWCOMERS Tinsley will be pushed by freshman Kedren Johnson, a big, phys40 Josh Henderson C 6-11 230 Fr. Roanoke, VA/Redshirt 2010-11 ical point guard who is regarded as an outstanding passer and a 2 Kedren Johnson G 6-4 215 Fr. Lewisburg, TN/Marshall County streaky 3-point shooter. Freshman Dai-Jon Parker is a highly skilled 34 Shelby Moats F 6-8 225 Fr. Waconia, MN/Waconia combo guard who will play right away due to his ability to defend 24 Dai-Jon Parker G 6-3 190 Fr. Baton Rouge, LA/Milton (GA) 35 James Siakam F 6-6 210 Fr. Douala, Cameroon/Redshirt 2010-11 on the perimeter, a long-time Vanderbilt weakness. Dai-Jon Parker, a top-40 national recruit, is an explosive athlete who will help right away on defense. Kedren JohnFINAL ANALYSIS Vanderbilt is a veteran team that features three son is a true point guard who picked the Dores over Florida and Louisville. Shelby Moats is a power forward who can shoot from 3-point range. Josh Henderson is an offensively skilled big man who sat out last season as a redshirt. potential first-round draft picks. Some are calling it the most talHe has a chance to be very, very good player, Kevin Stallings says. ented team in school history. Talent alone, however, doesnt win games in the NCAA Tournament. To emerge as a legitimate Final Four threat, the Commodores must improve on the defensive end and shed some of the mental bagThe Commodores had a double-digit lead in five of the 11 games they lost last seagage that has plagued this group in recent postseasons. son, including four in the second half. Ive liked this team for a long time, Stallings says. If everybody accepts their roles and we get some solid leadership, then I think all the hype will be justified.

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Joe Robbins