By
Joel Welser
Vanderbilt just missed out on the NCAAs
last year and made a decent run in the NIT before falling to
Memphis. Three quality players are gone, but Coach Kevin
Stallings returns enough talent to compete with everybody in the
weakened SEC. Mario Moore, Shan Foster, Alex Gordon and Dan Cage
will be one of the best group of perimeter players in the SEC by
the time the season is over.
Who’s Out:
Corey Smith averaged 12.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists
as a senior last season. The wing had a decent outside shot and
was a good rebounder from the wing. Big man Dawid Przybyszewski
averaged 6.4 points and 3.3 boards. Przybyszewski could spread
opposing defenses by stepping out and hitting the long ball,
which is a dimension that will be lost this season. Guard Jason
Holwerda led the team with 31 starts, averaging 6.4 points and
2.8 assists.
Who’s In:
Vanderbilt returns seven players who averaged over ten minutes a
game last year, so the incoming freshman won’t be asked to do
too much. George Drake, a 6-4 guard, placed second last year in
the Alabama Mr. Basketball voting. Drake averaged 22.6 points as
a senior and should see some minutes off the bench along with
returnee Dan Cage. Kyle Madsen, a 6-10 forward, is athletic, can
score and block shots. He needs to get stronger, but is still
talented enough to battle for minutes. Derrick Byars, a transfer
from Virginia, averaged 7.5 points and 3.4 boards in 18 starts
for the Cavaliers two years ago. He has the potential to become
a big time scorer right away from Vanderbilt and it’ll be tough
to keep him on the bench very long. Davis Nwankwo redshirted
last year after a series of injuries before the beginning of the
season. Nwankwo is a talented rebounder and shot blocker. His
offense continues to improve and he’ll see plenty of minutes if
the injury bug can stay away.
Who to Watch:
Mario Moore is the heart and soul of the
Commodores. As a junior last year he averaged a team high 13.5
points and 3.7 assists. The 5-11 Nashville native is a streaky
shooter but has nice range. Moore shot nearly 40% from behind
the arc and more numbers like that will keep the wins coming at
Memorial Gym. Moore will need to continue to be the floor leader
and keep things under control on the floor. If Moore has a bad
game, so will Vanderbilt.
Projected Conference Rank:
The perimeter is the strength but there are
many options under the basket. Julian Terrell will be there and
the other spot could be filled by Ted Skuchas, Alan Metcalfe or
Davis Nwankwo. DeMarre Carroll and Derrick Byars can play either
forward spot. None are proven players, but one or two will step
up and have a productive campaign. With the general decline of
the SEC this season, there will be some hope for the Commodores
to make the NCAAs. A 6th place finish isn’t good
enough in the conference this time around and will leave Vandy
with another trip to the NIT.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Mario Moore, Senior, Guard, 13.5 points
per game
Alex Gordon, Sophomore, Guard, 6.0 points
per game
Shan Foster, Sophomore, Forward, 9.2
points per game
DeMarre Carroll, Sophomore, Forward, 4.0
points per game
Julian Terrell, Senior, Forward, 6.8
points per game
