2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team

2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball
Conference Southeastern Conference
2011–12 record 10−4 (0−0 SEC)
Head coach Kevin Stallings (13th year)
Assistant coach Brad Frederick (13th year)
Assistant coach Dan Muller (12th year)
Assistant coach Tom Richardson (9th year)
Home arena Memorial Gymnasium
Seasons
« 2010–11 2012–13 »
2011–12 SEC men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#2 Kentucky 0   0   —     14   1   .933
#15 Mississippi State 0   0   —     13   2   .867
#13 Florida 0   0   —     12   3   .800
Alabama 0   0   —     11   3   .786
Arkansas 0   0   —     11   3   .786
Auburn 0   0   —     10   4   .714
LSU 0   0   —     10   4   .714
Ole Miss 0   0   —     10   4   .714
Vanderbilt 0   0   —     10   4   .714
Georgia 0   0   —     9   5   .643
South Carolina 0   0   —     8   6   .571
Tennessee 0   0   —     7   6   .538
† 2012 SEC Tournament winner
As of January 3, 2012 • Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represents Vanderbilt University during the current 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Commodores, members of the Southeastern Conference, are coached by Kevin Stallings, and are playing their 60th season in their current home arena, Memorial Gymnasium.

Contents

Before the season

The Commodores come off a 2010–11 season that ended with a second-round (first game) upset by Richmond in the NCAA Tournament. This continued a recent history of tournament disappointments for Vanderbilt, whose last three NCAA appearances have all ended with a first-game loss to a double-digit seed.[1]

During the offseason, the coaching staff saw one change when assistant King Rice was hired as head coach at Monmouth.[2] Rice was replaced by David Cason, a former player under Stallings at Illinois State who had spent the previous six seasons as an assistant with Tulsa.[3]

Class of 2011 signees

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kedren Johnson
PG		 Lewisburg, Tennessee Marshall County 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) 195 lb (88 kg) Sep 22,
2010 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 93
Shelby Moats
PF		 Waconia, Minnesota Waconia 6 ft 7.5 in (201.9 cm) 225 lb (102 kg) Sep 26,
2010 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 89
Dai-Jon Parker
SG		 Alpharetta, Georgia Milton 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 5,
2010 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 23   Rivals: 30
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:

2011–12 outlook

In a major offseason development, three of the Commodores' most important players—Festus Ezeli, John Jenkins, and Jeffery Taylor—all spurned the NBA Draft and announced they would return for the 2011–12 season.[4][5] Jenkins, the SEC's leading scorer in 2010–11 at 19.5 points per game,[6] was chosen for the All-SEC first team.[7] Ezeli, who averaged 13 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks[6] in a breakout season, was named to the All-SEC second team,[7] and was also named by multiple sources as one of the most improved players in the country.[1][8] Taylor averaged 14.7 points[6] while being named to the All-SEC second team, as well as the SEC All-Defensive Team.[7] Ezeli, Jenkins, and Taylor were all named by Basketball Prospectus in its 2011–12 preseason outlook as among the top 20 players in college basketball, making Vanderbilt the only Division I men's team with three top-20 performers.[4]

These decisions meant that Vanderbilt would return all five of its starters from last season, all of them seniors except for Jenkins, a junior.[9] Another returning starter, point guard Brad Tinsley, led the SEC in assists in 2010–11 with 4.6 per game.[4][6]

The Commodores thus were widely projected as a preseason top-10 team,[4][1] with ESPN's Hall of Fame commentator Dick Vitale going so far as to rank them #5 in his preseason top 40.[10]

Less than a month before the start of the season, the NCAA suspended Ezeli 6 games after accepting a meal and hotel room from a Vanderbilt alumnus during a summer trip. He was able to practice with the team during the suspension, and was also eligible to play in the team's preseason exhibition game (but was unable to play in that game). Ezeli came off his suspension for the Xavier game on November 28;[11] however, he suffered a sprained knee during a late-October practice,[12] and did not return until the Davidson game on December 7.[13]

Roster

2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year High School/Junior College Home town
G 1 Tinsley, BradBrad Tinsley 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Oregon City Oregon City, OR
G 2 Johnson, KedrenKedren Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Marshall County Lewisburg, TN
C 3 Ezeli, FestusFestus Ezeli 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) RS Sr Igbinedion Education Center Benin City, Nigeria
G/F 5 Goulbourne, LanceLance Goulbourne 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr The Hun School (Princeton Township, NJ) Brooklyn, NY
G 11 Fuller, KyleKyle Fuller 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Rancho Verde Moreno Valley, CA
G/F 12 Smart, JordanJordan Smart 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Lexington Catholic Lexington, KY
F 14 Noll, AaronAaron Noll 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Covington Catholic Fort Mitchell, KY
G 23 Jenkins, JohnJohn Jenkins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Station Camp Hendersonville, TN
G 24 Parker, Dai-JonDai-Jon Parker 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Milton (Milton, GA) Baton Rouge, LA
F 33 Tchiengang, SteveSteve Tchiengang 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Montverde Academy (Montverde, FL) Douala, Cameroon
F 34 Moats, ShelbyShelby Moats 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Waconia Waconia, MN
F 35 Siakam, JamesJames Siakam 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 201 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Brehm Prep (Carbondale, IL) Douala, Cameroon
C 40 Henderson, JoshJosh Henderson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Fr Cave Spring Roanoke, VA
G/F 44 Taylor, JefferyJeffery Taylor 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Hobbs (Hobbs, NM) Norrköping, Sweden
F 45 Odom, RodRod Odom 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Middlesex School (Concord, MA) Central Islip, NY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2011-08-19

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Pts Ldr Reb Ldr Ast Ldr Result Attendance Record
Exhibition
Nov. 7, 2011* 7:00 pm Xavier (LA) #7 Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN  17 - Taylor   8 - Goulbourne   4 - Fuller  W 102–67   11,844
Non-Conference Regular Season
Nov. 11, 2011* 9:00 pm Oregon #7 Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN FSN  24 - Jenkins   11 - Taylor   4 - Taylor  W 78–64   14,316 1–0
Nov. 13, 2011* 1:00 PM Cleveland State #7 Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN
(Legends Classic Preliminary Round)		 ESPNU  17 - Jenkins   11 - Tchiengang   2 - Tied  L 58–71   13,503 [14] 1–1
Nov. 15, 2011* 7:00 PM Bucknell #18 Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN
(Legends Classic Preliminary Round)		  17 - Taylor   9 - Goulbourne   4 - Henderson  W 80–68   12,543 [15] 2–1
Nov. 19, 2011* 5:30 pm vs. NC State #18 Izod Center • East Rutherford, NJ
(Legends Classic Semifinal)		 ESPN3  28 - Jenkins   11 - Tchiengang   5 - Taylor  W 86–79     3–1
Nov. 21, 2011* 9:00 pm vs. Oregon State #18 Izod Center • East Rutherford, NJ
(Legends Classic)		 ESPN3  14 - Jenkins   13 - Taylor   2 - 5 Tied  W 64–62   3,294 4–1
Nov. 25, 2011* 8:00 PM Monmouth #18 Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN  18 - Jenkins   10 - Goulbourne   5 - Taylor  W 95–73   12,807 5–1
Nov. 28, 2011* 6:00 PM #11 Xavier #20 Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN ESPN2  20 - Jenkins   7 - Tied   7 - Tinsley  L 70–82 OT 14,316[16] 5–2
Dec. 2, 2011* 7:30 pm at #6 Louisville #20 KFC Yum! Center • Louisville, KY
(SEC–Big East Challenge)		 ESPN  27 - Jenkins   8 - Goulbourne   5 - Tinsley  L 60–62 OT 22,728 5–3
Dec. 7, 2011* 6:00 PM at Davidson John M. Belk Arena • Davidson, NC  30 - Taylor   7 - Goulbourne   3 - Johnson  W 87–83   4,475 6–3
Dec. 17, 2011* 4:30 PM Indiana State Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN CSS  21 - Taylor   6 - 3 players   3 - Tinsley  L 55–61   13,310 6–4
Dec. 19, 2011* 7:00 PM Longwood Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN  29 - Taylor   10 - Goulbourne   3 - Tinsley  W 99–71   12,886 7–4
Dec. 21, 2011* 7:00 PM Lafayette Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN FSN  27 - Jenkins   9 - Tchiengang   10 - Tinsley  W 89–58   13,034 8–4
Dec. 29, 2011* 8:00 PM at #14 Marquette Bradley Center • Milwaukee, WI ESPN2  19 - Taylor   16 - Goulbourne   8 - Tinsley  W 74–57   15,684 9–4
Jan. 2, 2012* 7:00 PM Miami (OH) Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN  26 - Jenkins   7 - Ezeli   4 - Tinsley  W 69–62   13,162 10–4
SEC Regular Season
Jan. 7, 2012 12:30 pm Auburn Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN SECN    -       -       -            
Jan. 10, 2012 8:00 pm at South Carolina Colonial Life Arena • Columbia, SC ESPNU    -       -       -            
Jan. 14, 2012 3:00 pm Georgia Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN SECN    -       -       -            
Jan. 19, 2012 6:00 pm at Alabama Coleman Coliseum • Tuscaloosa, AL ESPN/ESPN2    -       -       -            
Jan. 21, 2012 6:00 pm Mississippi State Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN ESPN/ESPN2    -       -       -            
Jan. 24, 2012 6:00 pm Tennessee Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN
(Super Tuesday)		 ESPNU    -       -       -            
Non-Conference Regular Season
Jan. 28, 2012* 1:00 PM Middle Tennessee Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN    -       -       -            
SEC Regular Season
Jan. 31, 2012 8:00 pm at Arkansas Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR ESPN    -       -       -            
Feb. 4, 2012 12:00 PM at Florida O'Connell Center • Gainesville, FL CBS    -       -       -            
Feb. 8, 2012 8:00 PM LSU Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN CSS    -       -       -            
Feb. 11, 2012 8:00 PM Kentucky Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN
(ESPN College GameDay)		 ESPN    -       -       -            
Feb. 16, 2012 8:00 PM at Mississippi Tad Smith Coliseum • Oxford, MS ESPN/ESPN2    -       -       -            
Feb. 19, 2012 12:00 PM at Georgia Stegeman Coliseum • Athens, GA FSN    -       -       -            
Feb. 22, 2012 7:00 PM South Carolina Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN SECN    -       -       -            
Feb. 25, 2012 11:00 AM at Kentucky Rupp Arena • Lexington, KY CBS    -       -       -            
Feb. 28, 2012 8:00 PM Florida Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, TN
(Super Tuesday/ Senior Night)		 ESPN    -       -       -            
Mar. 3, 2012 3:00 PM at Tennessee Thompson–Boling Arena • Knoxville, TN ESPN/ESPN2    -       -       -            
2012 SEC Tournament
Mar. 8–11 vs.  New Orleans Arena • New Orleans, LA SECN/ABC    -       -       -            
*Non-Conference Game. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Central Time (#) during NCAA Tournament is seed with Region.

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c Katz, Andy (August 9, 2011). "Festus Ezeli continues to learn the game". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/6847643/festus-ezeli-continues-learn-game. Retrieved August 15, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Monmouth to Announce King Rice as New Head Men's Basketball Coach" (Press release). Monmouth University Sports Information. April 1, 2011. http://www.gomuhawks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=62254&SPID=6806&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=14300&ATCLID=205126034. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  3. ^ "David Cason named to Vanderbilt MBB staff" (Press release). Vanderbilt University Sports Information. April 15, 2011. http://vucommodores.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/041511aaa.html. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  4. ^ a b c d Bergeron, Elena (August 9, 2011). "CBB Summer Buzz: Vanderbilt". ESPN.com. http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/story?id=6836994&_slug_=cbb-vanderbilt-commodores-2011-12-summer-buzz-preview&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2fstory%3fid%3d6836994%26_slug_%3dcbb-vanderbilt-commodores-2011-12-summer-buzz-preview. Retrieved August 19, 2011.  (full article behind paywall; cited information in free preview)
  5. ^ Associated Press (April 20, 2011). "John Jenkins returning to Vanderbilt". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6397537. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  6. ^ a b c d "Individual Basketball Statistics". 2010–11 SEC Men's Basketball Statistics. Southeastern Conference. April 2, 2011. http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/Portals/3/SEC%20Website/menshoops/CONFLDRS.HTM#conf.wki. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  7. ^ a b c "2011 SEC Men’s Hoops Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 8, 2011. http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/222025/2011-sec-mens-hoops-awards-announced.aspx. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  8. ^ Torre, Pablo S. (March 7, 2011). "How Did I Get Here?". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1182629/index.htm. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  9. ^ Brennan, Eamonn (August 9, 2011). "Summer Buzz: Vanderbilt Commodores". College Basketball Nation Blog. ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/33847/summer-buzz-vanderbilt-commodores. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  10. ^ Vitale, Dick (July 26, 2011). "Dickie V Preseason Top 40: Top 10". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/espn/dickvitale/story/_/id/6787669/dick-vitale-preseason-top-10-unc-takes-top-spot. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  11. ^ Associated Press (October 17, 2011). "Festus Ezeli suspended six games". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7116601/vanderbilt-commodores-center-festus-ezeli-suspended-first-six-games-season. Retrieved October 28, 2011. 
  12. ^ Associated Press (November 11, 2011). "No. 7 Vanderbilt 78, Oregon 64". ESPN.com. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=313150238. Retrieved November 12, 2011. 
  13. ^ Associated Press (December 7, 2011). "Vanderbilt 87, Davidson 83". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=313412166. Retrieved December 16, 2011. 
  14. ^ http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=313170238
  15. ^ http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=313190238
  16. ^ http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=313320238

External links

Teams
Tournament