Vanderbilt Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings looks for the SEC to recover from what was generally considered a “down” year for the conference last season.

Only three teams made into the NCAA Tournament, the fewest since the field was expanded in 1985.

“We just had a year where a lot of our programs were very, very young,” Stallings said. “I think you’ll see just the exact opposite of that this year. … We’ll have experienced teams that will raise the quality of our league, and it will show come tournament time.”

You can include Stallings’ Commodores in that group.

Vandy didn’t have a senior on its roster last season, and Stallings ended up starting three freshmen—Jeffery Taylor (31 starts), Brad Tinsley (28), and Steve Tchiengang (16 of his 25 appearances)—for most of the year.

The Commodores went 19-12 and finished 8-8 in the conference.

Not only will those three return, but they will be joined by junior center A.J. Ogilvy, a two-year starter and the leading scorer at 15.4 points a game, and senior point guard Jermaine Beal, the team’s assist leader and No. 2 scorer at 12.5 points per game.

Stallings sees big things coming from Ogilvy, who had injury problems last season and missed two games.

“If we can keep A.J. healthy and free from injury, we’ll see a tremendous improvement in him,” Stallings said.

In addition to the inside-outside combination of Ogilvy and Beal, the Commodores have threats on the perimeter with Tinsley, a 41-percent 3-point shooter, and newcomer John Jenkins.

The one snag: The Commodores play in what appears to be the tougher Eastern Division against the likes of Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and Florida.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Vanderbilt finished with a 3-2 record on a summer tour of Australia—paid for out of coach Kevin Stallings’ pocket. The tab was $100,000.

• C A.J. Ogilvy, who set a Vandy freshman scoring record with 578 points, became the first sophomore in school history to top the 1,000-point career mark when he had 448 last season despite fighting injury problems that cost him two games and one start. He has averaged 16.3 points a game over his career.

• G Jermaine Beal enters his senior season with 356 assists (3.7 per game). He is No. 8 on Vandy’s career list. Atiba Prater is the school record-holder with 517 assists (4.5 per game).

Last Year:   19-12 overall, 8-8 in the SEC.

Head Coach:   Kevin Stallings (overall 312-191); 11th year at Vanderbilt (189-128).

Quote To Note:   “I think that the perception of our league has suffered at times when Kentucky has been down. From that standpoint, I think the higher-ups would tell you that it’s good for Kentucky to be good. But I don’t particularly want Kentucky to be good. We have enough good teams in our league already.”—Coach Kevin Stallings, on the impact of coach John Calipari at Kentucky.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   After last year’s big recruiting crop that produced three starters, the Commodores add only one newcomer this season, but 6-4 guard John Jenkins is a good one and could provide significant help on the perimeter with his shooting. Rivals.com rated him a 5-star prospect and Scout.com tabbed him as a 4-star recruit.

Key Early-season Games:   The early schedule will either toughen or drain the will of the Commodores. After two home games, they head for the EA Sports Maui Invitational, making a stop for a game against Saint Mary’s in California on the way. Once in the islands, the Commodores will open on Nov. 23 against Cincinnati, and play Maryland or Chaminade in the second game. Arizona, Gonzaga and Wisconsin are featured in the other bracket. December starts with a four-game stretch against Missouri at home on Dec. 2, DePaul at home on Dec. 5, Illinois on the road Dec. 8 and Western Kentucky in Nashville’s Sommet Center on Dec 11. Things ease a bit after that, but the Commodores should have a good idea where they stand by mid-December.

Program Direction:   The Commodores missed the postseason last season, but have the makings of an NCAA Tournament team in 2009-10. The early schedule provides the quality to enhance their credentials when tournament selection time arrives.

Probable Starting Lineup:   PG Jermaine Beal, SG Brad Tinsley, G/F Jeffery Taylor, F Steve Tchiengang, C A.J. Ogilvy

Roster Report:  

• C A.J. Ogilvy, who is from Sydney, got a chance to get home when the Commodores played a five-game tour of Australia. Coach Kevin Stallings acknowledged that Ogilvy was a primary reason for the trip. “The destination was certainly a choice made with A.J. in mind,” Stallings said.

• G-F Lance Goulbourne, who played in 23 games off the bench as a freshman, was a standout tennis player in high school with a serve clocked at 130 mph.

• G John Jenkins topped 30 points in every game he played as a high school senior at Station Camp High in Gallatin, Tenn.