2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team

2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball
SEC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Round of 32
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 20
Record25–11 (10–6 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Brad Frederick (13th season)
  • Dan Muller (12th season)
  • Tom Richardson (9th season)
  • David Cason (1st season)
Home arenaMemorial Gymnasium
Seasons
2011–12 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Kentucky 16 – 0   1.000 38 – 2   .950
No. 25 Florida 10 – 6   .625 26 – 11   .703
No. 20 Vanderbilt † 10 – 6   .625 25 – 11   .694
Tennessee 10 – 6   .625 19 – 15   .559
Alabama 9 – 7   .563 21 – 12   .636
Mississippi State 8 – 8   .500 21 – 12   .636
Ole Miss 8 – 8   .500 20 – 14   .588
LSU 7 – 9   .438 18 – 15   .545
Arkansas 6 – 10   .375 18 – 14   .563
Auburn 5 – 11   .313 15 – 16   .484
Georgia 5 – 11   .313 15 – 17   .469
South Carolina 2 – 14   .125 10 – 21   .323
† 2012 SEC tournament winner
As of April 2, 2012
Rankings from AP poll

The 2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Commodores, members of the Southeastern Conference, were coached by Kevin Stallings, and celebrated their 60th season in their current home arena, Memorial Gymnasium. After a 21–10 regular season that fell short of lofty preseason expectations, the Commodores captured their first SEC Tournament Championship in 61 seasons on March 11, 2012, by defeating Georgia, Ole Miss, and top-ranked Kentucky in consecutive days.[1] In the 2012 NCAA tournament they defeated Harvard in the second round before falling in the third round to Wisconsin to finish the season 25–11.

Before the season

The Commodores came 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 had all ended with a first-game loss to a double-digit seed.[2]

During the offseason, the coaching staff saw one change when assistant King Rice was hired as head coach at Monmouth.[3] 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.[4]

Class of 2011 signees

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kedren Johnson
PG 		Lewisburg, Tennessee Marshall County 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sep 22, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 93
Shelby Moats
PF 		Waconia, Minnesota Waconia 6 ft 7.5 in (2.02 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sep 26, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 89
Dai-Jon Parker
SG 		Alpharetta, Georgia Milton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 5, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 23   Rivals: 30
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Vanderbilt 2011 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  • "2011 Vanderbilt Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 18, 2011.

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.[5][6] Jenkins, the SEC's leading scorer in 2010–11 at 19.5 points per game,[7] was chosen for the All-SEC first team.[8] Ezeli, who averaged 13 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks[7] in a breakout season, was named to the All-SEC second team,[8] and was also named by multiple sources as one of the most improved players in the country.[2][9] Taylor averaged 14.7 points[7] while being named to the All-SEC second team, as well as the SEC All-Defensive Team.[8] 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.[5]

These decisions meant that Vanderbilt would return all five of its starters from last season, all of them seniors except for Jenkins, a junior.[10] Another returning starter, point guard Brad Tinsley, led the SEC in assists in 2010–11 with 4.6 per game.[5][7]

The Commodores thus were widely projected as a preseason top-10 team,[2][5] with ESPN's Hall of Fame commentator Dick Vitale going so far as to rank them #5 in his preseason top 40.[11]

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;[12] however, he suffered a sprained knee during a late-October practice,[13] and did not return until the Davidson game on December 7.[14]

Roster

2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Brad Tinsley 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Oregon City Oregon City, OR
G 2 Kedren Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Marshall County Lewisburg, TN
C 3 Festus Ezeli 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) RS Sr Igbinedion Education Center Benin City, Nigeria
G/F 5 Lance Goulbourne 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr The Hun School (Princeton, New Jersey) Brooklyn, NY
G 11 Kyle Fuller 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Rancho Verde Moreno Valley, CA
G/F 12 Jordan Smart 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Lexington Catholic Lexington, KY
F 14 Aaron Noll 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Covington Catholic Fort Mitchell, KY
G 23 John Jenkins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Station Camp Hendersonville, TN
G 24 Dai-Jon Parker 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Milton (Milton, GA) Baton Rouge, LA
F 33 Steve Tchiengang 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Montverde Academy (Montverde, FL) Douala, Cameroon
F 34 Shelby Moats 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Waconia Waconia, MN
F 35 James Siakam 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 201 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Brehm Prep (Carbondale, IL) Douala, Cameroon
C 40 Josh Henderson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Fr Cave Spring Roanoke, VA
G/F 44 Jeffery Taylor 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Hobbs (Hobbs, NM) Norrköping, Sweden
F 45 Rod 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
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2011-08-19

Schedule

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov. 7, 2011*
7:00 p.m. 		No. 7 Xavier (LA) W 102–67 
 17 – Taylor   8 – Goulbourne   4 – Fuller  Memorial Gymnasium (11,844)
Nashville, TN
Regular season
Nov. 11, 2011*
9:00 p.m., FSN 		No. 7 Oregon W 78–64  1–0
  24 – Jenkins   11 – Taylor   4 – Taylor  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
Nov. 13, 2011*
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 7 Cleveland State
Legends Classic – Preliminary round 		L 58–71  1–1
  17 – Jenkins   11 – Tchiengang   2 – Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (13,503)
Nashville, TN
Nov. 15, 2011*
7:00 p.m. 		No. 18 Bucknell
Legends Classic – Preliminary round 		W 80–68   2–1
  17 – Taylor   9 – Goulbourne   4 – Henderson  Memorial Gymnasium (12,543)
Nashville, TN
Nov. 19, 2011*
5:30 p.m., ESPN3 		No. 18 vs. NC State
Legends Classic – Semifinal 		W 86–79  3–1
  28 – Jenkins   11 – Tchiengang   5 – Taylor  Izod Center 
East Rutherford, NJ
Nov. 21, 2011*
9:00 p.m., ESPN3 		No. 18 vs. Oregon State
Legends Classic – Championship 		W 64–62  4–1
  14 – Jenkins   13 – Taylor   2 – Tied  Izod Center (3,294)
East Rutherford, NJ
Nov. 25, 2011*
8:00 p.m. 		No. 18 Monmouth W 95–73  5–1
  18 – Jenkins   10 – Goulbourne   5 – Taylor  Memorial Gymnasium (12,807)
Nashville, TN
Nov. 28, 2011*
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 20 No. 11 Xavier L 70–82 OT 5–2
  20 – Jenkins   7 – Tied   7 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
Dec. 2, 2011*
7:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 20 at No. 6 Louisville
SEC–Big East Challenge 		L 60–62 OT 5–3
  27 – Jenkins   8 – Goulbourne   5 – Tinsley  KFC Yum! Center (22,728)
Louisville, KY
Dec. 7, 2011*
6:00 p.m. 		at Davidson W 87–83  6–3
  30 – Taylor   7 – Goulbourne   3 – Johnson  John M. Belk Arena (4,475)
Davidson, NC
Dec. 17, 2011*
4:30 p.m., CSS 		No. 25 Indiana State L 55–61  6–4
  21 – Taylor   6 – Tied   3 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (13,310)
Nashville, TN
Dec. 19, 2011*
7:00 p.m. 		Longwood W 99–71  7–4
  29 – Taylor   10 – Goulbourne   3 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (12,886)
Nashville, TN
Dec. 21, 2011*
7:00 p.m., FSN 		Lafayette W 89–58  8–4
  27 – Jenkins   9 – Tchiengang   10 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (13,034)
Nashville, TN
Dec. 29, 2011*
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at No. 14 Marquette W 74–57  9–4
  19 – Taylor   16 – Goulbourne   8 – Tinsley  Bradley Center (15,684)
Milwaukee, WI
Jan. 2, 2012*
7:00 p.m. 		Miami (OH) W 69–62  10–4
  26 – Jenkins   7 – Ezeli   4 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (13,162)
Nashville, TN
Jan. 7, 2012
12:30 p.m., SECN 		Auburn W 65–35  11–4 (1–0)
  17 – Jenkins   8 – Ezeli   6 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (13,473)
Nashville, TN
Jan. 10, 2012
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at South Carolina W 67–57  12–4 (2–0)
  14 – Jenkins   10 – Goulbourne   9 – Tinsley  Colonial Life Arena (8,353)
Columbia, SC
Jan. 14, 2012
3:00 p.m., SECN 		Georgia W 77–66  13–4 (3–0)
  18 – Jenkins   9 – Taylor   4 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
Jan. 19, 2012
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Alabama W 69–59  14–4 (4–0)
  20 – Jenkins   10 – Ezeli   4 – Tinsley  Coleman Coliseum (12,202)
Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan. 21, 2012
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 18 Mississippi State L 77–78 OT 14–5 (4–1)
  21 – Jenkins   14 – Ezeli   5 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
Jan. 24, 2012
6:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Tennessee
Super Tuesday 		W 65–47  15–5 (5–1)
  23 – Taylor   9 – Ezeli   4 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
Jan. 28, 2012*
1:00 p.m. 		Middle Tennessee W 84–77  16–5
  26 – Jenkins   8 – Goulbourne   4 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
Jan. 31, 2012
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 25 at Arkansas L 74–82  16–6 (5–2)
  19 – Jenkins   6 – Taylor   6 – Tinsley  Bud Walton Arena (13,678)
Fayetteville, AR
Feb. 4, 2012
12:00 p.m., CBS 		No. 25 at No. 12 Florida L 65–73  16–7 (5–3)
  25 – Taylor   11 – Goulbourne   6 – Tinsley  O'Connell Center (11,270)
Gainesville, FL
Feb. 8, 2012
8:00 p.m., CSS 		LSU W 76–61  17–7 (6–3)
  21 – Ezeli   6 – Tied   5 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (13,610)
Nashville, TN
Feb. 11, 2012
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 1 Kentucky
ESPN College GameDay 		L 63–69  17–8 (6–4)
  15 – Jenkins   9 – Taylor   4 – Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
Feb. 16, 2012
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Ole Miss W 102–76   18–8 (7–4)
  28 – Taylor   9 – Taylor   4 – Tinsley  Tad Smith Coliseum (5,954)
Oxford, MS
Feb. 19, 2012
12:00 p.m., FSN 		at Georgia W 61–52   19–8 (8–4)
  28 – Jenkins   6 – Goulbourne   2 – Tied  Stegeman Coliseum (7,823)
Athens, GA
Feb. 22, 2012
7:00 p.m., SECN 		South Carolina W 59–48   20–8 (9–4)
  21 – Jenkins   8 – Goulbourne   5 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
Feb. 25, 2012
11:00 a.m., CBS 		at No. 1 Kentucky L 74–83  20–9 (9–5)
  19 – Taylor   9 – Taylor   2 – Johnson  Rupp Arena (24,388)
Lexington, KY
Feb. 28, 2012
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 16 Florida
Super Tuesday/Senior Night 		W 77–67   21–9 (10–5)
  22 – Jenkins   6 – Taylor   4 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
Mar. 3, 2012
3:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Tennessee L 61–68  21–10 (10–6)
  18 – Jenkins   7 – Goulbourne   4 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (22,172)
Knoxville, TN
2012 SEC tournament
Mar. 9, 2012
9:00 p.m., SECN 		No. (3) vs. (11) Georgia
Quarterfinals 		W 63–41   22–10
  15 – Jenkins   6 – Goulbourne   3 – Tinsley  New Orleans Arena (10,526)
New Orleans, LA
Mar. 10, 2012
3:30 p.m., ABC 		No. (3) vs. (7) Ole Miss
Semifinalfinals 		W 63–41   23–10
  23 – Jenkins   12 – Goulbourne   3 – Tied  New Orleans Arena (18,523)
New Orleans, LA
Mar. 11, 2012
12:00 p.m., ABC 		No. (3) vs. (1) Kentucky
Championship 		W 71–64   24–10
  18 – Taylor   11 – Taylor   4 – Tinsley  New Orleans Arena (18,114)
New Orleans, LA
2012 NCAA tournament
Mar. 15, 2012
3:40 p.m., TNT 		No. 20 (5) vs. (12) Harvard
Third Round 		W 79–70   25–10
  27 – Jenkins   11 – Ezeli   4 – Tinsley  The Pit (10,774)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Mar. 17, 2012
5:10 p.m., TNT 		No. 20 (5) vs. No. 14 (4) Wisconsin
Third Round 		L 57–60   25–11
  14 – Ezeli   11 – Tied   2 – Goulbourne  The Pit (12,128)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Vanderbilt ends Kentucky's 24-game win streak to win SEC tournament". March 11, 2012. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Katz, Andy (August 9, 2011). "Festus Ezeli continues to learn the game". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  3. ^ "Monmouth to Announce King Rice as New Head Men's Basketball Coach" (Press release). Monmouth University Sports Information. April 1, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  4. ^ "David Cason named to Vanderbilt MBB staff" (Press release). Vanderbilt University Sports Information. April 15, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d Bergeron, Elena (August 9, 2011). "CBB Summer Buzz: Vanderbilt". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011. (full article behind paywall; cited information in free preview)
  6. ^ Associated Press (April 20, 2011). "John Jenkins returning to Vanderbilt". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d "Individual Basketball Statistics". 2010–11 SEC Men's Basketball Statistics. Southeastern Conference. April 2, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c "2011 SEC Men's Hoops Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 8, 2011. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  9. ^ Torre, Pablo S. (March 7, 2011). "How Did I Get Here?". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 4, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  10. ^ Brennan, Eamonn (August 9, 2011). "Summer Buzz: Vanderbilt Commodores". College Basketball Nation Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  11. ^ Vitale, Dick (July 26, 2011). "Dickie V Preseason Top 40: Top 10". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  12. ^ Associated Press (October 17, 2011). "Festus Ezeli suspended six games". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  13. ^ Associated Press (November 11, 2011). "No. 7 Vanderbilt 78, Oregon 64". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  14. ^ Associated Press (December 7, 2011). "Vanderbilt 87, Davidson 83". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.