March 22, 2007
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BAND TOGETHER: Wear White During Post-Season Play
Cinderella Carries a Big Stick
By Skip Anderson
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Year in and year out, one of the most exciting storylines at the NCAA Tournament is that of a Cinderella, an overachieving team that somehow grinds out wins through heart, determination, and a favorable bounce or two. Basketball fans from across the country – too many of them, actually – view the Commodores as just such a team. And while that persona might help get the ‘Dores a few more mentions in newspapers across the country, it sells the team, the coach, and their considerable accomplishments this season woefully short.
Few prognosticators are picking the ‘Dores to win Friday night against Georgetown, but I’m not one of them. If Vanderbilt upsets the No. 2 seeded Hoyas, it won’t be because a ragtag band of scrappy go-getters mustered the strength to slay somehow a mighty Goliath. It will be because this is a darn good, well-coached, disciplined basketball team that knows how to win games – Vanderbilt amassed a 22-11 record with wins over six Top-25 teams this season; only UCLA and North Carolina had more wins over ranked teams. That doesn’t happen through sheer luck. It’s the culmination of early morning practices, countless drills, rehearsed plays, a lifetime of conditioning, calculated pre-game strategies and in-game adjustments. It’s passion, focus, and smart basketball. It’s controlling the clock. It’s making clutch free throws and blocked shots. It’s Vandy basketball in the midst of March Madness.
The Commodores have been here before, and here’s why this particular team just might surpass the accomplishments of their predecessors and move beyond the Sweet 16 for the first time in a tournament field comprised of at least 64 teams. Why? Here’s seven reasons:
The Man
The conference coaches voted Derrick Byars SEC Player of the Year with good reason: The man takes care of business. He’s a power player who can shoot three-pointers, grab boards, and drive the lane with authority. Byars was second in scoring in the hyper-competitive SEC this season and ranks in the league elite in eight categories. When he’s on the court, the Commodores can beat any team in the country – just ask Florida.
The Shooter
Shan Foster is a bona fide purebred shooter, finding the net 44.9 percent of the time when he shoots almost 40 percent of the time from beyond the arc. A junior, Foster joined the 1,000-point club in early January and has since moved past such prolific luminaries as Perry Wallace, Bruce Elder, and Will Perdue with 1,304 career points to date, and with just seven points Friday night he will pass Barry Booker.
The Setup Man
Alex Gordon is a master ball-handler, with the fewest turnovers for a starting point guard in the league. The junior from Pensacola, Fla., is lightning quick and went 4 for 6 from three-pointers twice this season and has dished out 111 assists thus far this season.
The Stalwart
Senior Dan Cage is a long-range marksman. Ranked second in the league in three-pointers, he has a hard-to-stop accuracy of 43 percent. Cage’s defense has developed nicely and he averages 3.2 rebounds per game. But it’s his mental – and physical – toughness. Nobody pushes him around in the paint, and make no mistake, he’s the leader of this team.
The Newcomer
Ross Neltner doesn’t play like he’s a newcomer. The LSU transfer averages 9.3 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. Known for his consistency, it’s no wonder he has found his way into the starting five.
The Secret Weapon
Senior Ted Skuchas has found his minutes per game on the upswing lately, logging a season-high 28 minutes in the double-overtime thriller against Washington State in Sacramento last weekend. Long a fan favorite, Skuchas has made some key blocked shots coming off the bench, and can be counted on to pull down a few rebounds as well, averaging two per game. Just don’t ask him to shoot three-pointers … he’s 0-1 during his four seasons at Vanderbilt.
The Coach
Kevin Stallings may be a foot-stomping, whistling autocrat on the court. But he’s an effective foot-stomping autocrat, twice taking his Commodores to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament in the past four years. He’s an effective Xs and Ox guy and a master of the inbound play, most notably the last-second win over then-No. 16 Tennessee at Memorial Gym. This will undoubtedly be a key factor down the stretch if Friday night’s game is a close one.
