NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt men’s basketball head coach Jerry Stackhouse announced four new members of the program Wednesday. Malik Dia, Lee Dort, Noah Shelby and Colin Smith each signed their letters of intent to join the Commodore family.
“We are excited about the addition of Noah, Lee, Malik, and Colin to our Vanderbilt Basketball Family,” Stackhouse said. “Together they form one of the top recruiting classes in the country. They are all well-rounded student-athletes who will make positive impacts on the court and across our campus.”
Entering the day, the Vanderbilt recruiting class was ranked No. 13 in the nation by Rivals and No. 19 by 247Sports.
Among Vanderbilt’s new quartet are three Texas natives, a pair of teammates and a local Nashville product. All four earned four-star ratings and are ranked among the top 10 recruits in their state. Three of the future Commodores were ranked among the top 130 in the nation.
A complete list and breakdown of each new Commodore is below.
Malik Dia
Murfreesboro, Tenn. • Ensworth High School • 6-8
Twitter: @malikkddia
Instagram: @malikkdia
- Prepped at Ensworth High School (Tenn.) under head coach Ricky Bowers
- Four-star recruit by ESPN and three-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals
- Ranked as nation’s No. 34 power forward by ESPN
- Ranked as state’s No. 5 recruit, nation’s No. 36 power forward by Rivals
- 2021 All-State First Team
- Son of Sarah and Malik Dia
Why Vandy: “This was the best fit for me. A great coaching staff and a winning mentality. They know I want to play in the NBA and Coach Stackhouse and the coaching staff will help me achieve that. They believe in me.”
Lee Dort
McKinney, Texas • Greenhill School • 6-10
Twitter: @leedort
Instagram: @leedort80
- Prepped at Greenhill School (Texas) under head coach Joey Sims
- Four-star recruit by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals
- Ranked as nation’s No. 66 recruit, No. 13 center and No. 6 in state of Texas by 247Sports
- Ranked as No. 48 recruit in the nation by Rivals
- Ranked as nation’s No. 24 center by ESPN
- Scored 661 points and averaged 18.4 points with a 64.0 field goal percentage, 240 offensive rebounds, 400 defensive rebounds (averaged 17.8 rebounds), 42 assists, 47 steals and 74 blocks as a sophomore at North Dallas Adventist Academy
- 2019 MaxPrep All-Sophomores Third Team
- Son of Gessie Augustin Dort and Kider Dort
- Born in Saint Marc, Haiti
- Has two older siblings, Gee Lutjens Dort and Katnah Marthe Dort
Why Vandy: “I think Vanderbilt is a good school academically, and has a great basketball coaching staff that can improve my game and prepare me for the next level.”
Noah Shelby
McKinney, Texas • Greenhill School • 6-3
Twitter: @noahshelby_
Instagram: @noahshelby
- Prepped at Greenhill School (Texas) under head coach Joey Sims
- Four-star recruit by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals
- Ranked as nation’s No. 23 point guard by ESPN
- Ranked as No. 101 overall recruit and nation’s No. 14 point guard by Rivals
- Ranked as nation’s No. 25 point guard and No. 101 overall by 247Sports
- 2021 Second Team All-Area
- Son of Fannie and Derrick Shelby
- Father played basketball and mother played volleyball at UT-Arlington
Why Vandy: “Because it was the best decision for me to continue to grow as a basketball player, as well as a man.”
Colin Smith
Dallas, Texas • AZ Compass Prep • 6-8
Twitter: @ColinSm1th
Instagram: @ColinSm1th
- Prepped at AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) under head coach Ed Gipson
- Four-star recruit by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals
- Ranked as nation’s No. 37 small forward by ESPN
- Ranked as nation’s No. 73 recruit and No. 20 small forward by Rivals
- Averaged 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks as a junior at St. Mark’s (Texas)
- Son of Lisa and Lee Smith
- Has an older sister, Leilah, who plays volleyball at Stanford
- Godfather, Kurt Thomas, played at TCU and 20 seasons in the NBA
Why Vandy: “I think the mixture of a great education and basketball helped make the decision, but also the coaching staff and great location.”
