June 26, 2008
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Shan’s Player Bio | Foster 32 Website
Mavs.com: Foster Too Good To Pass Up
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – Former Vanderbilt swingman and 2008 SEC Player of the Year Shan Foster was taken by the Dallas Mavericks as the 51st overall pick in the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday. It was the Mavericks’ only pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Foster, a 6-6, 200-pound native of Kenner, La., is the 33rd player in Vanderbilt history to be chosen in the Draft and it marks the second consecutive year a Commodore has been selected in the NBA Draft. Derrick Byars, the 2007 SEC Player of the Year, was drafted 43rd by the Portland Trail Blazers and then traded on draft day to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Foster becomes the fourth Commodore chosen in the Draft since 2000 that has played for current Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings. Foster joins Byars, Matt Freije, who was selected 53rd by the Miami Heat in the 2004 Draft, and Dan Langhi, who was taken by Dallas in the second round (31st pick overall) of the 2000 Draft. Langhi’s pick was then traded to Houston.
“We’re very proud of Shan and we congratulate him on being drafted,” said Stallings. “We’re excited for him and we hope it’s a good situation and opportunity seeing that it was their only draft pick. I hope that since he’s the only pick in this draft and that it enhances his chances of making their team. I’m very confident that if he makes the team that they’ll find out what we found out in his four years here – that he is one of the most prolific shooters around. We wish him the best of luck.”
Foster left Vanderbilt as one of the most decorated players in Vanderbilt history. He departs the Commodores as the school’s all-time leading scorer and first Commodore and 22nd SEC player to surpass the 2,000-point plateau (2,011 points). He also finished his career as VU’s all-time leader in field goals made (699) and attempted (1483) and three-pointers made (367) and attempted (872). He posted the highest single-season three-point total in SEC history in 2007-08 when he made 134 threes and ended his four-year college career second all-time in SEC History in career three-pointers made with 366. Foster was named the consensus (AP and Coaches) SEC Player of the Year as a senior, and was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press.
The first four-time SEC Player of the Week, Foster led Vanderbilt in scoring 23 times during his senior season and averaged 20.3 points per game, the most in the SEC. He also turned in one of Vanderbilt’s most memorable performances in an 86-85 overtime victory at Memorial Gym on March 5, when he poured in a career-high 42 points, including the game winner in overtime with under two seconds remaining.
Foster earned his degree in Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt in May.
