March 15, 2012
Quick Slant is an array of brief insights and occasionally opinionated overviews of collegiate athletics in general and the Vanderbilt Commodores in particular.
There is plenty of local interest in the Vanderbilt-Middle Tennessee State women’s basketball matchup this Sunday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A local newspaper reported that prior games between the two programs haven’t materialized because Vanderbilt was unwilling to travel to Murfreesboro. As a matter of fact, Vanderbilt agreed to play the typical “home and home” with MTSU’s women but Middle insisted on a long-term agreement, which as a rule of thumb Vanderbilt avoids with any non-conference opponent to allow for scheduling flexibility.
How ironic that George Kelley, captain of our 1951 Southeastern Conference Tournament basketball team, passed away just days before we won our second title!Mr. Kelley had the special distinction of playing football for Tennessee and basketball for the Commodores. He was drafted in 1944 after finishing the Vols’ football season, then enrolled at Vanderbilt and was part of the crew that took down Kentucky, 61-57, in the 1951 championship game. Mr. Kelley never lost his passion for the Commodores, attending games this past season and enjoying every moment of Memorial Magic.
Speaking of irony, how ironic that our tremendous men’s basketball broadcast tandem of Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson missed the semifinal and championship games in New Orleans. Joe’s father passed away after a lengthy illness and Tim’s daughter was busy leading her high school team to a state championship. While David Shumate and Barry Booker did a terrific job, Commodore fans will be glad to hear Joe and Tim describing the action from Albuquerque.