Dec. 5, 2013
By David Dawson
Throughout the first nine games of the season, Christina Foggie has not only done what she does best — knocking down jumpers — but has also showed a new element to her game by flashing her ability to finish around the rim.
The senior guard from New Jersey has likewise been effective at the free throw line and from mid-range … and, well, you get the picture.
In short, she has simply been a scoring machine, averaging an SEC-leading 18.9 points per game while helping the Commodores get off to a 7-2 start.
Headed into this week, Foggie, who was recently named to the Naismith Trophy early-season Watch List, was tied for the conference lead in 3-pointers per game (3.0), and ranked fourth in the SEC in three separate categories — field goal percentage (52.9), free throw percentage (86) and 3-point percentage (45.3). And for good measure, she is 10th in the conference in assists.
The impressive numbers are nothing new for Foggie, who was the SEC’s leading scorer as a sophomore. But this year, Foggie is going about it a little differently by showcasing her versatility.
“Coming in this year, (I wanted to) to build off the things that I have done the last three years,” said Foggie. “Not just being a 3-point shooter, but also trying to get to the rim and things like that.”
Foggie and her teammates are currently in the midst of a long break between games. The Commodores, who downed ETSU on Tuesday night, don’t play again until they visit Hartford on Dec. 15.
Chances are, the long layoff won’t effect Foggie, who is one of the most experienced players in the league. She has played in 89 career games, including making 70 starts, and has scored 1,311 points.Her splendid start to her senior season has been a key development for Vanderbilt, as her consistency has provided stability for a young Commodore team that features three freshmen and a handful of sophomores on the roster.
Her strong work has also provided reassurance for the Commodore fans and coaches, as Foggie has proven that last year’s knee injury is nothing more than a bad memory.
“Coming off the injury, it was a big focus in my mind to get real strong in the off-season and to get in the best shape as possible,” said Foggie, who missed six games late last season. “So I even kind of changed my dieting to try to be as healthy as possible, and I have seen the difference already to start the year.”
Although Foggie is getting to the rim with more regularity this season, her 3-point shooting is as steady as ever.
She shot 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from 3-point range during Vanderbilt’s recently completed four-game homestand, and is 24-of-53 from behind the 3-point line for the season.
Her long-range shooting has helped her reach many of her long-range goals in terms of leaving a legacy at Vanderbilt. She has a realistic shot of being ranked among the Top-10 scorers in Vanderbilt history by the time her senior season ends.
Foggie said she didn’t know what to expect when she first arrived on campus as a freshman, but over the past four years, things have fallen into place.
“I wasn’t quite sure where I would fit in (at first),” she said. “Vanderbilt was already such a great program, and I was (thinking) that I just want to help as much as I can as a freshman, and if I can play, that’s great. But as the years went on, I started to realize that, wow, I am making a big impact on the program, and it’s pretty cool to know that I can leave a good legacy behind when I leave.”