Sept. 21, 2016
By David Dawson
vucommodores.com
Who doesn’t enjoy a little basketball with their breakfast?
The members of the Nashville Women’s Breakfast Club certainly did on Wednesday morning, when Vanderbilt associate coach Carolyn Peck spoke to the group during their gathering at Maggiano’s.
Mixing together her normal blend of humor and storytelling, Peck spoke about the upcoming season, the optimism surrounding the Commodore program and her long-time relationship with Vanderbilt’s new head coach Stephanie White. Peck also spoke on several other issues related to women’s basketball, including the increased visibility of players as a by-product of social media and the appeal of playing overseas.
But more than anything, Peck made sure to emphasize one central theme: “I’m here to tell you, Vanderbilt women’s basketball is back!” she said, which drew applause from several members of the club.
Peck — who was a standout player with the Commodores from 1984-88 and is a member of VU’s athletic Hall of Fame — said she is thrilled to be back at Vanderbilt and said she is more than a little excited about serving on White’s staff during her inaugural season with the Commodores.
Peck and White have a long — and successful — history together. Peck was White’s head coach during White’s junior and senior seasons at Purdue, and together, they helped lead the Boilermakers to the 1999 NCAA championship. Peck was named national coach of the year that season, and White was the national player of the year.
“When I coached Steph, she had a vision of what it looked like to be a national champion,” Peck told the gathering on Tuesday, “and she has that same vision at Vanderbilt that she did at Purdue.”
Peck also said that the new Vanderbilt staff doesn’t just want to win basketball games. They also want to win over the Nashville community.
“The thing that makes Steph so special, and this goes for our whole staff, is that she wants to make an impact in Nashville,” said Peck. “She doesn’t just want to sit in the office at Memorial Gym. She wants to be a part of this community.”
And Peck said that White’s reach will extend far beyond the Nashville city limits.
“I’m telling you right now, Vanderbilt is going to become the face of women’s basketball in the state of Tennessee,” said Peck. “We’re going to make this happen. We’re not just playing around.”
Quotable Moment
When one of the Club members asked Peck about the advice she gives her players pertaining to social media, Peck answered: “I tell them this: Don’t ever put anything on social media that you wouldn’t say in front of your mama. If you follow that rule, you should be in good shape.” The club members applauded.