Oct. 26, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville – Sybil Hill was a bit of a trailblazer for Vanderbilt women’s basketball. She played on the Commodores’ first women’s club team during the 1976-77 season, before the NCAA officially sanctioned women’s sports. Now 40 years later, the memories of her time on West End still resonate.
“Obviously, it was the first year for the program, so maybe we weren’t the best,” Hill said. “But we sure had a lot of fun.”
Last Saturday, Hill was able to relive some of that fun. New Vanderbilt coach Stephanie White and her staff hosted Hill and a few dozen other Commodore alumni for a luncheon prior to VU’s homecoming football game against Tennessee State. It was a chance for Vanderbilt players of different generations to return to campus and mesh with White and the program’s new coaching staff.
For White, tapping into Vanderbilt’s history has been a priority during her first year on campus. “It’s really important for us to do this,” White said. “Those are the people that laid the foundation for this program. Those are the people who, if they didn’t win championships, they paved the way for the teams that did win championships. Now, we’re building off their legacy.”
Early in her tenure, White made it a point to reach out to alumni. She penned a letter and invited former players back to campus, all while assuring that Commodores from years past know they are welcome at Vanderbilt. “Memorial Gym will always been your home,” White wrote, “and as Head Coach, I want the program to be completely accessible to you, not only as an alumna but as a mentor and role model to our current student-athletes.”
The response was overwhelmingly positive. Former Vanderbilt player Gabby Smith even tweeted a picture of White’s letter, praising the coach for her efforts to reach out to former `Dores.
You have no idea how badly @VandyWBB alumnae have been craving this! pic.twitter.com/LnjEmluZYF
— gabmadalynn (@gabmadalynn) August 2, 2016
Saturday’s alumni luncheon was the first big step in a larger process for Vanderbilt’s staff. Attendees included Hill, former guard Dee Davis (`07) – Vanderbilt’s all-time assists leader — and fellow guard Jessica Mooney (`10). White said her staff intends to send out alumni newsletters every month with updates on happenings within the program.
“We want to make sure they’re connected,” White said. “Even if they can’t be here physically, we want them to know what’s going on in our program, because it’s still their program.”
Hill hasn’t returned to many Vanderbilt games in recent years, mostly because she lives in Greenville. S.C. But she hopes to catch the Commodores on the road this season; they are set to play at Georgia on Jan. 8 and in the SEC tournament in Greenville, S.C. in March. Both venues are a short drive from Hill’s home in the Palmetto State.
But a long drive wasn’t going to deter Hill from bonding with White and Vanderbilt’s new staff at homecoming. “We’re about six hours away by car,” Hill said, “but it was well worth it.”