Nov. 10, 2016
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
| Marquette Gamenotes | Vanderbilt News Clips
The Bryce Drew era officially begins on Friday evening at the Veterans Classic presented by Northwestern Mutual in Annapolis, Md., when the Commodores take on Marquette at 5:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network and can be heard across the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network and online at vucommodores.com.
Drew will coach his first game as a Commodore this Friday after taking over for Vanderbilt’s all-time winningest coach, Kevin Stallings, who left Nashville for Pittsburgh in April of 2016. Drew became the ninth Commodore basketball coach of the modern era and the 27th all time.
Drew takes over the Vanderbilt program after spending five seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, Valparaiso, where he posted a 124-49 record. Drew was a three-time Horizon League Coach of the Year and two-time NABC District 12 Coach of the Year with Valparaiso, where he averaged 25 wins a season, won four regular season championships, and made four postseason appearances, two in the NCAA Tournament and two in the NIT, with the Crusaders.
The Commodores return nine letterwinners for 2016-17, including three starters, Luke Kornet, Jeff Roberson, Matthew Fisher-Davis, and one other player, Riley LaChance, who has started 54 games in his two-year career.
Kornet, Fisher-Davis named 2nd Team All-SEC
Vanderbilt senior Luke Kornet and junior Matthew Fisher-Davis were named as 2nd-Team All-SEC selections by the league’s coaches on Thursday in an announcement made by the SEC Office.
Kornet, a 2016 All-SEC Defensive Team member, averaged 8.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 2015-16, and averaged 3.0 blocks per game, which led the SEC and ranked third nationally.
Fisher-Davis is the Commodores’ leading returning scorer from 2015-16 after averaging 9.7 points per game. The junior from Charlotte led the SEC in three-point field goal percentage in 2015-16, converting on 44.6% of his attempts from beyond-the-arc.
Media Information
Vanderbilt (0-0) vs. Marquette (0-0)
Veterans Classic – Annapolis, Md. – Alumni Hall – 5:30 p.m. CT
TV: CBS Sports Network
TV Talent: Tom McCarthy (play by play), Steve Lappas (Color), Jon Rothstein (sidelines)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius/XM 81
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Anchor Points
- This is the 114th year of Vanderbilt basketball, with the first season taking place in 1900-01. There were no teams in 1904-05 and 1905-06.
- Vanderbilt was one of only three schools (Kentucky, Washington) with two first-round selections in the 2016 NBA Draft when Wade Baldwin IV was drafted 17th by the Memphis Grizzlies and Damian Jones was selected 30th by the Golden State Warriors. Baldwin IV and Jones became the sixth and seventh first-round picks, respectively, in the history of the program, joining Will Perdue in 1988 (11th, Chicago), Jeff Turner in 1984 (7th, New Jersey), Clyde Lee in 1966 (3rd, San Francisco), and John Jenkins (23rd, Atlanta), and Festus Ezeli (30th, Golden State) in 2012.
- In 2015-16, the Commodores finished in a tie for third nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to only 29.4% from three. Vanderbilt also finished fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.6%) and ninth in blocks per game (5.5). Luke Kornet tied for third nationally in blocks, averaging 3.0 per contest.
- The 11 SEC wins in 2016 was the most since the Commodores registered 12 in 2009-10, and the 15th time in program history a Vanderbilt team has recorded 11 or more league victories.
- Matthew Fisher-Davis led the SEC in three-point field goal percentage in 2015-16, converting on 44.6% of his attempts from beyond-the-arc. Luke Kornet led the conference in blocks with 3.0 per game.
- The Commodores made their 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first appearance since 2012 in the 2016 NCAA Tournament when Vanderbilt advanced to the First Four in Dayton.
- Damian Jones, Wade Baldwin IV, and Luke Kornet were all honored by the SEC by the league’s coaches in 2015-16. Jones was named a first-team All-SEC selection for the second consecutive season, Baldwin was named to the second team, and Kornet was named as an All-Defensive team member.
- The last time Vanderbilt opened a season away from Memorial Gym came on November 21, 2003, when the Commodores helped open Belmont University’s Curb Center. Vanderbilt won that game, 74-59, and advanced to the Sweet 16 that season.
- Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 964 consecutive games, a streak which began at the inception of the 3-point line in 1986-87. The Commodores rank second only to UNLV for the longest streak in Division I basketball. Vanderbilt, UNLV and Princeton are the only three schools in college basketball to have made at least one 3-pointer in every game played since the 3-point line was implemented.
Series Information
Series Record: Series tied, 3-3
Last Meeting: Vanderbilt win, 74-57, on Dec. 29, 2011, at Marquette.
Record at Vanderbilt: Tied, 1-1.
Record at Marquette: VU leads, 2-1.
Record at Neutral Site: MU leads, 1-0.
Coach Drew vs. Marquette: Coach Drew has never faced Marquette.
About Marquette
- Marquette posted a 20-13 overall record last season and returns four starters and nine letterwinners from a year ago.
- Senior center Luke Fischer is the team’s leading returning scorer, averaging 12.1 points per game. Sophomore guard Haanif Cheatham averaged 11.8 points per game, while senior guard Jajuan Johnson added 10.2 points per contest.
- The Golden Eagles did lose the services of freshman post player Henry Ellenson, who was drafted 18th by the Detroit Pistons in the 2016 NBA Draft.
- The series record is tied at three with the last meeting coming in a Vanderbilt win, 74-57, on Dec. 29, 2011, at Marquette.
- Vanderbilt guard Riley LaChance is the lone Commodore from the state of Wisconsin.
Other News and Notes
VU Staff Can Score
The Vanderbilt men’s basketball staff has combined to score a total of 5,486 collegiate points, with head coach Bryce Drew leading the way with 2,142 points. Here’s a breakdown of the staff’s scoring totals.
Head Coach Bryce Drew, Valparaiso = 2,142
Asst. Coach Casey Shaw, Toledo = 1,562
Assoc. Head Coach Roger Powell, Jr., Illinois = 1,178
Asst. Coach Jake Diebler = 586
Total = 5,468
Drew and White: Two Superstars
Not only was Bryce Drew a stellar player in college, but new Vanderbilt women’s coach Stephanie White also excelled on the hardwood for Purdue. White, who played at Purdue, ended her career with 2,182 points. Combined, the two scored 4,324 points.
Additionally, Drew was Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana in 1994, while White was Ms. Basketball in Indiana in 1995.
Kornet Excels in Classroom
Senior center Luke Kornet has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in the three years he has played at Vanderbilt, and also been named a CoSida All-District Academic Selection in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Kornet is double majoring in computer science and mathematics.
Commodores in the state of Maryland
Vanderbilt’s meeting with Marquette will be the Commodores first-ever appearance in the state of Maryland. The Commodores have played Navy twice – once at Memorial Gym (12/30/58), and another time on a neutral floor in Jacksonville, Fla. (12/29/61).
Four with 25+ threes
Four returning Commodores made 25 or more threes a year ago, with Matthew Fisher-Davis leading the way with 79. Riley LaChance (43), Jeff Roberson (30), and Luke Kornet (26) also eclipsed the 25 made three mark.
Returning for VU
57.3% of the team’s scoring returns from a year ago, along with six players who played 28 or more games and four players who made 19 or more starts.
In fact, the projected starting five (Kornet – 93 games), Fisher-Davis (66), LaChance (68), Roberson (65), and Toye (30) have combined to play in 322 games.