Everybody can agree that early season polls really don’t mean anything. That is, unless your favorite team is a part of one. After one week, Vanderbilt was ranked in the top 30 in the coaches and media poll. With local radio debating whether this team is Coach Stallings’ best ever, and ESPN’s Doug Gottlieb picking Vandy as his national sleeper, I wanted to see this team take care of business in its home debut.
According to CBS Sportsline, Lipscomb had been picked second in the league's preseason media poll. The league's coaches took it a step farther, picking the school to win the conference tournament and automatic NCAA tournament bid. Earlier this week, preseason SEC media darling Mississippi State suffered an unexpected loss to Rider. Lipscomb could easily play the role of spoiler and quickly dash the hype surrounding the ‘Dores.
Winning by 22, Vanderbilt officially declared themselves ready for the challenge. Lipscomb trailed by only 7 at halftime, but the game never seemed to be in jeopardy. The Bisons seemed to be a well coached team, but had no answer for the hot shooting of the Commodores. Vandy shot 64% in the 2nd half to end any hopes of an upset.
Here are a few quick thoughts about the 5 Commodores that stood out to me:
Jeffrey Taylor
Unfortunately we may only be seeing this kid in a Vandy uniform for two more years. He’s becoming a true NBA prospect and tonight was clear indication why. Taylor went for 20/7 and made it look effortless. He’s athletic, graceful, and explosive. Easily the best player on the court. He’ll make opposing teams stay on their heels defensively and should really open things up on the perimeter.
Jermaine Beal
Beal instantly led the team into action tonight. An article in the Tennessean said that Stallings was counting on Beal to establish himself and become the face of this team. Tonight, he scored 12 of his 17 in the 1st half and helped Vandy get out of the gates quickly. It’s never a bad thing to have a senior leader running the point.
A.J. Ogilvy
I know he’s the guy with all the potential. The problem is that every time I watch him play, the same words come into my mind: Slow, Lumbering, Clumsy, and Lethargic. Don’t get me wrong, I really like him. He just always seems to bring the ball down and get stripped, commit silly fouls, or make uncoordinated looking moves to the basket. Ogilvy didn’t start tonight, with the AP story citing a concussion that he suffered a few months ago. He had 13 points and 9 rebounds, so I guess I shouldn’t be complaining.
John Jenkins
After averaging over 42 points a game in high school, I was extremely excited to see what Jenkins was all about. You could tell that the rest of the crowd felt the same way. I think the biggest ovation of the night was when Jenkins hit his first 3. Jenkins scored 7 points, playing only 16 minutes. The thing that struck me the most was his patience. For a player that routinely scored 50 last season, he seemed very content and stayed within the bounds of the offense. Nothing seemed forced and nothing appeared to be selfish. I’m sure he wanted to start out better than his 1-5 3pt shooting, but his impressive reverse layup will be all that fans remember from his debut.
Brad Tinsley
The ‘Dores started both Tinsley and Beal, which seemed to work out perfectly. Tinsley scored 10 points in a team-high 30 minutes. As a fan, you feel safe when the ball is in his hands. I’m not sure how to explain in any better than that. He shot the ball well (80%) and made a number of effective drives to the basket. He was only credited with 3 assists, but it felt like he created many more opportunities than that.
On Friday the team has a tough road game against Saint Mary’s, followed by a trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. In the tournament, Vanderbilt will need to go through Cincinnati and Maryland to reach the championship game. There, they would likely face Gonzaga or Arizona. Either way, the trip gives the ‘Dores a great chance to gain national respect.
Great start to the season! Excited about living vicariously through you.
ReplyDeleteTwo things:
1) If Jeffrey Taylor stays two more years then he will graduate unless you mean this season and next season. Anyways I completely agree with the assessment, love the kid
2) Does A.J. Ogilvy remind you of Chris Marcus?