2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team

2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball
SEC Tournament champions
NCAA Tournament, Round of 32
Conference Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches No. 24
AP No. 20
2011–12 record 25–11 (10–6 SEC)
Head coach Kevin Stallings (13th season)
Assistant coach Brad Frederick (13th season)
Assistant coach Dan Muller (12th season)
Assistant coach Tom Richardson (9th season)
Assistant coach David Cason (1st season)
Home arena Memorial Gymnasium
2011–12 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
#1 Kentucky16–0 1.000  38–2  .950
#25 Florida10–6 .625  26–11  .703
#20 Vanderbilt †10–6 .625  25–11  .694
Tennessee10–6 .625  19–15  .559
Alabama9–7 .563  21–12  .636
Mississippi State8–8 .500  21–12  .636
Ole Miss8–8 .500  20–14  .588
LSU7–9 .438  18–15  .545
Arkansas6–10 .375  18–14  .563
Auburn5–11 .313  15–16  .484
Georgia5–11 .313  15–17  .469
South Carolina2–14 .125  10–21  .323
† 2012 SEC Tournament winner
As of April 2, 2012; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Commodores, members of the Southeastern Conference, were coached by Kevin Stallings, and celebrated their 60th season in their current home arena, Memorial Gymnasium. After a 21–10 regular season that fell short of lofty preseason expectations, the Commodores captured their first SEC Tournament Championship in 61 seasons on March 11, 2012, by defeating Georgia, Ole Miss, and top-ranked Kentucky in consecutive days.[1] In the 2012 NCAA Tournament they defeated Harvard in the second round before falling the third round to Wisconsin to finish the season 25–11.

Before the season

The Commodores came off a 2010–11 season that ended with a second-round (first game) upset by Richmond in the NCAA Tournament. This continued a recent history of tournament disappointments for Vanderbilt, whose last three NCAA appearances had all ended with a first-game loss to a double-digit seed.[2]

During the offseason, the coaching staff saw one change when assistant King Rice was hired as head coach at Monmouth.[3] Rice was replaced by David Cason, a former player under Stallings at Illinois State who had spent the previous six seasons as an assistant with Tulsa.[4]

Class of 2011 signees

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kedren Johnson
PG		 Lewisburg, Tennessee Marshall County 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sep 22, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 93
Shelby Moats
PF		 Waconia, Minnesota Waconia 6 ft 7.5 in (2.02 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sep 26, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 89
Dai-Jon Parker
SG		 Alpharetta, Georgia Milton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 5, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 23   Rivals: 30
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Vanderbilt 2011 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  • "2011 Vanderbilt Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2011-08-18.

    2011–12 outlook

    In a major offseason development, three of the Commodores' most important players—Festus Ezeli, John Jenkins, and Jeffery Taylor—all spurned the NBA Draft and announced they would return for the 2011–12 season.[5][6] Jenkins, the SEC's leading scorer in 2010–11 at 19.5 points per game,[7] was chosen for the All-SEC first team.[8] Ezeli, who averaged 13 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks[7] in a breakout season, was named to the All-SEC second team,[8] and was also named by multiple sources as one of the most improved players in the country.[2][9] Taylor averaged 14.7 points[7] while being named to the All-SEC second team, as well as the SEC All-Defensive Team.[8] Ezeli, Jenkins, and Taylor were all named by Basketball Prospectus in its 2011–12 preseason outlook as among the top 20 players in college basketball, making Vanderbilt the only Division I men's team with three top-20 performers.[5]

    These decisions meant that Vanderbilt would return all five of its starters from last season, all of them seniors except for Jenkins, a junior.[10] Another returning starter, point guard Brad Tinsley, led the SEC in assists in 2010–11 with 4.6 per game.[5][7]

    The Commodores thus were widely projected as a preseason top-10 team,[2][5] with ESPN's Hall of Fame commentator Dick Vitale going so far as to rank them #5 in his preseason top 40.[11]

    Less than a month before the start of the season, the NCAA suspended Ezeli 6 games after accepting a meal and hotel room from a Vanderbilt alumnus during a summer trip. He was able to practice with the team during the suspension, and was also eligible to play in the team's preseason exhibition game (but was unable to play in that game). Ezeli came off his suspension for the Xavier game on November 28;[12] however, he suffered a sprained knee during a late-October practice,[13] and did not return until the Davidson game on December 7.[14]

    Roster

    2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 1 Brad Tinsley 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)210 lb (95 kg) SrOregon City Oregon City, OR
    G 2 Kedren Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrMarshall County Lewisburg, TN
    C 3 Festus Ezeli 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)255 lb (116 kg) RS SrIgbinedion Education Center Benin City, Nigeria
    G/F 5 Lance Goulbourne 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg) SrThe Hun School (Princeton, New Jersey) Brooklyn, NY
    G 11 Kyle Fuller 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoRancho Verde Moreno Valley, CA
    G/F 12 Jordan Smart 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS JrLexington Catholic Lexington, KY
    F 14 Aaron Noll 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) SrCovington Catholic Fort Mitchell, KY
    G 23 John Jenkins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)220 lb (100 kg) JrStation Camp Hendersonville, TN
    G 24 Dai-Jon Parker 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrMilton (Milton, GA) Baton Rouge, LA
    F 33 Steve Tchiengang 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)245 lb (111 kg) SrMontverde Academy (Montverde, FL) Douala, Cameroon
    F 34 Shelby Moats 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) FrWaconia Waconia, MN
    F 35 James Siakam 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)201 lb (91 kg) RS FrBrehm Prep (Carbondale, IL) Douala, Cameroon
    C 40 Josh Henderson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS FrCave Spring Roanoke, VA
    G/F 44 Jeffery Taylor 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)225 lb (102 kg) SrHobbs (Hobbs, NM) Norrköping, Sweden
    F 45 Rod Odom 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg) SoMiddlesex School (Concord, MA) Central Islip, NY
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster
    Last update: 2011-08-19

    Schedule

    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov. 7, 2011*
    7:00 p.m.    		 No. 7 Xavier (LA) W 102–67 
    		 17 – Taylor  8 – Goulbourne  4 – Fuller  Memorial Gymnasium (11,844)
    Nashville, TN
    Regular season
    Nov. 11, 2011*
    9:00 p.m., FSN    		 No. 7 Oregon W 78–64  1–0
    		  24 – Jenkins  11 – Taylor  4 – Taylor  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
    Nashville, TN
    Nov. 13, 2011*
    1:00 p.m., ESPNU    		 No. 7 Cleveland State
    Legends Classic – Preliminary round    		 L 58–71  1–1
    		  17 – Jenkins  11 – Tchiengang  2 – Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (13,503)
    Nashville, TN
    Nov. 15, 2011*
    7:00 p.m.    		 No. 18 Bucknell
    Legends Classic – Preliminary round    		 W 80–68   2–1
    		  17 – Taylor  9 – Goulbourne  4 – Henderson  Memorial Gymnasium (12,543)
    Nashville, TN
    Nov. 19, 2011*
    5:30 p.m., ESPN3    		 No. 18 vs. NC State
    Legends Classic – Semifinal    		 W 86–79  3–1
    		  28 – Jenkins  11 – Tchiengang  5 – Taylor  Izod Center 
    East Rutherford, NJ
    Nov. 21, 2011*
    9:00 p.m., ESPN3    		 No. 18 vs. Oregon State
    Legends Classic – Championship    		 W 64–62  4–1
    		  14 – Jenkins  13 – Taylor  2 – Tied  Izod Center (3,294)
    East Rutherford, NJ
    Nov. 25, 2011*
    8:00 p.m.    		 No. 18 Monmouth W 95–73  5–1
    		  18 – Jenkins  10 – Goulbourne  5 – Taylor  Memorial Gymnasium (12,807)
    Nashville, TN
    Nov. 28, 2011*
    6:00 p.m., ESPN2    		 No. 20 No. 11 Xavier L 70–82 OT 5–2
    		  20 – Jenkins  7 – Tied  7 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
    Nashville, TN
    Dec. 2, 2011*
    7:30 p.m., ESPN    		 No. 20 at No. 6 Louisville
    SEC–Big East Challenge    		 L 60–62 OT 5–3
    		  27 – Jenkins  8 – Goulbourne  5 – Tinsley  KFC Yum! Center (22,728)
    Louisville, KY
    Dec. 7, 2011*
    6:00 p.m.    		 at Davidson W 87–83  6–3
    		  30 – Taylor  7 – Goulbourne  3 – Johnson  John M. Belk Arena (4,475)
    Davidson, NC
    Dec. 17, 2011*
    4:30 p.m., CSS    		 Indiana State L 55–61  6–4
    		  21 – Taylor  6 – Tied  3 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (13,310)
    Nashville, TN
    Dec. 19, 2011*
    7:00 p.m.    		 Longwood W 99–71  7–4
    		  29 – Taylor  10 – Goulbourne  3 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (12,886)
    Nashville, TN
    Dec. 21, 2011*
    7:00 p.m., FSN    		 Lafayette W 89–58  8–4
    		  27 – Jenkins  9 – Tchiengang  10 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (13,034)
    Nashville, TN
    Dec. 29, 2011*
    8:00 p.m., ESPN2    		 at No. 14 Marquette W 74–57  9–4
    		  19 – Taylor  16 – Goulbourne  8 – Tinsley  Bradley Center (15,684)
    Milwaukee, WI
    Jan. 2, 2012*
    7:00 p.m.    		 Miami (OH) W 69–62  10–4
    		  26 – Jenkins  7 – Ezeli  4 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (13,162)
    Nashville, TN
    Jan. 7, 2012
    12:30 p.m., SECN    		 Auburn W 65–35  11–4 (1–0)
    		  17 – Jenkins  8 – Ezeli  6 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (13,473)
    Nashville, TN
    Jan. 10, 2012
    8:00 p.m., ESPNU    		 at South Carolina W 67–57  12–4 (2–0)
    		  14 – Jenkins  10 – Goulbourne  9 – Tinsley  Colonial Life Arena (8,353)
    Columbia, SC
    Jan. 14, 2012
    3:00 p.m., SECN    		 Georgia W 77–66  13–4 (3–0)
    		  18 – Jenkins  9 – Taylor  4 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
    Nashville, TN
    Jan. 19, 2012
    6:00 p.m., ESPN    		 at Alabama W 69–59  14–4 (4–0)
    		  20 – Jenkins  10 – Ezeli  4 – Tinsley  Coleman Coliseum (12,202)
    Tuscaloosa, AL
    Jan. 21, 2012
    6:00 p.m., ESPN2    		 No. 18 Mississippi State L 77–78 OT 14–5 (4–1)
    		  21 – Jenkins  14 – Ezeli  5 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
    Nashville, TN
    Jan. 24, 2012
    6:00 p.m., ESPNU    		 Tennessee
    'Super Tuesday'    		 W 65–47  15–5 (5–1)
    		  23 – Taylor  9 – Ezeli  4 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
    Nashville, TN
    Jan. 28, 2012*
    1:00 p.m.    		 Middle Tennessee W 84–77  16–5
    		  26 – Jenkins  8 – Goulbourne  4 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
    Nashville, TN
    Jan. 31, 2012
    8:00 p.m., ESPN    		 No. 25 at Arkansas L 74–82  16–6 (5–2)
    		  19 – Jenkins  6 – Taylor  6 – Tinsley  Bud Walton Arena (13,678)
    Fayetteville, AR
    Feb. 4, 2012
    12:00 p.m., CBS    		 No. 25 at No. 12 Florida L 65–73  16–7 (5–3)
    		  25 – Taylor  11 – Goulbourne  6 – Tinsley  O'Connell Center (11,270)
    Gainesville, FL
    Feb. 8, 2012
    8:00 p.m., CSS    		 LSU W 76–61  17–7 (6–3)
    		  21 – Ezeli  6 – Tied  5 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (13,610)
    Nashville, TN
    Feb. 11, 2012
    8:00 p.m., ESPN    		 No. 1 Kentucky
    ESPN College GameDay    		 L 63–69  17–8 (6–4)
    		  15 – Jenkins  9 – Taylor  4 – Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
    Nashville, TN
    Feb. 16, 2012
    8:00 p.m., ESPN2    		 at Ole Miss W 102–76   18–8 (7–4)
    		  28 – Taylor  9 – Taylor  4 – Tinsley  Tad Smith Coliseum (5,954)
    Oxford, MS
    Feb. 19, 2012
    12:00 p.m., FSN    		 at Georgia W 61–52   19–8 (8–4)
    		  28 – Jenkins  6 – Goulbourne  2 – Tied  Stegeman Coliseum (7,823)
    Athens, GA
    Feb. 22, 2012
    7:00 p.m., SECN    		 South Carolina W 59–48   20–8 (9–4)
    		  21 – Jenkins  8 – Goulbourne  5 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
    Nashville, TN
    Feb. 25, 2012
    11:00 a.m., CBS    		 at No. 1 Kentucky L 74–83  20–9 (9–5)
    		  19 – Taylor  9 – Taylor  2 – Johnson  Rupp Arena (24,388)
    Lexington, KY
    Feb. 28, 2012
    8:00 p.m., ESPN    		 No. 16 Florida
    'Super Tuesday/Senior Night    		 W 77–67   21–9 (10–5)
    		  22 – Jenkins  6 – Taylor  4 – Tinsley  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
    Nashville, TN
    Mar. 3, 2012
    3:00 p.m., ESPN    		 at Tennessee L 61–68  21–10 (10–6)
    		  18 – Jenkins  7 – Goulbourne  4 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (22,172)
    Knoxville, TN
    2012 SEC Tournament
    Mar. 9, 2012
    9:00 p.m., SECN    		 No. (3) vs. (11) Georgia
    Quarterfinals    		 W 63–41   22–10
    		  15 – Jenkins  6 – Goulbourne  3 – Tinsley  New Orleans Arena (10,526)
    New Orleans, LA
    Mar. 10, 2012
    3:30 p.m., ABC    		 No. (3) vs. (7) Ole Miss
    Semifinalfinals    		 W 63–41   23–10
    		  23 – Jenkins  12 – Goulbourne  3 – Tied  New Orleans Arena (18,523)
    New Orleans, LA
    Mar. 11, 2012
    12:00 p.m., ABC    		 No. (3) vs. (1) Kentucky
    Championship    		 W 71–64   24–10
    		  18 – Taylor  11 – Taylor  4 – Tinsley  New Orleans Arena (18,114)
    New Orleans, LA
    2012 NCAA Tournament
    Mar. 15, 2012
    3:40 p.m., TNT    		 No. 20 (5) vs. (12) Harvard
    East Regional Second round    		 W 79–70   25–10
    		  27 – Jenkins  11 – Ezeli  4 – Tinsley  The Pit (10,774)
    Albuquerque, New Mexico
    Mar. 17, 2012
    5:10 p.m., TNT    		 No. 20 (5) vs. No. 14 (4) Wisconsin
    East Regional Third round    		 L 57–60   25–11
    		  14 – Ezeli  11 – Tied  2 – Goulbourne  The Pit (12,128)
    Albuquerque, New Mexico
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Central Time (#) Tournament seedings in parenthesis.

    Notes and references

    1. ↑ "Vanderbilt ends Kentucky's 24-game win streak to win SEC tournament". March 11, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
    2. 1 2 3 Katz, Andy (August 9, 2011). "Festus Ezeli continues to learn the game". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
    3. ↑ "Monmouth to Announce King Rice as New Head Men's Basketball Coach" (Press release). Monmouth University Sports Information. April 1, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
    4. ↑ "David Cason named to Vanderbilt MBB staff" (Press release). Vanderbilt University Sports Information. April 15, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
    5. 1 2 3 4 Bergeron, Elena (August 9, 2011). "CBB Summer Buzz: Vanderbilt". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011. (full article behind paywall; cited information in free preview)
    6. ↑ Associated Press (April 20, 2011). "John Jenkins returning to Vanderbilt". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
    7. 1 2 3 4 "Individual Basketball Statistics". 2010–11 SEC Men's Basketball Statistics. Southeastern Conference. April 2, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
    8. 1 2 3 "2011 SEC Men's Hoops Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 8, 2011. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
    9. ↑ Torre, Pablo S. (March 7, 2011). "How Did I Get Here?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
    10. ↑ Brennan, Eamonn (August 9, 2011). "Summer Buzz: Vanderbilt Commodores". College Basketball Nation Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
    11. ↑ Vitale, Dick (July 26, 2011). "Dickie V Preseason Top 40: Top 10". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
    12. ↑ Associated Press (October 17, 2011). "Festus Ezeli suspended six games". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
    13. ↑ Associated Press (November 11, 2011). "No. 7 Vanderbilt 78, Oregon 64". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
    14. ↑ Associated Press (December 7, 2011). "Vanderbilt 87, Davidson 83". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
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