Sportaholic College Basketball: What's wrong with the Vanderbilt Commodores?

This was a season that started off with the dreaded high expectations moniker for the Vanderbilt Commodores men’s basketball team. This was a team that that was coming off a 23-11 season that ended in disappointment after a 2nd round tournament loss to underdog Richmond. Despite the tasting that bitter pill of defeat early in the tourney the Commodores returned its core players including likely NBA draftees John Jenkins, Jeffrey Taylor and Festus Ezeli who all opted to remain in college for another shot at the NCAA tournament. They seemed poised for a deep run and started the season ranked number 7 in the nation on the strength of their experience and the best players coming back for one more year with Kevin Stallings.

However, things have not worked out as planned so far this year and its not even close. The Commodores have stumbled out the blocks to a 7-4 record. Now it’s hard to fault them on their two losses to highly ranked teams like Xavier and Louisville but their other two losses against the likes of Cleveland State and Indiana are a different story. The team seems lacking in the finishing department as they have led in the last minutes of all their losses. It’s hard to fathom why this team isn’t better in crunch time with a player in Jeff Taylor that is as versatile as any in the country and a dead eye shooter in John Jenkins who led the SEC in scoring last year. They are sorely missing the inside presence of Ezeli who has been sidelined the entire year with a sprained knee. He gives the ‘Dores a much needed presence in the post that helps spread the floor for their shooters like Jenkins, Taylor, and Brad Tinsley and also tremendous for them on the defensive side of the ball. I have been waiting since last year for Taylor to emerge as the guy with his skills and defensive prowess but he just doesn’t seem to want to take on that role even as a senior. Even Jenkins seems to shy away from taking the last shot and that’s really shocking when you see him light up teams for 20 and 30 points. He has such a beautiful stroke and shoots with ease so it really bothers me that he hasn't stepped up and become the guy.  No one the team wants to be the guy and when you have a team full of followers and not leaders you know what to expect as result.

Although the loss of Ezeli is a big one, the Commodores still be better than what we’ve witnessed so far from the. Ezeli can’t make them perform better in late game situations and neither can he in most cases be the guy who takes the last shot. A lot of Vanderbilt fans are beginning to point the finger of blame to Head Coach Kevin Stallings. Stallings is in his 13th year at the helm of the Vanderbilt program. His hard edge task master mentality toward his players rubs some the wrong way. But this is a coach that has won two SEC coach of the year awards (2007 and 2010) and has taken Vanderbilt to two Sweet Sixteen’s. Most critics of Stallings say he has a hard time of maximizing his team’s abilities as evident by recent rash of early tournament exits and some of his big time recruits not panning out. The Commodores under Stallings has seemingly always been a team with high expectations that disappoint every year and this season would be the greatest of them all with what most would call his best ever roster. Stallings is very blunt guy and tells it like it is. This is what he to say about John Jenkins after their loss to Indiana State: "They did a good job of getting up on John," Stallings said. "He was too quick to try and pinch off shots. There was no rhythm to our offense, but we had no rhythm the whole week of practice."

Whoever is to blame the Commodores need to crank it up as the season if they hope to meet those lofty goals that were made when the season started. Someone other than Coach Stallings has to become the voice of authority for this team. Rather it be Jeff Taylor, John Jenkins, Brad Tinsley or whoever. Vanderbilt teams since forever have been labeled as soft and nothing has changed from what we have seen so far. The team really misses Ezeli who is their muscle but can’t just rely on him to do everything in the post. They have to develop some intestinal fortitude when a guy like Xavier guard Tu Holloway goes off for 10 points in overtime. This team is just too talented to have the type of mental lapses it has during the most important times of the game. The beauty of this whole thing is that have plenty of more games to figure it out. They will get another crack at a top 25 opponent in Marquette. The Golden Eagles just suffered their first loss as LSU pulled the upset 67-59, so naturally they will be looking for blood after losing to one SEC team.

For the fans of the Commodores this was suppose to be the season of all seasons for them as they looked finally ready to get over the hump and make a possible Final Four run but if they don’t develop a late game go to guy and continue to play as soft as they have, they will limp into the tournament with a lower seed and set up another possible 1st round exit. Maybe it was the high expectations that have led to them faltering. Ezeli will come back soon so we will get a better gauge of what team is to become. Here is hoping that they get their act together once he does. The problem with Vanderbilt these days are the Commodores themselves. They have to look into the mirror and realize that they are just a better team than the one we’ve seen one quarter into the season.

Highlights and Interviews from 4th Annual Music City Classic

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Game Summary:

Both teams came out with high energy which is to be expected at these types of events. Micah Williams of ETSU set the tone early for the away team with a couple of acrobatic dunks. The Morehead State contingency of Kenneth Faried and Demonte Harper would also get into the action as both players took turns dominating the game. Faried, a potential first round NBA draft pick, punished the basket and brought the crowd to its feet with a number of ferocious dunks. Harper, who you may remember from his buzzer beater against Louisville, made a couple of early jumpers and got a big slam of his own during the first half.

Things really heated up in the second half as Atlantic Sun player Mike Smith dialed up a few 3-point bombs. As the game settled down, both teams picked up their defensive play. Cedric Austin of Freed-Hardeman was inserted in the game and immediately picked up the tempo. He would match-up against Harper of Morehead State and slowed down the Eagles star. When coach Ricky Collins of the home team gave Kenneth Faried would a breather, the game would turn in favor of the away team. Micah Williams would hit a 3-pointer and follow it up with an alley-oop jam on the next play. The teams played to a 108-105 score with the away team up by three. The stage was set for another late-game buzzer beater from Morehead’s Demonte Harper. Harper would receive the ball at the top of the key and take one dribble to sink a game-tying 3-point shot, almost exactly as he did against the Louisville Cardinals in the NCAA tournament.



However, that would be the last celebration for the home team as Justin Tubbs of ETSU and Caleb Brown of Austin Peay secured the lead for the away team and sealed the victory of a couple of key baskets. It’s was a great game and even better effort given by both teams.





Interviews:



I had the pleasure of interviewing event coordinator Cecelia Shell after the game. Shell is a Fisk alum who along with former Belmont point guard Brian “Penny” Collins developed this great occasion. She spoke about making the event more open to the public and how the event has grown over the last four years. Shell spoke on how she thinks this is the premier showcase of college basketball talent in the mid-state. She also said she would like connect with the local high school all-star game that was also held at Fisk, and make it an entire weekend event, showcasing both high school and college stars. Shell was a bundle of energy and a joy to speak to.



Brian “Penny” Collins was unable to attend due to a schedule conflict, but he has built this game from the ground up. I had a chance to catch up with the former Belmont Bruin over the phone. He stated that he wanted to make this a showcase game for all of the college basketball seniors in the state. His vision is to get further sponsorship and eventually land the game on one of the ESPN networks as a featured showcase game. Collins said he will continue to recruit the top talent in the state and the rest should take care of itself. I will agree with him on that statement. When you have the type of talented players he is brining in, then the sponsors will follow.



I also spoke with future NBA players Kenneth Faried and Demonte Harper. Those two guys were easily the funniest guys I spoke with the entire evening. They have a certain chemistry between the two that reverberates on and off the court. Faried explained how he thinks he will be successful in the NBA. He said his tenacity and determination hopefully will take him a long way. I asked Harper what with him and his flair for the dramatics and let’s just say he believes in his abilities. For more on this interview be sure to watch the attached video of this article. Those two guys are hilarious together.



Ricky Collins is the former coach of the Pearl-Cohn Firebirds. He gave his opinion on who he thinks has the best pro potential out of all players from the game. He also stated that he enjoyed the energy and effort that both teams displayed and hopes to be back coaching again in next year’s game.



I cannot state enough how much I enjoyed myself covering this event. Everyone from the players, coaches and fans all were in high spirits and made this a successful and highly enjoyable function. Everyone in Nashville and Tennessee as whole should come out next year and support this great event. If you enjoy basketball in fun family atmosphere, then your doing yourself a disservice by not attending. Special thanks to Robert Snelling for his splendid camera work and Fisk University for hosting such a great event

The 4th Annual Music City All-Star Classic

Are you suffereing from post March Madness syndrome in the middle Tennessee area? If so you are in luck, the Sportaholic and Noomizo.com has your back.

The 4th Annual Music City All-Star Classic will be held April 16, 2011 8:00 pm at Fisk University. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students with IDs.This is Tennessee's premier college basketball All-Star game and this year’s event expects to be the best yet as it features some of the top names in the state for college basketball. The classic will kick-off with a 3-point contest and slam dunk contest as well. The lists of names include March Madness hero Demonte Harper of Morehead State and high-flying Micah Williams of ETSU.  (Full list of players at bottom of this page)

Brian “Penny” Collins, former point guard of Belmont University and current assistant coach of Cumberland University will be hosting this event. Please come out and support your local Tennessee college all-stars. Noomizo.com and Sportaholic.com will be there in full support of this event and hopes to take it to the next level with coverage of all the events and post stories featuring the players and sponsors. This event is a great celebration for the Nashville community and provides an opportunity for the Music City to host senior athlete talent from various Universities in Tennessee.


HOME TEAM

JAMES WASHINGTON MTSU

DEMONTE HARPER MOREHEAD ST.

CHRIS GOODWIN MARTIN METHODIST

JON HOUSE BELMONT

JEREMY SAFFORE CHATTANOOGA

LINDAL YARBROUGH CUMBERLAND

CHRIS LEGGETT MARTIN METHODIST

JORDAN CAMPBELL BELMONT



AWAY TEAM

CALEB BROWN AUSTIN PEAY

JUSTIN TUBBS ETSU

MIKE SMITH ETSU

ALFRED JONES TN TECH

JOHN FIELDS TENNESSEE

CEDRIC AUSTIN FREED HARDEMAN

JESSE MOULTON FREED HARDEMAN

MICAH WILLIAMS ETSU



Tennessee annocues Cuzono Martin as their new men's basketball coach.

The University of Tennessee will formally introduce Cuonzo Martin as their men’s basketball head coach today. Martin of course will fill the role vacated by lightning rod Bruce Pearl. After chasing high profile names such as Villanova’s Jay Wright and Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon, the Vols decided that the best option left was Martin.

Cuonzo is among the most promising young coaches in the game, and we are excited about the coaching ability, toughness, and energy that he brings to our program," Tennessee Director of Athletics Mike Hamilton said. "He has a proven track record of success as a head coach at Missouri State and an assistant at Purdue as well as an outstanding career as a college basketball player. His Missouri State program improved from 11 wins to 26 in just two seasons, and they won the regular season conference championship this year." Said athletics director Mike Hamilton

Cuonzo Martin (pronounced CON-zoe) may not be the splash in the pan that most Vol fans were looking for, but upon closer inspection, he seems to be a judicious hire due to the circumstances facing the program. Under normal circumstances, UT with its facilities and deep pockets would be a coveted job for most coaches. However because of to trail left by Bruce Pearl and the possible NCAA infractions facing the program not so much at this time. Martin will inherit a program that has a due date with the NCAA infractions committee just 3 months from now and will learn their fate. Not to mention that the cupboard could be bare as Tobias Harris and Scotty Hopson could jump to the NBA and incoming freshmen Kenny Ware could look to sign elsewhere with Pearl gone.

Nevertheless, Martin has proven that he can change a programs fortune. While at Missouri State, he took the Bears to a 26-9 and a conference championship in his third season. That was a stark turnaround from a team that just two years ago was 11-20 and last in the Missouri Valley Conference. He is a another coach off the Gene Keady coaching tree as is current Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings. Martin has no history of NCAA violations which is important after the whole Bruce Pearl saga. He also received coach of the year honors in the MVC conference and is a finalist for two national coaching awards this season: the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the top mid-major coach in Division I college basketball, and the Ben Jobe Award, presented annually to the top minority head coach in Division I.

Martin also survived a cancel scare as he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1997. He was last treated for the disease in 1998 and is now in full remission. The Martin era may not be what many UT fans wanted after six successful seasons by Bruce Pearl. My initial reaction to the hire was like most in saying who is this guy? The Vols had little choice really after reportedly being turned down by multiple coaches for the job. I figured it would have to be someone with strong resolve and determination to undertake such a dubious job. Martin seems to be as strong willed as they come after growing up on the mean streets of East St. Louis and surviving cancer, an NCAA infraction should be the least of his worries.

In summary, Martin should serve well in Knoxville. He wasn’t the first choice but if you remember back last time UT had an opening, neither was Bruce Pearl. His background shows that he is a man of high character and moral standards. His tenure may get off to a rocky start in rocky top but if his track record proves anything he will be able to endure the challenge of keeping UT in the top echelon of SEC basketball.

Pearl Pushed Out By Tennessee

I clearly regret having to post this article because I am a Bruce Pearl fan but his time with UT has come to an end. Pearl was gregarious and his high energy personality rubbed off on everyone around him. He embraced Tennessee culture and did things that made us Tennessean’s embrace him. Pearl finished with a record of 145-61 as UT’s head coach and also led them to six straight NCAA tournaments. His resume speaks for itself but Pearl was more than just win and losses. He put UT basketball on the map as he led them to their first ever number one ranking. Who can forget Pearl showing up at the Lady Vols game with his torso camouflaged in Vol orange? Pearl’s endearing antics surpassed those of all the coaches in the SEC. It rubbed most the wrong way but it you are a Vol fan, you loved it.

You can tell how much he meant to the program as news of his firing has dominated the sports scene here locally. People in Tennessee have a certain type of infatuation with him. He cam from the northeast but was able to adapt to Tennessee and from what I hear is not an easy thing to do. The ramifications of Pearl ouster are huge. Players such as Tobias Harris and Scotty Hopson are all but done in a UT uniform at this point. Incoming players are asking for permission to speak to other teams in wake of Pearl’s ouster. And with an NCAA sanction hanging over the UT program, how can they expect to land a good coach? The program is left with more questions then answers at this point. Mike Hamilton seems incapable to handling bad situations. His ill-advised interview before the NCAA tournament had to make other AD’s around the country cringe. Hamilton should be on shaky ground as well now as two of his hires in Pearl and Lane Kiffin both have come under fire from the NCAA are no longer at UT. If Hamilton knew he was going to fire Pearl then he should have done it immediately. There was no point of creating the circus that was UT’s men basketball season. There was no point of docking Pearl’s pay, suspending him and publicly backing him for the entire season only to dump as soon as it was over. Hamilton’s interview seemed to be nothing more than him distancing himself away from Pearl in an effort to set up the fan base for his firing.



Futhermore on Pearl, he had built a reputation as an upright and what you see is what you get coach. His persona has been that way since he blew the whistle on Illinois and their involvement with former recruit Deon Thomas. Dick Vitale called the Thomas situation career suicide but Pearl made it through that debacle. Now it does seem ironic if not prophetic that Pearl career is stalled because of NCAA violations. As much as I like Pearl, don’t get me wrong, he was wrong for the things that he did. The most stunning part of the allegations is the reported “Bumps” that the NCAA found out after they had met with Pearl in September. Pearl held a tear filled press conference soon after his meeting with the NCAA but according to reports, he and assistant Tony Jones illegally had contact with a prep athlete. Pearl disputes this and says it was a cordial greeting of the player but at this point it doesn’t matter. Once you’re the crosshairs of the NCAA, they are relentless. Pearl had a chance to come clean and he didn’t which is no one’s fault but his own. But when a coach like Jim Tressel of Ohio State does in what amounts to basically the same thing if not worse, then you begin to realize how unfair this fallout was to Pearl. Everyone knows the story now of Tressel as he knew all along about his players selling their memorabilia in exchange for tattoos but instead of turning the players in, Tressel played them and rode them to a Sugar Bowl victory. How can that not be more offensive than what Pearl did? Highly hypocritical but the NCAA has been this way for years.

Pearl became a victim of his own success. He was a diamond in the rough that finally had a big-time program at his dispense. He did what most coaches are doing at this very moment. Some say Pearl was set-up for those reasons I mentioned earlier in this article, I don’t know if I can agree with that. I do think that he became drunk with his own prosperity. They say it is only cheating if you get caught but that doesn’t even correctly objectify what is going on in college athletics these days. And when you think about coaches like John Callapari, who has took two programs (UMass and Memphis) to the final four only to have those banners taken down because of allegations, it does make one think Pearl may have been duped one way or another. Pearl’s ambition drove him to do whatever it took to stay on top. If that meant 100 calls to a recruit so be it. If that meant throwing a cookout for future players, so be it (even though I still don’t understand why he would allow anyone to take photos of the event). Pearl is just the latest casualty in the NCAA world of rules. Pearl will resurface after a year of two. He is too charismatic and too good of a coach not to. It’s just a shame that he won’t be back on the Tennessee sidelines anymore.

College Baskbetball Weekend Finale

Before you know it, it will be March and time is winding down for bubble teams. The NCAA tournament begins March 17 and that leaves just four weeks for teams to get their resumes up to par. A few teams helped their cause helped their cause out and none more than Virginia Tech as they defeated number 1 ranked Duke in Blacksburg. The Hokies came out from the start with the passion and intensity usually reserved by the Blue Devils. Its good to see Seth Greenberg’s bunch finally get on the right side of the bubble for change as in recent they seem always to come up just short. Michigan State just can’t right that ship for their disastrous season. They were easily defeated by Purdue and at 16-12 they need to win all of their remaining games to have a shot entering the tournament as an at-large. Last years final four run for Coach Izzo’s group seems so long ago. The Jimmer was on the loose again as he scored 25 for BYU as they downed a solid San Diego State team for the second time this year




Now let’s take a look at the weekend’s best games.

Virginia Tech 64 vs. Duke 60 -  The Dukies took the initial shot from Va. Tech but it couldn’t take the final wave as Tech was able to wear down the Blue Devils. The Hokies played an inspired first few minutes highlighted by some beautiful plays from guard Eric Green. The Blue Devils were able to shut down the Hokies leading scorer Malcolm Delaney for the first few minutes of the game as Coach K’s signature defense was on display. Tech would grab the early lead only to see Duke retake it back in the second half and go up by six points, 53-47. However the Hokies didn’t back down after relinquishing their lead as Terrell Bell scored five straight to give Tech the lead for the remainder of the game. Bell knocked down a clutch 3-pointer in the corner with 4:40 left and two free-throws seconds later. Malcolm Delaney finally was able to get loose from Duke’s suffocating defense to hit his only 3-pointer of the night. The Dukie with the most miserable night had to be Seth Curry as chants of “Who’s your daddy rang loud and clear. Curry’s dad Dell, of course was in attendance to see his son but that doesn’t mean the Virginia Tech legend and his son were getting off easy in Blacksburg. This was Duke’s 18th lost as the number one ranked team in the nation, giving the Blue Devils this ominous record for most losses as a number 1 ranked team.

BYU 80 vs. SDSU 67 – San Diego State just had no answer for the shooting display by the Cougars. Jimmer Fredette done his usual putting up 25 points but it was his teammates as well that put the game away. The team as a whole was 10-16 from 3-point range. Charles Abouo was 4-5, Noah Hartsock was 3-4, and Jackson Emery was 2-6. They just shot the lights out. San Diego State was led by Kawhi Leonard’s 17 points and 13 rebounds but they could never control the pace of the game. Fredette shooting percentage wasn’t pretty (8-23) but he effectively found a way to get his teammates involved. He is clearly the front-runner now for player of the year and BYU has a chance to stalk a claim as a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

St.John’s 81 vs. Villanova 68 – I don’t know what Steve Lavin is telling his players these days but whatever it is he should keep it up. The Red Storm continue their unbelievable hot play of late as they beat their sixth straight top 25 team in Villanova. The star again for the Johnnies’s was Dwight hardy as he demolished the Wildcats defense for 34 points. Hardy is as versatile as they come as he was able to make a dazzling display of different shot’s including tear-drop lay-ups, runners in the lane and 3-pointers. The Wildcats usually play tough in your face defense with their great guards in Corey Fisher and Malik Wayns but Hardy was able to find space. Speaking of Fisher, he was only 1 of 10 from the field and the team as whole was just 4 of 14 from 3-point land and when you combine that with 12 turnovers, you have a recipe for defeat. The Wildcats started the year off hot but not have lost two straight and four of six. The score was 18-4 in the first few minutes of the game. Dwight Hardy has now firmly entrenched himself in the race for Big East player of the year.



Other news and notes:

Can the Big East get 11 bids? As of today you have at least 11 to 12 possible teams coming from the big bad Big East. Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Louisville, St. John’s, Villanova, Connecticut, Syracuse, Georgetown, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Marquette all seem to have a creditable resume for the tournament. But with so many teams from one league getting in, it will definitely lead to some scrutiny for the teams who don’t get in. I’m sure Digger Phelps doesn’t like so many teams getting in from a BCS conference especially when it is taking away a few mid major bids in the process. Maybe everyone can get what they want this year since the tournament has expanded from 64 to 68 teams.

Pauley Pavillion gets proper send-off – What better way for Pauley to close its doors for renovation then to have the late great John Wooden’s great-grandson score the last basket. Tyler Trapani, the rarely used walk-on junior was able to make a lay-up on a putback after an airball from teammate Jack Haley Jr. The shot from Trapani bought his head coach Ben Howland to tears. I was thinking about Coach,” he said of the man who led the Bruins to 10 national championships. “It was so fitting Tyler hit the shot. It fell right in his hands. There’s something going on there, I really believe it.” John must have been smiling down from the heavens.

Louisville cheerleader is a little too enthusiastic – From the department of male cheerleaders gone wild, a Cardinals cheerleader got a little too excited about the Louisville impending win over number 4 Pittsburgh. The play happened after Kyle Kuric’s dunk looked to seal the game for the Cardinals in the last few seconds of overtime. The cheerleader (Still no name associatied with him) ran onto the court and chucked the ball into the air. All seems normal until it was noticed that there was still five-tenths of a second left on the clock (D’oh!). The chuck by the cheerleader led to a technical foul being called on Louisville and gave Pittsburgh two-free throws in a five point game. Luckily for this guy Ashton Gibbs missed on a half-court shot and Louisville prevailed 62-59. Who knows what would have happened to this kid had Pittsburgh found a way to pull off the victory even though it was highly unlikely. The guy wouldn’t’ have mad it out the arena alive in basketball crazed Louisville. "The male cheerleader is coming to an end," Louisville coach Rick Pitino joked to start his postgame press conference. "It was good while it lasted. It was fun. Now we'll try another sport for him."