 |
| |
|
 |
 |
|
|
Posted: Wednesday November 06, 2002 5:17 PM Vanderbilt Commodores
The following preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the most thorough preview available of the upcoming season, order the 2002-03 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518. Team Preview | Blue Ribbon Analysis
Vanderbilt is undergoing a drastic facelift this season, much to the relief of fourth-year coach Kevin Stallings. No longer will the Commodores lead the Southeastern Conference in 3-point field goals made and attempted as they did in 2001-2002. "We had been beholden to the jump shot," Stallings said. "Now, we’re just more complete." For the first time, Stallings has a combination of inside scoring and quickness at guard. Pretty much forced to bomb away from 3-point range last season, this year Vanderbilt will be able to break down defenses off the dribble or toss the ball inside with reasonable assurance that someone in there can score. "It’s starting to actually get fun thinking about the different combinations and different ways we can play," Stallings said. "Our versatility gives us more options."
The key to Vanderbilt’s transformation rests in the hands of point guard Russell Lakey (2.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.5 apg). It might be more accurate to say in the feet of Lakey. Even more specifically, his right foot. Plagued with a stress fracture that wouldn’t heal all last season, Lakey was largely ineffective, when he could play at all. This year, Lakey will be back to full strength and should be able to fend off the challenge of 5-foot-11 freshman Mario Moore. "I think Russell will be a hard person to dislodge," Stallings said. "Simply because of his intelligence and competitiveness and his ability to defend and handle the ball. It would be great if he could be pushed, though. But Mario will have to be really good to push him." Moore, affectionately known by his friends as the "Little Dude," is a hometown product of Nashville’s Antioch High School. He was so sure he wanted to be a part of what Stallings was building at Vandy that he committed in his junior season. Last season, Moore, ranked among the nation’s top 20 point guards by nearly every recruiting analyst, averaged 24 points, seven assists and four steals. Moore is quick, can handle the ball, and is a threat from the perimeter. The combination of Lakey and Moore will give the Commodores the ability to penetrate and break down defenses. The point guards will run the offense, but junior forward Matt Freije, a third-team All-SEC pick a year ago, should once again be Vanderbilt’s leading scorer. Freije (15.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg), is a threat to score inside and outside (he shot 40 percent from 3-point range a year ago), but Stallings is hoping Frieje is finally ready to commit to doing the bulk of his damage down low. He’s gotten big enough to do that in his time at Vanderbilt. "One day during the summer, I said to Matt, ‘Boy, you look tall. Come here. I’m going to measure you myself," Stallings said. "He was 6-9 and a half. He weighs 230. His body’s coming." Freije could see time at both forward positions. "He could play small forward because of his ability to shoot the ball," Stallings said. "But we’d like to use him at the other forward position, like we did with Dan Langhi. Sometimes Matt has been a drifter -- he tends to drift out to the perimeter. We’ve asked him to keep his focus on establishing himself inside." Stallings has issued the same order to 7-1, 240-pound sophomore David Przybyszewski (5.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg), who, like Lakey, was hampered with a stress fracture in his right foot most of last season. The native of Poland played in all 32 games and started 13, but shot just 38 percent from the field, abysmal for a player with such a physical advantage over most of his defenders. The reason? He cranked up 72 3-pointers and shot just 30 percent from behind the arc. "David’s more of a drifter than Matt," Stallings said. "He’s another guy that needs to establish a low-post presence. He has the ability, and he’s a great kid who’s very coachable. But I don’t think the light’s come on for him. I hope it will one day, when all of a sudden he acquires the feeling maybe he can be a dominating player [in the post]. He has that capability." Brian Thornton (7.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg), a 6-8, 235-pound sophomore, also has the ability to score inside. As a rookie, he shot 51 percent from the field and wasn’t afraid to mix it up in the paint. "Brian had a very typical freshman year in that he was really good at times, and other times not so good," Stallings said. "But he had the most productive summer of anybody on our team. He did a lot of work on his body. And he’s got the disposition that enables him to be effective down low. He’s not afraid of contact." Stallings signed two freshmen who, unlike in years past, won’t be counted on to provide immediate help. But 6-11, 245-pound Ted Skuchas and 6-9, 220-pound Julian Terrell will provide depth in the frontcourt. Skuchas played for Germantown Academy in Audubon, Pa., where he grabbed a school-record 1,016 career rebounds. He averaged 10.8 boards for his career, and last year blocked 127 shots. Ranked among the top 20 big men in his class, Skuchas should fill a role as a freshman. "At this juncture, his defense is ahead of his offense," Stallings said. "He’s big, physical, and he can block shots. He’s also a tough kid." Like Moore, Terrell is a Nashville product. He played for Ezell-Harding High School, where last season he averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. "He has great presence in the low post," Stallings said. "He was about as good as anybody I saw in the entire summer [of 2001] with his back to the basket, catching the ball and being able to score." The wing positions are up for grabs after the graduation of senior guards Chuck Moore and Sam Howard and the abrupt departure of sophomore Brendan Plavich, who announced after last season he was leaving the program. Plavich eventually resurfaced at Charlotte. Corey Smith (3.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg), a 6-5, 230-pound sophomore, stands an excellent chance at winning a starting job. He played in all 32 games a year ago and earned nine starts. Like Thornton, he added a different dimension to the Commodores. "Corey gave us an element of physicality last year that really proved helpful to our team," Stallings said. "He’s got one thing that sets him apart. The cat is strong. And physical. And he’s not afraid to use that. He brings an energy to the game I really like." Another sophomore, 6-5 Jason Holwerda (3.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg), started eight times last year and played some at the point in the absence of Lakey. Holwerda, a great athlete who can leap and attack the basket, is much more comfortable on the wing, even though his perimeter shot isn’t yet up to SEC standards. "Jason was hurt by us having to play him at the point when Russell went down," Stallings said. "It’s not easy playing the point in our league, and I think he lost a little confidence. But he’s a guy that makes people better. The point guard experience will help him. Still, we’re looking at him to exclusively play the wing spot this year." Two freshmen will figure into the mix at the perimeter positions. Bryson Krueger is a 6-6 three-time all-state pick from Mountain Pointe High School in Tempe, Ariz. Krueger averaged 16 points as a senior. "He’s a good athlete and very skilled shooter," Stallings said. "He’s a little on the thin side [180 pounds], but he’s got good size for a wing player." Adam Payton, a 6-3 guard, averaged 22 points, seven rebounds and 3.5 assists last season for The Lawrenceville School in Burlington, N.J. Payton surprised a lot of people during the summer with his athletic ability. "We have a highly competitive open gym situation here," Stallings said. "We’ve got guys like Ron Mercer and David Vaughn and [former Mississippi State star] Dontae Jones and a lot of good former college and pro players in our gym every afternoon. Our players told me [Payton] could pretty much get into the lane and get to the basket any time he wanted to. That would be an added plus for us. We haven’t had that since our first year here." If newcomers don’t take their jobs, returning veterans Martin Shnedlitz (1.4 ppg, 0.5 rpg), a 6-10 sophomore, and Scott Hundley (3.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg), a 6-5 junior, could see some minutes in certain situations. Hundley played in 32 games and started three times a year ago. It has taken Stallings four years, longer than even he thought possible, to get his Vanderbilt roster the way he likes it. Stallings now has a balanced mix of players at his disposal. He has a potential star in Freije, four other players who will provide Vanderbilt’s deepest post rotation in years and more quickness than Commodore fans have seen in a long time. How will Stallings use his newfound balance? To be sure, Vanderbilt won’t be as one-dimensional on offense as it had to be last season. Overly reliant on the 3-pointer out of sheer necessity in 2001-2002, the Commodores can now find baskets in a variety of ways. They have legitimate inside threats, especially if Freije and Przybyszewski focus on low-post scoring, plenty of shooters despite the loss of Plavich, Howard and Chuck Moore, and penetrating guards in Lakey and Mario Moore. Vanderbilt, despite a beefed-up schedule that includes non-conference games at Michigan, Indiana and Notre Dame and at home against Connecticut, should win enough games to merit postseason consideration. Whether that means the NCAA tournament or the NIT depends on how well Stallings can blend the new players with the holdovers and come up with an a solid rotation. Unlike the last couple of seasons, Stallings will have depth, and some intriguing personnel decisions to make.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
