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Older and wiser Commodores learn lessons from last season's losses
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Chantelle Anderson might have learned her biggest lesson last season sitting on the bench. The Vanderbilt center found herself sidelined by fouls when her teammates needed her most in the Midwest Regional championship last March. She was forced to watch as Ruth Riley led Notre Dame into the Final Four and to its first national title. "Ruth Riley acted her age. She acted older, like a senior. I acted my age, like a sophomore," Anderson said. "I haven't done that very often. I need to learn a little bit and grow maturity-wise as a player and hopefully this year and next I'll be the one handing out the lessons and acting my age to the younger people." The 6-foot-6 junior will get her chance this season for the Commodores, who return every player from a team that went 24-10 and fell just short of its first Final Four appearance since 1993. Coach Jim Foster adds four talented freshmen to a roster that didn't lose a player. That combination has brought high expectations for a program that is ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll released Tuesday. It is the highest preseason ranking for the program since 1993, when it was rated No. 2. Vanderbilt finished last season at No. 10. Foster usually ignores such preseason hype, saying it only helps the promotions department that has been busy selling more tickets. But he doesn't view high rankings as pressure. "We have goals, and our goal going into last year was to be one of the last teams standing, if not the last team standing. This year we want to be the last team standing," he said. The challenge is different. Foster said his Commodores had to learn about themselves last season, something that should need only to be remembered now. The veterans also must teach the freshmen how important every game is. "All that stuff's to be determined," he said. What Foster knows is that Anderson averaged 73 percent shooting from the floor, and his Commodores shot 54 percent - for the season. He also has the backup center he didn't have last year with 6-3 Candice Storey granted another year after she tore her ACL in the second game. Anderson, the preseason pick as the Southeastern Conference player of the year, averaged 21.2 points but is working to improve her rebounding. Zuzana Klimesova was the SEC's fifth-leading scorer with 16.3 points a game. Jillian Danker, one of three seniors, led the league shooting 47 percent from 3-point range. Point guard Ashley McElhiney handed out 191 assists while averaging 10 points. Jenni Benningfield started every game as a freshman and averaged 40 percent from 3-point range. Freshmen like guard/forward Ashley Earley and guard Abi Ramsey, both from Tennessee, guard Jill Corbett and 6-foot Tia Battle will have to earn their playing time. Vandy proved last season last season with four players averaging 30 minutes or more a game that depth can be overrated. Earley and Battle, until an injury slowed her, have been the most impressive so far. "The others have shown blips, and they need to be sort of a constant on the radar screen, not a blip," Foster said. Vanderbilt opens the season Friday against Eastern Kentucky in the Preseason WNIT tournament, which could include a game with Connecticut if the teams advance. The Commodores also play at Vermont and at home against Xavier, which knocked Tennessee out of the NCAA tournament in March, and Penn State. As usual, the schedule includes two with the Lady Vols, and their game on Feb. 2 will be their first since Vandy ended a 14-game losing skid to Tennessee with a victory in the SEC tournament semifinals. For now, the Commodores will work on improving their defense and ignore all the preseason talk. "It's obviously better than the alternative," Foster said. "The reality is it's all based on what last year was and the anticipation of this year."
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