The Sports VU is moving...and we need your help

It's hard to believe that this site has only been up and running for a little over four months. In that short time, we've put up more than 300 posts, interviewed dozens of student-athletes and attracted hundreds of loyal readers.

As a result of our hard work, we've been asked to join a prominent network consisting of more than 100 sports bloggers, each following a respective team the same way we cover the Commodores. We'll get a brand new website and hopefully be able to attract an even larger audience.

Don't worry, it'll still be the same guys bringing you the same great coverage. The only downside is this: we need a new name. Since sportsvu.com and thesportsvu.com are unavailable, we're left with no choice but to come up with a new identity for the fall.

So, we're asking for your help. My staff has come up with three very good options -- Conquer and Prevail, The VU Point and Vandyville. You can vote for your favorite in the poll on the top right of the page. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to share those below.

Anyways, thanks so much for visiting The Sports VU and I look forward to reading your feedback. Also, I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the fall...

Summer basketball update

Vanderbilt men's basketball coach Kevin Stallings spoke to the media during last week's summer teleconference and Brett Hait of The Nashville City Paper has a terrific story about Stallings' expectations (or lack thereof) for next year's squad, which will welcome four talented freshman and two redshirt freshmen.

“This is probably as little an idea about a team as I’ve had going into a season in terms of the little nuances you might think about as a coach,” Stallings said. “That’s part of the exciting part of being a college basketball coach – new faces and new teams.”

VU Commodores has the full transcript from Wednesday's teleconference so I figured I'd go ahead and touch on some of the highlights.

*Stallings both expects and needs junior point guard Jermaine Beal to make another leap this season in order for Vandy to be successful.

*Not too much new information to pass along on the four freshmen -- Lance Goulbourne, Jeff Taylor, Steve Tchiengang and Brad Tinsley -- other than that they've been at summer school and working hard. "I think they've come in and tried to quietly go about their business and do things the right way and that's been very pleasing," Stallings said.

*Vanderbilt has become a very attractive destination for potential recruits, which is making Stallings very happy. "We feel like we’re getting entertained and getting interest from as high a level of players since we’ve been here," he said. "So, there's a tremendous amount of momentum that we feel in our program, and I think that the guys we recruit feel that and that's what makes things around here exciting right now."

*Stallings said he would not recruit players who say upfront that they only want to be in school for one year, but at the same, would not have a problem if he one of his players left after a season if he was ready.

"I would have encouraged A.J. Ogilvy to make himself available for the NBA draft this year if he'd have been a top 10 pick," Stallings said, "but A.J. didn't come in here saying 'I'm only going to be here for one year.' I think that kids need to come in and have the mindset that 'I'm going to be here as long as it takes for me to successfully position myself for what I need to do next, if that's four years it's four years, if it's one year it's one year.'"

*Make no mistake about it, Vanderbilt's freshmen are going to play. The Commodores return just two starters (Beal and Ogilvy), along with Darshawn McClellan, Andre Walker, George Drake, Jamie Graham (assuming he returns) and redshirt freshmen Festus Ezeli and Charles Hinkle, which means the youngsters will be given the opportunity to contribute right away.

"They're going to need to help because we're a very, very young basketball team," Stallings said. "So, they're going to need to come in and play with more maturity and at a higher level than what freshmen sometimes play at."

*Just how good is this class? "We think that from top to bottom it's as good a class as we've ever signed," Stallings said. "But, I think it's easy to get enamored with the guys who have never played. I'm always fascinated with the fact that people want to talk about the incoming guys more than they want to talk about the returning guys."

Stallings makes a great point. Right now, Goulbourne, Taylor, Tinsley and Tchiengang have no weaknesses and it's a lot more fun to talk about their potential than it is to discuss how much better Andre Walker and Darshawn McClellan will be as sophomores.

*How quickly will the freshmen be able to contribute? "I certainly don't want to put any timetables on any of them, but we feel like we have a combination of size and strength and athleticism and skill, and I think that all of those things you have to really try hard to go out and recruit," Stallings said. "The best thing that I like is I think we've gotten really good people, and guys are going to have good team attitudes, and that's what we want the most."

*I have absolutely no idea how good the Commodores will be this season, but like everyone else, I can't wait to find out. I don't think there's ever been this much excitement surrounding a team that we know so little about, which speaks to the job that Stallings and his staff have done transforming this program.

Photo [Sydney Morning Herald]

Vandy ranked 96th in college basketball prestige

During the boring summer months ESPN trise to come up with a few gimmicks to pass the time. A couple of weeks ago they did the face of every Division I school in the country, now they bring us a ranking of the prestige of all teams in college basketball.

Although the top 10 will not be revealed until later in the week, Vandy's spot has come up at No. 96, tied with the powerhouse University of Louisiana at Monroe (not to be confused with arch-rivals the University of Louisiana at Lafayette who are in a three-way tie for 118th). These rankings are pretty arbitrary and are calculated by a somewhat overly elaborate point system that awards points based on things like winning seasons, rankings, big upsets and high draft picks over the last 25 years.

Numbers 41-50 and the rules can be found here, while the rest of the rankings are here.

FYI, Tennessee was 99th.

Ranking SEC football coaches

John Adams of the Knoxville News Sentinel spends two columns ranking Southeastern Conference football coaches. First, he breaks down the coaches based on their career accomplishments:

1. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina)
2. Urban Meyer (Florida)
3. Nick Saban (Alabama)
4. Tommy Tuberville (Auburn)
5. Les Miles (LSU)
6. Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee)
7. Mark Richt (Georgia)
8. Bobby Petrino (Arkansas)
9. Houston Nutt (Ole Miss)
10. Rich Brooks (Kentucky)
11. Sylvester Croom (Miss. State)
12. Bobby Johnson (Vanderbilt)

Here's what Adams said about Johnson: "Ask almost any other coach in the SEC and he will tell you Johnson is a good coach. If so, then it's about time someone hired him away from the Commodores. Although Vanderbilt hasn't had a winning season in six years under Johnson, it has been more competitive. Johnson also won 30 games in his last three seasons at Division I-AA Furman."

Then, Adams ranked the coaches based on their value in the open market. For example, if Program X could have any SEC coach for the next five years whom would it take? And then, whom would it take next?

1. Urban Meyer
2. Nick Saban
3. Tommy Tuberville
4. Mark Richt
5. Steve Spurrier
6. Les Miles
7. Bobby Petrino
8. Phillip Fulmer
9. Houston Nutt
10. Sylvester Croom
11. Bobby Johnson
12. Rich Brooks

Here's what Adams said about Johnson: "He has clearly upgraded Vanderbilt's talent level, but apparently that's not enough to get the attention of athletic directors at better programs. Although he hasn't had a winning season at Vanderbilt, other coaches in the league will be the first to tell you Vanderbilt is much tougher to beat now than before Johnson took over. One break-even season at Vanderbilt would do wonders for Johnson on the open market."

What do you guys make of the rankings, particularly the second one? Who should be higher/lower? Any surprises?

Doster facing three misdemeanor charges

Stories like this one are not fun to pass along. I guess it proves that yes, even Vanderbilt student-athletes make mistakes sometimes.

Jermaine Doster, a redshirt freshman running back, was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and obstructing an officer without violence early Friday morning in his hometown of Tampa, Fla.

Doster was escorted out of The Honey-Pot Bar by Tampa police and was asked to return to his vehicle and leave but failed to cooperate, in the process "causing such a commotion he caused a large crowd to gather."

Doster was taken into custody and placed in the back of a squad car, where he allegedly kicked out the window of the passenger-side rear door, causing about $200 worth of damage.

He was released on $1,250 bond about six hours after his arrest.

"I'm not going to have a comment until I know all the facts," said Vanderbilt Coach Bobby Johnson, who was unaware of the incident when contacted. "I have nothing to say."

Like Johnson, I'm not going to pass judgment until both sides are presented. However, I can't stop thinking about the fact that Jermaine was arrested in Tampa's Ybor City, the same area where his brother Kwane was killed in December 2004. I'd hate to see something similar happen to Jermaine.

Not sure what effect this incident will have on Doster's future with the Commodores, although the hilarious Every Day Should Be Saturday is now predicting "a guaranteed bowl berth for Vandy. Write it down."

Commodore Banter (7/18)

I'm off to New York City in a minute to catch up with some friends and take in the Yankees game Saturday afternoon, but here's a few links to click through over the weekend.

David Price is creating a buzz at Double-A Montgomery and there's word that he may be called up the big leagues this season, even if he gave up the first three homers of his career last night.

"I'm human. I'm not superhuman," Price said. "I'm just like everybody else on the field. I'm sure I'm going to give up a lot more home runs in my career. If I don't, it probably means I don't have a long career."

Definitely check out Brett Hait's story about Vanderbilt's talented secondary, which includes cornerbacks D.J. Moore and Myron Lewis, safeties Reshard Langford and Ryan Hamilton and nickelback Darlron Spead.

“I think they can play anywhere and be stars anywhere,” Johnson said of Moore and Lewis.

Spead also had high compliments for his teammates.

“In the SEC and in the country, he’s the best, I believe,” Spead said of Moore. “This guy has raw athletic ability. He’s just one of those athletes who doesn’t come around very often. He knows what’s expected of him this year, and you can tell in the weight room and when we’re running.”

“When you get a lot of interceptions, you get all the glory, but you look at Myron’s stats and he had a lot of tackles and a lot of pass breakups,” Spead said. “Myron is a complete corner just like D.J. is, but D.J. gets a little more hype.”

Meanwhile, it was not a good day for our good friend Brandt Snedeker, who shot a 9-over 79 in the second round of the British Open. Looks like he'll miss the cut.

In NBA news, Shan Foster scored 11 points in his final Las Vegas Summer League game.

Offensive tackle Chris Williams said "holdout" wasn't in his vocabulary, and it looks like he's close to an agreement with the Bears.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Commodore Banter (7/17)

A few links to pass along on this Thursday evening as we count down the days until football season...

Former Commodore Brandt Snedeker is tied for 15th after shooting a 2-over 72 in the first round of the British Open at Royal Birkdale. Snedeker bogeyed five holes on the front nine, but responded by shooting 3-under on the back nine, including back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18, to keep himself within striking distance.

Fan-favorite Rocco Mediate is tied for the lead at 1-under with Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby, while Greg Norman is one shot back.

Meanwhile, Shan Foster continues to play well in the Las Vegas Summer League. He scored 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting to go along with two rebounds in 20 minutes as Dallas defeated Detroit 79-73. While the league continues through July 20, the Mavs are done. In five games, Foster averaged 8.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Even more promising is the fact that Foster seemed to outplay some of his teammates who are competing for the same roster spot(s), including Rayshawn Terry and Richie Frahm. Foster shot 49 percent from the field, which was tops among the Mavs' perimeter players. Foster proved what we already know -- that he's a very efficient offensive player -- and also displayed a well-rounded game that had to please Dallas coaches and execs.

Foster's old teammate Derrick Byars has been OK in New Orleans. Byars scored five points (2-for-7 from the field) to go along with three rebounds in 20 minutes in the Hornets' 80-76 victory over the Clippers this afternoon. Through three games, he's averaging 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists, but still can't seem to find his stroke. Byars is shooting just 33 percent from the field.

Another former Commodore Matt Freije is on fire through two games with the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 10 points on 64 percent shooting, including 5-for-6 from 3-point range. Freije plays again tonight at 9:30 p.m. CT.

In football news, Bobby Johnson made some additional comments about wide receiver Terence Jeffers in this Nashville City Paper piece. Jeffers transferred from UConn and will have two years of eligibility remaining starting in 2009.

“He’s a good player,” Johnson said. “He made some big catches for them and played in some big games. When he gets through his sit-out year, we’ll have a guy who’s ready to go.”

Vanderbilt coaches watched tape of Jeffers playing at UConn before choosing to offer him a scholarship. Johnson said the player has the ability to be a deep threat as well as take a pounding underneath.

“He can do it all,” Johnson said. “He’s got a big, strong body. He’s not a thin guy. He’s got plenty of courage to go over the middle and the body to back it up.”

ESPN.com's Chris Low thinks that Vanderbilt cornerback D.J. Moore is the third most underrated player in the SEC. We agree.

Two interesting (or maybe not-so interesting) facts about David Price: he doesn't snore and is obsessed with video games, particularly Halo on XBox 360.

Our friends over at VSL have put up their offensive and defensive previews so be sure to check those out.

Mr. SEC's Ace Reporter Jimmy Hyams takes a look at which SEC teams will better and which will be worse this season. Here's quick overview of his column:

Better
Alabama
Auburn
Florida
Ole Miss
South Carolina

Worse
Arkansas
Georgia
Kentucky
LSU
Mississippi State
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

On the Commodores, Hyams says:

I like Bobby Johnson as a coach, but I don’t see how the Commodores can lose the SEC’s all-time leading receiver and all five offensive line starters and improve. Remember, a year ago, Vandy lost to Georgia and Tennessee – teams that combined to win 21 games – by a field goal in going 5-7. The record won’t be much different, but I don’t see Vandy pushing to the limit some of the SEC’s better teams.

Prediction: 4-8.

My quick take: I don't think the offensive line is going to be as awful or inexperienced as Hyams and most media members suggest. And, of course it won't be easy to replace Earl Bennett, but if the Commodores receive more consistent quarterback play and are more creative in their play-calling, especially with athletes D.J. Moore and Jamie Graham expected to contribute, the offense could actually be better.

The running game (with Jared Hawkins, a leaner and stronger Jeff Jennings and an elusive Gaston Miller, and without Cassen Jackson-Garrison) should improve. I'm also excited about the group of tight ends, which includes Brandon Barden, Justin Green, Austin Monahan and Jake Bradford.

With that said, it's hard to argue with the 4-8 prediction. Hopefully the Dores learn to finish games and prove us wrong...

Snedeker's on the brink

Vanderbilt graduate Brandt Snedeker has become a PGA favorite with his perennial smile and happy-go-lucky attitude, and the fact that his name is cool helps too.

He's also distinguished himself by playing some pretty good golf in the last two majors, finishing third in the Masters and tying for ninth at the U.S. Open.

The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale starts tomorrow, and as this Canadian Press article tells, a gaggle of players in their 20s have a golden opportunity to win a major without big, bad Tiger Woods looming on the scoreboard. Woods, after his dramatic U.S. Open victory, is sidelined with a torn ACL and stress fractures. According to ESPN, Woods has won two of the last three British Opens, and each of the last two PGA championships, so it's pretty obvious that his absence is a weight off everyone's mind. Phil Mickelson wouldn't even mention Tiger's name in an interview.

"No matter what everyone says, beating Tiger is a mental hurdle because nobody is doing it," Snedeker said.

If you need any more reasons to root for Snedeker, by all means read this great feature from Golf Digest, which reveals, among other things, there exists a mentor-pupil relationship between Snedeker and 8-time major winner Tom Watson.

Watson, who has won the British Open five times, became impressed with Snedeker when they played together at the Masters.

"He's a terrific young man," Watson said. "He gets what it takes to not only play professional golf, but he also knows how to handle himself the right way. I really admire that about him."

Watson called Snedeker after the Masters this year, where the young player had a memorable display of emotion after a grueling four days at Augusta that culminated in a final round of 77 and a third-place finish. Snedeker felt he had let down his fans with his poor final round after being in contention for the victory, but Watson had some words of wisdom.

"(Watson) said 'Brandt, there's nothing I can say that's going to make you feel any better. I shot 79 in the last round when I led my first major [the 1974 U.S. Open at Winged Foot]. How you deal with it and move on is what's going to define you as a player. I believe you're going to learn from it and be better for it.'"

One more good sign: Snedeker also said Watson loves Royal Birkdale and the old pro thought that Snedeker would like it too.

"I know he won his last British Open there (1983), and it's going to be my first," Snedeker said. "I can't wait."

For the first time, I can't wait for a golf tournament either.

Weathers to compete in 2008 Olympics

Athletes dream of being able to represent their country in the Olympics. For former Vanderbilt closer Casey Weathers, it's become a reality.

Weathers was one of 23 players named to the United States Olympic team today by USA Baseball. In 2007, Weathers went 12-2 with a 2.37 ERA and recorded 75 strikeouts in 49.1 innings en route to earning unanimous first-team All-American honors.

"We are excited for Casey and look forward to seeing him pitch for the USA next month in Beijing," said Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin. "He has worked hard and is certainly deserving of the honor of getting to pitch for the USA."

Weathers was the eighth overall pick in the 2007 draft by the Colorado Rockies and is currently playing for Double-A Tulsa, where he is 2-0 with a 2.23 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 20 walks in 36.1 innings.

The manager of the USA squad is former major leaguer and New York Mets skipper Davey Johnson. The Americans will compete in Beijing from August 13-23.

"We are proud of the ball club we have assembled," said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. "The team is strong from top to bottom, and we are confident it will succeed in Beijing. We applaud our coaching staff and selection committee for their tireless work in putting together an excellent team."

Congrats, Casey. You deserve it.

Football welcomes talented wide receiver

The Vanderbilt football program received good news today as it announced that former UConn wide receiver Terence Jeffers will join the Commodores this fall.

Fans will have to wait a year to see him on the gridiron, but Jeffers will have two years of eligibility remaining and should be able to make an immediate impact in 2009 with the departure of senior wide receivers George Smith and Sean Walker.

Jeffers, who graduated from Berkmar High School outside of Atlanta, Ga., arrives in Nashville with impressive credentials. He started 21 of 25 games in two years with Huskies, leading the team with 44 catches for 582 yards and five touchdowns in 2007. As a freshman, he caught 17 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.