Vandy should be right in the thick of SEC race

PuddingTime · 10-27-2009, 06:58 PM

Andy Katz's Daily Word: Two surprises have Kevin Stallings high on his Vanderbilt Commodores - ESPN

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By Andy Katz

In roughly six weeks, you'll know if Vanderbilt is a real serious player for the SEC East title.

By that time, the Commodores could be through the Maui Invitational with a title, or at least with two wins over projected NCAA teams Cincinnati and Maryland, and through a gauntlet of nonconference games that includes Missouri at home, Illinois on the road and always-tough Western Kentucky on a neutral court in Nashville.

Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings isn't shying away from pushing his veteran team early in practice. On Monday, Stallings made it quite clear to his players that there needs to be a sense of urgency every day in practice because of the ensuing slate of games.

"I hope there's a positive buzz about how we're playing," Stallings said of his goal for how the Commodores will be perceived after Thanksgiving week in Maui. "But in order for that to happen, we've got a lot of work to do now, because everyone else is working just as hard."

The 'Dores have been slowed a bit by injuries early with junior center A.J. Ogilvy, a candidate for SEC player of the year, suffering a concussion on the first day of practice. There have been foot and shoulder injuries to a few players, too.

But there have also been two surprises in the first two weeks of practice that have Stallings feeling pretty pumped about this squad. He didn't have to worry about returnees Ogilvy up front or guards Jermaine Beal, Brad Tinsley or top defender Jeffrey Taylor. That foursome should be the core of this squad. But what Stallings wasn't sure of was how much he could get out of redshirt sophomore Festus Ezeli or highly touted freshman guard John Jenkins.

Ezeli played in 29 games last season, occassionally spelling Ogilvy. He's a big body at 6-11 and 255 pounds, but averaged a modest 3.8 points and 2.6 rebounds. But on the summer trip to Australia, Ezeli emerged as a productive threat, even on the scoring end. He hasn't disappointed in practice, either, giving the Commodores an option either next to Ogilvy or as his replacement.

As for Jenkins, we knew he was going to be a scorer. That much was known. He averaged a whopping 42.3 ppg at Station Camp (Tenn.) High School last season. But Stallings needed him to be a defensive pest and an assist man to ensure the bigs could get the ball.

"He's going to defend just fine," said Stallings of Jenkins, who isn't getting even close to the hype of Kentucky's or Florida's freshmen in the SEC East. "But I really like the way he can pass the ball, especially into the post. He sees and feels the game well. Post-feeding is an important skill on our team. He can really, really shoot. But we didn't know he could be as good a post feeder as he is. He also moves his feet really well."

Still, Stallings is old school and isn't ready to push Jenkins past his older guards like Beal and Tinsley. He said there is still a gap between those who have played and Jenkins.

"It's nice having a highly regarded freshman, but he's not there yet," Stallings said. "He will impact our team and there will be times in games when he'll make a big string of 3s. He's a prolific shooter. Every time he shoots the ball I think it's going to go in."

Stallings doesn't fret the noticeable SEC attention shift to Lexington this season. He has come to accept that during his 11-year tenure. Despite a pair of Sweet 16 appearances since 2004, Vanderbilt never seems to get quite the amount of attention of some of its SEC peers.

"Kentucky's program is always going to get more attention and more hype in the preseason than most of the rest of the programs in the SEC," Stallings said. "That's the way it is going to be and nothing we can control or care about."

For what Stallings can control, he's done quite a job of lately.

ESPNU's Scouts Inc. recently reported that Vanderbilt landed 6-8 Rod Odom, rated the No. 14 small forward on the ESPNU 100. Odom originally committed to Arizona, but got out of the commitment and immediately switched to the Commodores. Odom joins 6-11 center Josh Henderson in the class of 2010.

ESPNU wrote that Odom is a solid ballhandler, can make jumpers and 3s and has a high basketball IQ.