Monday, January 17, 2011

VSL Hotline: You Never Know What the Future Holds, Edition

Some interesting pieces worth a gander from VSLNation that we wanted to bring to your attention.

First, Jeff Lockridge pens a story in today's Tennessean about Andre Walker, and how this season could be his last for the Commodores. Walker, who hasn't played since hitting the game-winning bucket against Marquette December 29th, is scheduled to graduate in May. Andre lost his mother in January of 2009 and considered quitting basketball after last season. Certainly this news is troubling for Commodore fans, especially in light of our 2 recent heart-breaking road classes where Walker's presence might have been the difference. Certainly, this will be a story Commodore fans will be paying attention to as the year unfolds.

Next, Jeff Lockridge has a story in the Tennessean about the expectations of Vanderbilt's new football staff, notably that they believe success is closer than many expect. Perhaps the most heartening quote from the piece comes from Coach Herb Hand (the sole coach from last season who has be hired by Coach James Franklin): "If you go through and look at what happened last year in our season, there were seven games where things could have went either way. That's something James and I have talked about, that we're not that far off. We're not that far away. It's not like we're just starting a brand new program. What we're trying to do now is get a fresh approach to things and generate the type of excitement around the program that will help jump-start us into the season." Lockridge surmises that "this coaching staff is in agreement on one thing: a fresh approach means a fresh offense." Given Vanderbilt's offensive futility in years past, fans have to appreciate this focus on moving the ball.

Last week, Coach Franklin spent an hour with George Plaster on his 104.5 The Zone show. Plaster, who was widely criticized by Vanderbilt fans on the VandySports.com's War Room message board was certainly direct, although I didn't think any of his questions were out-of-bounds or unfair. What was great about the interview has Franklin's ability to answer the tough questions. There is little doubt that Franklin is good talker, something that will serve the program well both on the recruiting trail and in the community. If you've got 40 minutes, give the interview a listen as I'm very curious as to your thoughts on what was said. Speaking on Coach Franklin, the new Commodore coach will be introduced to the crowd during halftime of Vannderbilt's game against Ole Miss.

Finally, David Namm writes a piece in today's Vanderbilt Hustler absolutely crucifying the basketball team after their Saturday loss at Tennessee. I won't summarize the article because I think you should all read it for yourselves. While I think the "same old Vanderbilt," critique is over-stated, especially in January, the article opines that this team's ability to succeed depends almost entirely on their belief that they can win the close games.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Andre has had some rough years while he's been at Vandy. Feel bad for the guy. Hope he comes back next year but I think VU nation will understand if he doesnt. He's obviously a game changer and it would be huge to have him back next year. If he doesnt, hope he has a quick(er) recovery so he can have some fun and enjoy his last games in a Vandy jersey.

AD said...

Read this one to the end: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110119/SPORTS0602/101190361/Commodores+work+to+finish+off+foes

Doesn't sound like a lot of focus or unity coming out of the Commodore camp right now.