April 2010

DANCING 'DORES

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table of contents8

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2 Compliance Corner

4 National Commodore Club

6 In My Words Mallory Hitt

7 Commodores Cubed WBB advances to NCAA Tournament

8 Tchiengang Stays Rooted Cameroon native works with refugees

12 Reasons to be Excited for 2011 MBB caps strong 2010, looks ahead

13 It’s My Turn—Rod Williamson Football offices receive lift

14 One Pitch at a Time Life as a relief pitcher

16 Impacting the Field of Life Former Commodore Renford Reese

17 Welch Preps for NFL Draft John Hall inducted into TSHOF

20 Quick Hits A look at Vanderbilt’s sports teams

22 Dee Davis: A Player/Coach? Davis looks to coach and play hoops

23 What to Watch for The month ahead

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Ezeli Still Learning the GameIt has been great to watch Festus grow as a player these last two seasons. By the end of this season, he didn’t look a bit like the player he was as a freshman. He seems like a great representative of Vanderbilt, and I’m happy he is able to receive the caliber of education he came to find when he left Nigeria for the U.S. It will be exciting to watch him continue to grow the next two seasons. If he contin-ues to progress as much as he already has, he will be quite the presence in the post as an upperclassman. Chris, Jackson, Tenn.

The State of AthleticsI have long been a proponent of adding sports at Vanderbilt. I agree that volleyball and men’s track would be natural fits that wouldn’t have high costs because of facili-ties we already have in place. I feel we could instantly compete in volleyball in the league and that the track team would help the foot-ball team and vice versa. I was glad that David Williams has no intent on moving conferences. It would be hard for many fans to see Vanderbilt leave the SEC. The history and rivalries we have in the SEC are something that can’t be overlooked. Marcus, Hendersonville, Tenn.

Hoping for the HallI was disappointed to hear that Vanderbilt is still at least three years away from building the Hall of Fame. I know it will be a special place to visit on gameday, and it certainly will rekindle some of my favorite memories as a Vanderbilt fan. While I wish the Hall of Fame would have been built yesterday, I am happy we are still renovating facilities. Jeff, Nashville

To submit a letter, e-mail CN at: commodorenation@vanderbilt.edu. Letters should include the writer’s name and address and may be edited for clarity and space.

Letters

Podcasting Online Auctions

A P R I L 2 0 1 02

Editorial

Publisher: Vanderbilt University

Editor-in-Chief: Ryan Schulz

Director of External Relations: Rod Williamson

Designers: Jeremy Teaford

Ryan Schulz

Digital Image Specialist: Julie Luckett Turner

Photographers: Neil Brake

Steve Green

Joe Howell

Don Jedlovec

John Russell

Timothy Sofranko

Contributors: Maya Benayoun

Andy Boggs

Sterling Frierson

Larry Leathers

Thomas Samuel

Chris Weinman

Travis Young

Administrative

Chancellor: Nicholas S. Zeppos

Vice Chancellor for University Affairs: David Williams II

Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs: Beth Fortune

Vanderbilt University’s Mission, Goals and ValuesVanderbilt University is a center for scholarly research, informed and creative teaching, and service to the community and society at large. Vanderbilt will uphold the highest standards and be a leader in the quest for new knowledge through scholarship, dissemination of knowledge through teaching and outreach, and creative experimentation of ideas and concepts. In pursuit of these goals, Vanderbilt values most highly intellectual freedom that supports open inquiry; and equality, compassion and excellence in all endeavors.

Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university.

ON THE COVER: Jermaine Beal (left) and Jence Rhoads (right)PHOTOS: Don Jedlovec (Beal), Timothy Sofranko (Rhoads)

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to National Commodore Club, 2601 Jess Neely Drive, Nashville, TN 37212.

SUBSCRIPTION: To subscribe to Commodore Nation, please contact Ryan Schulz by phone at 615/343-4396 or by e-mail at commodorenation@vanderbilt.edu

ADVERTISEMENT: To advertise with Commodore Nation, please contact Vanderbilt ISP Sports.Jeff Miller, general manager 615/322-4468jmiller@ispsports.com

Commodore Nation is printed using recycled paper.

Compliance questions? Please contact:Candice Lee George Midgett John PeachDirector of Compliance Compliance Coordinator Compliance Coordinator615/322-7992 615/322-2083 615/343-1060candice.lee@vanderbilt.edu george.d.midgett@vanderbilt.edu john.w.peach@vanderbilt.edu

CORNERC O M P L I A N C E

Q:

A:

The men’s basketball team has been invited to speak at one of the local booster club meetings. The booster club would like to provide lunch during the meeting and plaques for their hard work on the court this year. Is it permissible for them to receive such benefits?

Yes. Student-athletes are permitted to receive a meal and transportation in con-junction with the booster club meeting, but it is NOT permissible for the club to provide the athletes with a tangible award. NCAA Bylaw 16.10.1.6 states that a student-athlete may accept transportation and meal expenses in conjunction with participation in a luncheon meeting of a booster club or civic organization, provided the meeting occurs within a 30-mile radius of the institution’s main campus and no tangible award is provided to the student-athlete.

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The May 31 deadline to renew your National Commodore Club membership is quickly approaching. To renew, please mail in your membership renewal form, call 615/322-4114, click vanderbilt.edu/ncc or stop by the office in the McGugin Center to make your gift. Your gift will help support scholar-ships for our student-athletes. Thank you for your continued support of Vanderbilt athletics. Your Membership Matters!

RENEW TODAY!

CORNERCOMMODORE CLUB

PHONE: 615/322-4114 • ONLINE: vanderbilt.edu/ncc

BASEBALL BANQUET • FEBRUARY 13, 2010

TENNESSEE MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME • FEBRUARY 9, 2010

Left to right: Rita Bradley, Hank Abbott (’72), Bill Hawkins (’82), Jim Hitt (’63), Curt Casali, Mrs. Monroe Carell (’57) and Christy Passmore, NCC executive director. Casali is the recipient of the Monroe Carell Jr. Baseball Scholarship.

Scott Womack and Jennifer Clement will be married in Hawaii in May.

KENTUCKY WBB GAME • FEBRUARY 14, 2010

Left to right: Joan King (’72), Paddy Peerman, Bo Mistak (’93), Rhonda Brown (’95), Becky Keck, Betsy Perky (’04). Thanks to Vanderbilt School of Nursing for sponsoring the Pink Out.

Derrick Kinslow, NCC Senior Director Lucy Jones and Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys.

LSU MBB GAME • FEBRUARY 12, 2010

John, Arthur and Dr. Kevin Churchwell, CEO and executive director of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, with John Stein (’73).

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Below are the names of new NCC members who joined in February. We welcome you and look forward to seeing you along the Commodore trail! Encourage your friends and family to join the NCC if they have not already.

Show us your Commodore spirit. Have you attended a recent Vanderbilt sporting event at home or on the road? Have you decked yourself out in Black and Gold to watch the big game? Have you had your photo taken wearing Vanderbilt gear on a vacation? Have you spotted someone else wearing Vanderbilt gear in a tropical locale? If you have, Commodore Nation would love to see your photos. If you are interested in having any of your photos appear in a future issue of Commodore Nation, please e-mail your images to commodorenation@vanderbilt.edu.

WELCOME FEBRUARY NCC MEMBERS

SUBMIT YOUR SNAPSHOTS

PEACH BOWL TEAM CELEBRATES NEW SCHOLARSHIP • FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Vanderbilt’s 1974 Peach Bowl team was recognized during the LSU game for endowing an athletic scholarship for their accomplishments on the field.

Former head football Coach Steve Sloan (center) with 1974 Peach Bowl Reunion co-chairs Tate Rich (’76), left, and Jamie O’Rourke (’75).

Members of Vanderbilt’s 1974 Peach Bowl team gather in the Hall of Champions during a special team event before the LSU game.

George Abernathy Shelbyville, Tenn. Cutler Averbuch Nashville, Tenn. Chad Basinger San Diego, Calif.William R. Bates Tullahoma, Tenn.Pamela Crewson Nashville, Tenn.Kevin Scott Davis Blairsville, Ga.Kenneth Ellenberg Nashville, Tenn.Jerry W. and Shelia Ellis Ashland City, Tenn.Ron Filson Nashville, Tenn.Peter and Jill Fisch Scarsdale, N.Y.Michael Goldston Brentwood, Tenn.Carol Harrison Fishers, Ind.Henry Hecht Stamford, Conn.

Paul Kuhn Jr. Nashville, Tenn.Bob and Melanie Lobo Brentwood, Tenn.Mark Loes Franklin, Tenn.Larry and Marcia Mullins Brentwood, Tenn.Tim Munn Lincoln, Neb.Joe Pennel Jr. Franklin, Tenn.James and Katherine Pitman Nashville, Tenn.Richard and Lori Scott Nashville, Tenn.Gary Stevens Carmel, Ind.John C. and Eileen Thornton Chattanooga, Tenn.George M. Tomlinson Hinsdale, Ill.Jason Truss Nashville, Tenn.JonPaul Wallace Winchester, Tenn.

Martha Williams Whitley Nashville, Tenn.G. Michael Yopp Nashville, Tenn.

New NCC member Cutler Averbuch

Members of the 1974 Peach Bowl team presented Vanderbilt with a $325,632 check to endow a football scholarship.

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In My Words

On becoming a multi-eventer

Before I got to Vanderbilt I was a sprinter and high jumper and had never done multi-events. The coaches saw that I had the potential to be one. A couple of other coaches I had talked to during the recruiting process had an interest in me doing that. I was probably converted to a multi-eventer because I was a pretty decent sprinter, but not an SEC-level sprinter and then a good high jumper.

On if she was hesitant at first to start competing in the heptathlon

I was a little bit nervous, but I was also excited. I had done the same events for eight years before college, so doing something new was really fun.

On her favorite event to compete in

High jump. It is the only event I compete in as an open event, as well. It is harder to get better in the event because of how much time I must dedicate to each event. That definitely was a huge setback freshman year. I was used to practicing high jump at least two times a week and now I’ll high jump maybe once a week.

On how she divides up her time training for all seven events

We usually try to do one or two events a day to cover all of them within a week. The harder workouts are usually at the beginning of the week, especially when we are in season.

On the goals for her final season

I definitely want to score at the SEC Championships. If I could score in the high jump and heptathlon, it would be a good way to finish my career.

On her next step after graduation

I want to go to med school. I’ll go wherever it takes me, but I’ll prob-ably end up back in Louisiana just because of how med schools tend to work. I love south Louisiana. n

Sprinters practice sprinting, throwers work on their

throws and distance runners work on their splits. If you

are Vanderbilt senior Mallory Hitt, you must find time

to work on all three areas, and then find more time to work

on four additional events. As a multi-eventer, finding a balance

between the seven events that make up the heptathlon is a

challenge Hitt is faced with each week between competitions.

Comprised of the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200

meters, long jump, javelin and 800 meters, the heptathlon is

an ultimate test of athletic ability and endurance. In addition

to balancing her time among events on the track, the Baton

Rouge, La., native has successfully balanced her time in the

classroom, where she was named to the 2009 Spring SEC

Academic Honor Roll and will graduate in May with a degree in

medicine, health and society.

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anthonyGOMEZBaseball

DeANDREJONESFootball

lauraKEENANLacrosse

caseyBAKKERLacrosse

My oddest talent is ...

Juggling

I’m not psychic, but I always get a feeling some-thing is going to happen before

it does.

I can eat meatballs the

size of softballs

I don’t have any odd

talents. I am a really good cook though.

Rather go skiing or to the beach

BeachBeach — I hate

the coldBeach

100 percent the beach

Most embarrass-

ing thing I’ve done

Tripped down the staircase at the McGugin

Center

When I was 8 or 9, I was dancing at my cousins’ wedding and

knocked over two speakers when I did a spin move

When my best friend’s boy-friend read an e-mail I sent her

In HS basketball, I lost track of time and got called for traveling as I was celebrating when there was still 12

seconds left.

Favorite movie of all-time

The Sandlot

300 — I watched it

before every game in high

school

The Lion KingRemember the Titans

Commodores Cubed

Women’s Hoops Just Misses Sweet 16

U ndersized and undermanned, Van-derbilt’s women’s basketball team overcame odds and came within

one basket of advancing to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season.

After holding off DePaul in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Vanderbilt lost a heartbreaker to Xavier, 63-62, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to finish the season 23-11. Playing on Xavier’s home floor, Vanderbilt had its final two shots rim out.

“That was a tough way to lose,” Head Coach Melanie Balcomb said. “That was one of those games you hate to see either team lose.”

Although the Commodores lost the game, it shouldn’t diminish what the team

was able to accomplish during the 2009-10 season. Despite the team’s tallest starter being 6-foot-1, the Commodores more

than made up for their lack of size by finishing second in the conference in field-goal percentage and three-point field-goal percentage.

Vanderbilt also had to overcome a rash of inju-ries. The Commodores were without junior Jence Rhoads for two games, sophomore Jordan Coleman was lost for the season on Dec. 2 and freshman Stephanie Holzer missed the entire season due to injury.

With all the challenges thrown Vanderbilt’s way

this season, the team should be more than prepared for anything that may come their way next season. n

3 players in school history have 1,000 points, 400 assists and 125 steals in their careers — Jermaine Beal, Kevin Anglin and Frank Seckar.

0 players in school history have been a part of as many wins as Jermaine Beal.

$30 is the cost to pur-chase a weekend ticket package to any remaining Vanderbilt home baseball series.

24 wins by Vanderbilt’s men’s basketball team during the 2009-10 season — tying for the third most in school history.

0 The number of players in school history with as many ca-reer three-pointers as Merideth Marsh, who broke Abi Ramsey’s record of 252.

1 time in Head Coach Tim Corbin’s first seven seasons did Vanderbilt not have an eventual first-round draft pick starting on opening day — in 2005 Ryan Mullins was a third-round pick.

41st Vanderbilt’s rank in online store revenue during the fourth quarter of 2009 among schools with Web sites hosted by CBS College Sports.

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When Steve Tchiengang and Phin-ias Nyabenda were together, everything seemed perfect. Their smiles were contagious to

those around them, and their laughter always filled the room. Neither wanted the moment to end. They didn’t have to worry about not having a supply of water or food like they did when they lived in Africa, they didn’t have to worry about getting acclimated to a new country, and most importantly cancer wasn’t on their minds.

In August of 2008 at only 19 years old, Nyabenda, an African immigrant, was diag-nosed with aggressive osteosarcoma — a form of cancer that starts in the bones. That same summer Tchiengang, a native of Cam-eroon and now a sophomore forward on Van-derbilt’s men’s basketball team, arrived at Vanderbilt as a freshman. Tchiengang didn’t know it at the time, but he was about to begin a friendship that would affect him forever.

It’s a friendship that would not have hap-pened without a high school student at Mont-gomery Bell Academy named Rob Higham. It was Higham, now a senior at MBA, who reached out to Tchiengang through a simple e-mail almost two years ago to see if he would be interested in helping African refu-gees in Nashville through outreach organiza-tions called African Leadership and Nation’s Ministry. Both organizations provide assis-tance to African refugees in Nashville, and Higham is actively involved in both.

The e-mail sparked an interest, and Tchien-gang agreed to help any way he could. Along with Higham, Tchiengang began visiting a group of African refugees living in Nashville and befriended them.

“I just felt like it was a call from God to help others,” Tchiengang said. “I know the difficulties and struggles they face.”

It was through Higham that Tchiengang was introduced to Nyabenda.

“The day after I told him (about Nyaben-da’s condition), Steve visited him in the hospital after running all over campus that morning, getting personal notes of encour-agement from his coaches and autographs from his teammates,” Higham said. “They met that day in the hospital and had an instant connection.”

The friendship Tchiengang and Nyabenda shared grew quickly. Tchiengang invited him and other refugees to a basketball game dur-ing the 2008-09 season, he visited Nyabenda at his apartment. When he didn’t visit him in person, they talked on the phone.

“There was one day in May when Phinias was really not doing well, and Steve called him from his home in Houston,” Higham said. “I will never forget the smile I saw on Phinias’ face that day when I handed him the phone and said, ‘It’s Steve.’ In such a short time, they became so close. Their relation-ship was incredibly special.”

When Tchiengang and Nyabenda were together, everything seemed perfect on the surface, but deep down it was not. Nyaben-da’s condition continued to worsen, and sadly, on July 1, 2009, just one week after his 20th birthday, he lost his fight with cancer.

“Phinias is a guy that impacted me,” Tchiengang said. “He suffered, but every time I saw him, he smiled. He reminded me how good of a situation I have.”

Although Nyabenda is gone, Tchiengang has continued to touch the lives of other Afri-can refugees, while helping them become acclimated to living in the U.S. Nashville is

home to many African refugees from multi-ple African countries that have been ravaged by violence and civil war for many years. Among the children Tchiengang speaks to are refugees from Burundi, a small country in south central Africa, who arrived in Nashville almost three years ago.

“I’m going to try to help out while I am here and try to support as much as I can,” Tchien-gang said. “I just try to help them as much as I can with the transition and help them maximize their opportunities and chances to succeed over here.”

Tchiengang Stays Close to his Roots in Nashville

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There is no one more suited for the job than Tchiengang. He spent the first 15 years of his life in Cameroon before moving to the U.S. in 2004 to live with his adopted parents, David and Kathy Ambrose.

Tchiengang plays basketball now, but as a child in Cameroon, the sport was far from his mind. Instead of basketball, Tchiengang played soccer, a sport he believes he could have gone professional in if he had stuck with it. Tchiengang didn’t pick up a basket-ball until six months before coming to the U.S. when he was introduced to the sport because of his height.

When he arrived in the U.S., Tchiengang spoke French and Spanish. The only knowl-edge of the English language he had were of common phrases such as “thank you” and “hello.”

Over time, Tchiengang was able to learn English thanks to the help of his adopted lit-tle brother, Michael Ambrose. Just six years removed from living in Cameroon, Tchien-gang still has a strong French accent, but he now speaks English fluently and is continually getting more comfortable with the language.

Like when Tchiengang arrived in the U.S, the African refugees he works with did not know English when they came to the U.S. One of the primary goals of Nation’s Ministry and African Leadership is to teach African refugees the English language. Tchiengang understands just how important it is to learn English, which is why he stresses it when he speaks to the children.

“The biggest problem we face is that most of these kids’ parents were born in refugee camps, as well, and don’t have an educa-tion, so they don’t understand the impor-tance of their children’s education,” Higham said. “The parents haven’t put forth enough effort to learn English themselves, so when the children go home from school and the

tutoring program, they go back to speaking their native languages.

“Steve’s belief, and my belief as well, is that they need to be speaking English all the time if they are going to become proficient, graduate from high school and pursue col-lege, which is our hope.”

Having gone through the same immigra-tion process, and still doing so, Tchiengang can relate to the children he speaks to.

“The transition is different because people live differently in the U.S.,” Tchiengang said. “You’ve got to get used to having a full sup-ply of water and a full supply of food. People around you are always nice. It is a totally dif-ferent world. The transition was very difficult at the time for me. With the help of my family I got used to it, and now I’m pretty integrated into it.”

Just as Tchiengang can relate to the chil-dren, they can relate to him.

“Steve can speak to these kids in a way that I can’t,” Higham said. “That’s what has made what he is doing so meaningful and important as it is. These kids see themselves in Steve. He came here and didn’t know how to speak English, so they had a similar immi-gration process.”

In addition to speaking to the children, Tchiengang has been able to have a group of children come to watch him and his team-mates play a couple times a year. Even though a lot of the children don’t understand the game, Higham can tell that it motivates them when they watch Tchiengang succeed-ing at a sport he didn’t start playing until six months before moving to the U.S.

“Being able to watch him play and see how successful he has become really moti-vates them,” Higham said. “Seeing how much he cares for them is also really moti-vating to them.”

Tchiengang also has helped bring the refu-

gees to a football game and a women’s bas-ketball game. On both occasions, Tchien-gang has met the group and connected members of the team with the refugees.

Tchiengang has treated the children like family. This past December, he took his generosity to another level. After seeing the shoes the refugees were wearing at the Van-derbilt game they attended, he purchased new shoes on his own dime for the kids at the game.

“Whenever I can touch someone else’s life, I will try my best to do so,” Tchiengang said. “I would literally put together a campaign to get some shoes, but if I can provide it myself, I will just go out and do it myself. I know how important it is to have a pair of shoes for a person from Africa. To donate shoes to those kids, it is something that touches their hearts so much. It is just a feeling that I can’t really explain.”

Tchiengang also donates shoes and cloth-ing he has to friends and family in Camer-oon, who are not as fortunate.

“They have shoes, but the quality is ter-rible,” Tchiengang said. “I wore the same shoes to play soccer that I wore to go to school. You didn’t have options. It is my way of showing people I care, and I will help them out as much as I can.”

Tchiengang’s work with the refugees has made him a role model to many, but to Tchiengang, the real role model is the person who opened the door for his work.

“To me, Rob is a role model,” Tchiengang said. “He just does it out of the bottom of his heart, and I just want to be a part of it because it is something special. I just want to make them feel part of the community and make sure they know they haven’t been forgotten and someone is out there thinking about them.” n

Tchiengang with Phinias Nyabenda, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and passed away on July 1, 2009.

Tchiengang speaks to African refugees in Nashville about the importance of learning English.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 012

The 2009-10 Vanderbilt team captivated Nashville’s atten-tion, but for as good as the Commodores were this past season, they could be even better next year. Unlike Van-derbilt’s 2008 NCAA Tournament team that started three

seniors, Vanderbilt should return everyone but senior point guard Jermaine Beal off this year’s squad. Here are five reasons you can expect Vanderbilt to be even better next year.

1. ExperiencePeople can easily get caught up in a season and forget that what they were watching was still a very young team. Beyond Jermaine Beal, the only junior that saw significant minutes this season was center A.J. Ogilvy. Given another offseason in the weight room and more time together on the practice floor, the group of underclassmen should only improve.

2. Memorial GymThe Commodores lost two games at Memorial Gym this season, and don’t expect them to lose more than that next year or in the years to come. In the past seven seasons, Vanderbilt is 103-18 at Memo-rial Gym, with a winning percentage of 85.1. No other school in the league has as high of a home winning percentage since 2004 as Vanderbilt does.

3. Top teams lose key personnelThe team that finished above Vanderbilt in the SEC East (Kentucky) and the team that finished below them (Tennessee) will have gaping holes to replace next season. Kentucky is expected to lose four of its five starters to the NBA Draft: John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson. Tennessee also will have to work in new personnel with three of its top four scorers exhausting their eligi-bility. Gone will be Wayne Chism, J.P. Prince and Bobby Maze.

4. Kyle FullerUndoubtedly, Jermaine Beal will be missed greatly next season after concluding one of the great careers in Vanderbilt history. Play-ing what is arguably the most important position on the floor, Beal became the go-to player for the Commodores. Replacing Beal will

be difficult, but expect signee Kyle Fuller to play a key role in filling Beal’s massive shoes. A lightning-quick point guard with a smooth shooting stroke, the Moreno Valley, Calif., native chose Vanderbilt over California, UCLA and Marquette. He is expected to make an immediate impact.

5. Ezeli and TchiengangFew players in college basketball have as high of ceilings as Fes-tus Ezeli and Steve Tchiengang. Blessed with size and athleticism, Ezeli and Tchiengang still are new to the game—having first picked up a basketball in 2004 and 2003, respectively. Both players will be juniors next year, and, given their rapid growth from their freshman to sophomore years, there is no reason to think the growth pattern will slow down any time soon. n

5 Reasons Vanderbilt Could be Better in 2011

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The month of March began on a Tuesday night in Gainesville, Fla., when Vanderbilt clinched second-

place in the SEC East. The sky seemed to be the limit that night for the Commo-dores, who moved to 23-6 on the season. Sixteen days later Vanderbilt’s season would come crashing to a halt following a flip of the wrist by a little-known player named Danero Thomas.

What began as a month of unlimited potential would be over in even more dra-matic of a fashion than it had begun.

“I think that the things that plagued our team all season long showed up today,” Head Coach Kevin Stallings said. “I feel really badly for my players. I feel really badly for Jermaine (Beal). That’s why this is a great tournament because things like that happen.”

Little did anyone know at the time, but Vanderbilt’s win that night at Florida would be the beginning of the end for the Com-

modores. Vanderbilt would lose three of its final four games with its last loss coming at the hands of 13th-seeded Murray State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

In the end, what played a significant role in Vanderbilt’s undoing was what was one of its strong suits all season—free throws. After shooting 80.8 percent from the free-throw line in its previous eight games, the Commodores shot 58.8 and 58.6 percent, respectively, in their last two losses. The team made and attempted the second-most free throws in school history, but when games mattered most, the free throws were not there.

“We didn’t do a great job of shooting our foul shots,” Stallings said. “That’s what happens in the tournament, nerves. We might have had a different outcome had we shot the ball better from the foul line like we normally do.”

Then again, they don’t call it March Mad-ness for nothing. n

Commodores end season at NCAA Tournament

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It’s My Turn

By Rod Williamson

Football Offices Receive a Lift

There’s a much needed renovation happening right now in the foot-ball wing of McGugin Center. In late

February the coaching and support staff moved to temporary quarters in Vanderbilt Stadium’s pressbox, clearing the way for crews to tear down the old and ring in the new.

The football coaching staff, administrative support and video ser-vices offices are being reconstructed, providing more efficient work space, updated furnishings, cutting-edge technology and an invit-ing area to bring recruits and their families. This will be completed by late July.

The McGugin Center has been the home of athletic administra-tion and most of our coaching staff for about four decades. It got a complete makeover during the last days of the Roy Kramer era in 1990, but aside from some freshening up, it has remained largely the same since.

So what, you say? Here’s why this is significant if you care about the success of our athletics in general, and football in particular.

Recruiting the finest student-athletes is the lifeblood of any col-legiate program. “You can’t win the Kentucky Derby with a mule,” they used to say, and that holds true in today’s ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference.

All of our coaching staffs recruit nationally, which is a challenge in itself. With few exceptions, most of our student-athletes grow up far from West End and know precious little about our academic and athletic heritage until they begin to be recruited. Why, some are even unaware of Nashville!

This is very unlike our state school counterparts, where rosters are dominated by in-state youngsters who have closely followed their home state team for years. This is a big advantage.

That’s OK. We have a lot to offer a talented individual, but it becomes important that we make very good first impressions. As a donor to our scholarship program, you know what Vanderbilt can offer. A 17-year old kid that has just been wined and dined by com-petitors doesn’t have your frame of reference.

I recently drove through a major city that shall remain nameless. I remember the drive because I was reacting as though I was on an obstacle course—dodging one pothole, then another. Mother Nature has caused many roadways to suffer, but this was on a whole new level to me.

Ironically, not too many miles away, a literal Taj Mahal of athletic facilities existed for a coaching staff compensated in the style of Wall Street tycoons. If there was a rut in front of the stadium, I’m betting it would be fixed by sundown. Can you say “priorities”?

I mention this anecdote because some fans don’t realize there’s been an athletic facilities arms race going on for many years. It shows little or no sign of letting up, even in these cash-strapped times. States that can’t find funding to fix major interstates or pay their teachers somehow can come up with the mega-dollars to build spectacular locker rooms and VIP boxes lined in mahogany or cherry.

Vanderbilt athletics has done its best to carefully measure what is needed versus what is over-the-top. Our calling card will always be our Top 20 academics and the possibilities that await our graduates. Nashville almost sells itself. But we have to make sure that the best and brightest young people—ones with many college options— see Commodore athletics as current and progressive.

Our athletic development officers are always in discussion with friends of the department who understand this scenario and are willing and able to assist us financially to make these improvements happen. In 2010, quality facilities are not the frosting—they’ve become the cake. n

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We all know the feeling you get when you wake up and realize you overslept. You go from lying motionless into a full-fledged race against the clock. The knot you first felt in your stomach is replaced with an increased heart

rate and the sound of heavy breathing.In a lot of ways, relief pitchers face a similar race against the clock

when their number is called to warm up in the bullpen. Hearing the magic words or getting the go-ahead signal sets off an explosion of emotions for relief pitchers, who can sit stagnant for hours on the bench before the switch is flipped and their lives are suddenly turned into a mad scramble to get to the bullpen and begin warming up.

It’s a frenetic moment, where thoughts are racing through your head and just remembering to tie your spikes can be tough. It’s a moment that relief pitchers know well, and most can tell you a story about themselves or a teammate forgetting to take their glove or hat with them to the bullpen.

“At first, I would forget something,” Vanderbilt junior closer Russell Brewer said. “I’d forget my hat, or I’d forget that I had my sleeves on. It took a few times to be prepared for the moment. Now I’ve gotten it down to a routine. I come in and put my stuff in the same spot, so I know where it is.”

Getting to the bullpen and getting warm can become routine over time for a veteran player, but for inexperienced pitchers, the moment is something that is difficult to prepare for.

“A guy that hasn’t been out there a lot is going to take the (call to the bullpen) differently and is a little bit more rushed,” said Vanderbilt Associate Head Coach Derek Johnson, who is in his ninth season overseeing the pitching staff. “I think the more you do it, the easier it becomes. You sort of know yourself and know how long it takes to get ready. Russell Brewer nods his head and gets down there, and I don’t really have to worry about him.”

The Commodores haven’t had to worry about Brewer, a converted infielder, getting ready to pitch, and they usually don’t have to worry about him when he does. One of the top closers in the SEC, Brewer is the anchor of Vanderbilt’s bullpen—one of the most important, but also least glamorous facets of a team.

In the history of baseball, just four relief pitch-ers have been inducted into the National Base-ball Hall of Fame. Yet, for a role that is often filled with nameless faces to the casual fan, the relief pitching on a team can often make or break a team’s fortunes.

For as valuable relief pitching can be to teams, it remains one of the only positions in sports that players are not directly recruited for.

“Everyone probably comes in here wanting to start,” Johnson said. “We don’t really hire relievers. We end up getting guys we turn into relievers because not everyone can start.”

Moving from starting to a relief role can be a difficult adjustment for players. No one on the Commodores understands this more than senior Drew Hayes. Throughout his career, he has spent time shuffling back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen. Last year he made six starts in 18 appearances.

“As a starter you know that you are going to throw one day a week and the other six days, I’m doing what I need to do to lead up to my next start,” Hayes said. “As a reliever, you can’t plan out your week the same way. It’s a little more difficult to do your weight training, it’s a little more difficult to do your long toss because you could come in any game, so you don’t want to lift too heavy or throw too much.”

For the majority of games, relievers spend their time on the bench waiting for the call to warm up. All of the waiting can make it chal-lenging for the players to stay in the game mentally.

“Mentally it is a little tougher being a reliever because mentally you have to come to the field every day expecting that I’m going to be in the game,” Hayes said. “You’ve got to be mentally prepared to pitch, which takes a lot out of you. Coming in on a day-to-day basis and getting yourself mentally ready, making sure you know the scouting report. It wears on you mentally.”

Just as it can wear on a pitcher mentally, the short amount of time relievers have to warm up can wear on them physically. The turnaround can be quick to enter the game, which is why members of Vanderbilt’s bullpen put so much credit toward the stretches the players in the dugout do between each inning.

“It really does help, and it is something we take a lot of pride in,” Hayes said. “If you can be ready to pitch one or two hitters early, it saves the pitcher on the mound one or two hitters.”

Being mentally and physically ready to enter the game is impor-tant, but neither can account for the situations relief pitchers face on a game-by-game basis.

Dealing with uncomfortable situations is commonplace for relief pitchers, who usually are called upon in a game when the atmo-sphere and the tension are at their highest peak.

It’s a situation that is difficult to prepare for through practice.“Putting them in certain positions and situations in practice cer-

tainly helps, but a lot of it goes back to the comfort level of being in when things are tough and the game is on the line,” Johnson said.

A key part of dealing with the situation is keeping your emo-tions in check. Not getting too high or too low is something Brewer learned in his first relief appearance when his first pitch sailed into the backstop.

“I came in and was so nervous and jacked up because it was my first outing,” Brewer said. “You definitely have to be in control of your emotions when you go out there because you have your adrenaline pumping.”

Living One Pitch at a TimeJO

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Pitcher Will Clinard warms up in the bullpen, while catcher Nate Gonzalez looks on.

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Pitcher Corey Williams, left, and Russell Brewer use resistance bands before a game.

Players deal with their emotions in different ways. For Brewer, it is all about blocking out his surroundings.

“I don’t hear anything when I go out on the mound,” Brewer said. “It can be really loud and I don’t hear anything. I might hear it when I’m running out there or warming up in the bullpen, but when I get out on that mound, it is silent.”

Everything is silent until the job is done, but even then, it isn’t really done as a reliever. After all, there is another game tomorrow and you never know when that next call to the bullpen will be. n

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Most people go through life without achieving greatness, transforming lives, improv-ing communities and making a

global impact. But Dr. Renford Reese is not most people. He is a uniquely talented and driven individual who creates a better world through his books, lectures and commu-nity-based programs.

A political science professor at Cal Poly Pomona University, Reese founded the Colorful Flags program—in the wake of race-based violence—which helps people to achieve cross-racial understanding. Schools, police departments and social-service agencies use the program to foster racial harmony. He developed a Reintegra-tion Academy that helps young parolees turn their lives to the positive. He has trav-eled to 58 countries, studied at the United Nations Institute for Social Development in Geneva, Switzerland, and soon will deliver a series of lectures in the Far East at the behest of the U.S. State Department.

But long before Renford Reese began changing communities and affecting lives, he made an impact on the football field at Van-derbilt University. A native of McDonough, Ga., Reese began his Commodore gridiron career in 1985 as a redshirt freshman under Coach George McIntyre. He then played four years under the tutelage of Watson Brown—playing middle linebacker, outside linebacker, cornerback and safety.

“When I came to Vanderbilt, there was no one to back up star linebacker Chris Gaines, so at 193 pounds I became the smallest mid-dle linebacker in the SEC,” he recalls. “I later went from the smallest middle linebacker to the biggest cornerback in the league.”

He played against the best of the best, locking horns with the likes of Emmitt Smith from Florida, Carl Pickens from the Univer-sity of Tennessee and Rodney Hampton from Georgia. “I remember Emmitt Smith as a great competitor and incredible athlete. I believe we put him back in the Heisman race that year after the game he had against us.”

While Reese played on teams that won very few games, he fondly remembers his days as a Commodore gridiron star. “We could play with most SEC teams for three quarters, but we didn’t have the depth of the other schools,” he said.

By his senior year, Reese had become a shutdown defensive back who attracted the attention of pro scouts. He played in the prestigious Blue-Gray all-star game and attended the NFL combine in 1990. Many—including Reese—thought his name would be called on draft day.

It wasn’t, and that devastated Reese. “It was traumatic for me, as I was socialized to believing I was the best,” he said. After he didn’t make the NFL, it became difficult

for Reese in Nashville, as people continually asked him about not making the pros.

Fortunately, Reese acquired the tools to succeed beyond the football field as a stu-dent-athlete at Vanderbilt University. Dur-ing his five years in Nashville, he earned not only his undergraduate degree but also a master’s degree in public policy studies. He learned the value of education from his parents, as his mother served as a second-ary school principal and his father was one of the first African-American sportswriters at a major newspaper.

Still, Reese left Nashville and moved to Seattle, needing a change of scenery after the draft disappointment. He even slept in his car and played the saxophone on the street for a time in Seattle before moving to Los Angeles to enroll at USC.

“I chose USC, as its doctoral program was one of the best in the country. It was in Los Angeles right after the riots. I knew Los Angeles would become my laboratory.”

Reese turned his energies to even more education and success in academia. “I took the intensity from the football field and turned it into something else,” he said.

While at USC, he developed the Colorful Flags program as a possible path to allevi-ating racial tensions in the community. “A professor told me: ‘This program is brilliantly simple.’ It gave me a chance to create a type of platform for me to develop certain com-municative skills and allowed me to become savvy at how to implement a social program that can impact lives.”

Reese later authored books that changed lives, such as American Paradox: Young Black Men (2004), Prison Race (2006) and American Bravado (2007). In American Par-adox, Reese examined African-American youth by interviewing nearly 800 young men in Los Angeles and Atlanta. He warned that young African-American males must resist a gangsta-thug mentality and false bravado that leads to counterproductive lives. “I’ve had people write me from prison, saying the book has changed the way they look at life,” he said.

Reflecting on his collegiate athletic career, Reese has no regrets. “We won 1.2 games a year when I was at Vanderbilt, and we had more downs than ups, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world and would do it all over again. We knew we were special, that playing foot-ball was a means to an end. We knew we were part of an elite cadre of individuals that had developed special bonds at Vanderbilt.”

Reese knows that his path to becoming “an ambassador for positive social change” would not be possible without his Vander-bilt experience. “I am so thankful for the rich learning environment at Vanderbilt and my SEC experiences. While I garnered no bowl rings, I’m very grateful to Vanderbilt, its pro-fessors and coaches for laying the founda-tions for me to succeed later in life.” n

David L. Hudson Jr., an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School and a scholar at the First Amendment Center, is the author or co-author of 28 books.

Dr. Renford Reese – Making an Impact in the Field of Life By David L. Hudson Jr.

Renford Reese was a four-year letterman for the Commodores from 1986 to 1989.

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Former Commodore offensive tackle Thomas Welch discuses what he has been doing to prepare for the NFL Draft April 22-24.

My preparation for the draft started a week after the season ended. After tak-

ing a week off, I started lifting while continuing to rehab my ankle, which I injured during the season. After graduating in December with a degree in economics, I went to Florida over Christmas, and Coach (John) Sisk gave me a workout routine that I followed five days a

week while I was there.At the beginning of the year, I came back to Nash-

ville and have been going after it pretty hard with Coach Sisk. Five days a week I’ll come in at 10 a.m. to work out. Sometimes I’ll come in on Saturday and run outside on the turf and do some agility work.

I am focusing primarily on my total body mobility and doing lots of work to improve my core strength. The last six weeks of the season, I had a sprained ankle, so I really didn’t play as much as I would have liked.

I’ve changed my diet since the season ended. I’m eat-ing a lot healthier than I used to — a lot of protein and lean meat. I’m just trying to gain a few pounds, but want to make sure I’m gaining the right kind of weight, while maintaining a high level of energy for my workouts.

My agent let me decide where I wanted to train. I could have gone elsewhere, but I felt like Coach Sisk has such a great rapport with so many people in the NFL and has a great track record with players like Chris Williams and Jay Cutler. Pretty much all of the guys from Vanderbilt who have gone on and been successful in the NFL have trained with him. He knows my body. He knows what I need to work on. I felt like it was a good fit to stay here with him.

I had the opportunity to go to the Senior Bowl at the end of January, and it was a great experience. Right when I walked into the lobby of the hotel, there were hundreds of scouts there. It was a good atmosphere and experience to be a part of. I had a great time, performed well and hopefully it will help me out come the draft.

I am not sure where I’m going to watch the draft. I’ll probably just watch it at home with my family. I’ve also got a friend who owns Jonathan’s Grille in Franklin, so I may watch it there and hang out with my friends. n

— As told to Ryan Schulz

Two years after being enshrined in the Vanderbilt Hall of Fame as a part of the 2008 inaugural class, John Hall, a for-

mer football captain and scholar-athlete for the Commodores, joined another prestigious group on Feb. 19 when he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Hall was one of 11 inducted into the Tennes-see Sports Hall of Fame at the 2010 Awards Banquet and Induction Ceremony at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Nashville.

A former defensive lineman for Vander-bilt, Hall starred for the Commodores from 1951 to 1954 and earned First Team Aca-demic All-America honors as a senior. After graduating magna cum laude with a degree in chemical engineering, Hall had an enor-mously successful business career that led

to him becoming chairman and CEO of Ashland Inc. at the age of 48.During his induction speech, Hall attributed his time at Vanderbilt on the

football field and in the classroom for his successful business career.“I’m a different person than I would have been without that football scholar-

ship and those Vanderbilt engineering professors,” Hall said. “Because of what each have meant to me, I’ve always felt it was my responsibility to give back to Vanderbilt.”

In the video introduction for Hall, he showed off the game ball he received after Vanderbilt’s 26-0 victory over Tennessee in 1954. The game was extra special to Hall, who grew up in Knoxville.

“The deciding factor in me coming to Vanderbilt was that my dad went to Van-derbilt,” Hall said. “I was never sorry I went there.

“Vanderbilt is an institution I love. I love the fact so many come to Vanderbilt and go out a different person.” n

John Hall Enshrined in TSHOF

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L ed by Head Coach Jim Foster and All-SEC selections Sheri Sam and Angela Gorsica, Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team won its second SEC Tournament title in school history

during the 1994-95 season. Two years after claiming its first SEC Tournament in 1993, Vanderbilt won its second by defeating Ole Miss (64-57) in the quarterfinals, Georgia (82-56) in the semifinals and Ten-nessee (67-61) in the championship. Following the SEC Tournament, the Commodores went on to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Purdue, 67-66, to finish the season 28-7 overall. Their 28 wins remains tied for the third-most in school history. n

Commodore Flashback: 15 Years

1995 SEC Tournament Champs

Preparing for the Draft

John Hall, center, with Vice Chancellor David Williams, left, and Head Football Coach Bobby Johnson.

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Quick Hits

• Sophomore pitcher Sonny Gray was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 22 after tossing eight innings of three-hit shutout baseball against Ni-agara.

• Vanderbilt won the Music City Classic on March 7 by defeating Indiana, 6-5, in 11 innings.

• Vanderbilt had four players earn All-SEC honors, and Head Coach Kevin Stallings was named SEC Coach of the Year by the league’s coaches.

• Senior Jermaine Beal was a unani-mous first team All-SEC selection by the coaches.

• Sophomore Jeffery Taylor and junior A.J. Ogilvy earned second team All-SEC honors.

• Freshman John Jenkins was named to the All-Freshman team and also was tabbed as the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.

• The SEC Coach of the Year award was the second of Stallings career. He also claimed the honor in 2007.

• Stallings was also named NABC Dis-trict 21 Coach of the Year.

• Freshman John Jenkins won his third SEC Freshman of the Week honor on March 1 after his performances against Georgia and at Arkansas.

• Jermaine Beal earned second team All-SEC honors from the AP, while A.J. Ogilvy and Jeffery Taylor earned honorable mention honors.

• Vanderbilt received Academic All-

America recognition from the UST-FCCCA after leading the nation with a team GPA of 3.67. It is the second year in a row that Vanderbilt’s men’s team has led the nation in team GPA.

• Thomas Davis won a $7,500 NCAA post-graduate scholarship for his work in the classroom, in athletics and in the community.

• Head Coach Bobby Johnson announced the hiring of defensive ends coach Mike Pelton on March 4. Pelton last coached the defensive line at Iowa State for two years under former Head Coach Gene Chizik. Pelton and current Vanderbilt as-sistant Rick Logo served as co-defensive coordinators at Troy in 2005.

• Former Vanderbilt fullback Clark Lea,

a 2005 graduate, was promoted from graduate assistant to linebackers coach at UCLA. Lea was an offensive graduate assistant for Vanderbilt in the spring of 2005 and had served two seasons (2007 and 2008) as linebackers coach at South Dakota State.

• Vanderbilt finished fifth on March 14 at

the Seminole Intercollegiate .• Vanderbilt and Samford shared the team

championship on March 9 at the 2010 Samford Invitational. It marks the third straight season that Vanderbilt has won a team championship during the spring.

• Vanderbilt opened the spring by placing fourth on Feb. 23 at the 2010 Mobile Bay Intercollegiate.

• Vanderbilt opened the season by start-ing 6-0 at home while outscoring oppo-nents 38-4.

• Junior Alex Zotov started dual play with a 10-0 record for the Commodores.

• Vanderbilt had four players earn All-SEC accolades from the league’s head coaches.

• Earning top honors was junior Jence Rhoads, who was named first team All-SEC.

• Senior Merideth Marsh earned second team All-SEC honors for the second year in a row.

• Freshman Elan Brown and Tiffany Clarke made the SEC All-Freshman Team.

• On March 14, Vanderbilt won its second straight Music City Classic.

• Vanderbilt won the 2010 ECAC Champi-onship on March 7 by topping Delaware State.

• For the fourth straight year, Vanderbilt received Academic All-America recog-nition from the USTFCCCA. The wom-en’s squad compiled a team GPA of 3.36 for the 2009 season.

• The NCAA announced on March 16 that the Vanderbilt Legends Club will serve as the host for the 2012 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships.

• Vanderbilt sophomore Marina Alex placed second at the Kinderlou Forest Challenge on March 2 in Valdosta, Ga.

Alex’s finish helped the Commodores place fifth as a team.

• On March 7, Vanderbilt finished the 18-hole Auburn Invitational in fourth place with a team total of 305. Alex led Van-derbilt individuals by placing fifth.

• Sophomore Ally Carey was named ALC Defensive Player of the Week on March 2 for her play against UMBC.

• Seniors Sarah Downing and Alex Mun-dy were named to the Women’s 2010 Tewaaraton Award Watch List on March 9.

• Vanderbilt Head Coach Ronnie Woodard announced the signing of six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Feb. 25.

• Signing with Vanderbilt were Caffrey Brooks (Mission Hills, Kan.), Duggan Hahn (Knoxville, Tenn.), Sarah Hook (Bir-mingham, Ala.), Alexa Levick (Wyoming, Ohio), Claire Romaine (Wake Forest, N.C.) and Megan Schneir (Solon, Ohio).

• Vanderbilt will conclude its eight-game spring schedule with four matches in April.

• Vanderbilt’s 400-yard medley relay team of Rose Cornelson, Allie Voss, Jess Ec-cher and Jennifer Molchan set a school record on Feb. 19 with a time of 3:52.71 at the SEC Championships.

• Laura Dillon broke her own school record on Feb. 21 in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:18.16 at the SEC Cham-pionship.

• Jackie Wu was named SEC Player of the Week on Feb. 24 after going 2-0 in singles and doubles against Princeton and Yale.

• After dropping its opening match of SEC play at Ole Miss, Vanderbilt responded by defeating Mississippi State for the 21st consecutive time.

• Vanderbilt closed the indoor season by tal-lying five points at the SEC Indoor Cham-pionships.

• Vanderbilt’s distance medley relay team of Rita Jorgensen, Louise Hannallah, Anna Carr and Kristen Findley placed sixth with a time of 11:53.55.

• Hannallah placed seventh in the 3000-me-ter run with a time of 9:59.36.

• Jorgensen placed ninth in the mile with a time of 4:58.48.

Men’s SportsWomen’s Sports

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Dee Davis graduated from Vanderbilt in 2007, but her commute to work every day makes it seem as though she hasn’t left. Each day she heads up 21st Avenue, but instead of turning

onto Vanderbilt’s campus, she turns the other direction and heads into the parking lot at University School of Nashville, which sits just across the street from Vander-bilt’s campus.

For the past two years, Davis has served as the head coach of USN’s varsity girls basketball team. This past season, Davis helped USN more than double its victory total from the season before by leading the team to a 15-10 record.

A former point guard for the Commodores, Davis fin-ished her career as the school’s all-time assists leader. Beyond her play on the court, Davis was known for her leadership on and off the court.

“I’ve always been told that I would be a good coach,” Davis said. “Being a point guard, I always direct every-body to where they need to be, and I’ve always had an itch to work with kids. I didn’t know what level and at what point I wanted to do that. It was something I wanted to test the waters in and ended up really enjoying it.”

After completing her second season at the helm of the program, Davis feels at home as a coach. But finding that comfort level did not come as easily as expected.

“It’s been a challenge,” Davis said of her transition into coaching. “Coming into it, I knew the game of basketball, and it was easy to teach that aspect. But I really didn’t know what to expect or how to handle a lot of different situations besides just teaching the game. I’ve learned a lot and have enjoyed it.”

Just having the opportunity to coach each game is enjoyable for Davis, but no game has as much personal meaning to her as when

she goes up against former teammate and good friend Cherish Stringfield, the head coach at Centennial High School in Franklin, Tenn. The two have faced each other three times with Dee leading the head-to-head series 2-1.

“It is definitely a very competitive game,” said Stringfield, who, like Davis just completed her second season as head coach. “We were team-mates and are really good friends, so it is definitely a good rivalry.”

Dee Davis Hopes to Become a Player/Coach

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The Month Ahead

Men’s SportsBaseball4/2 at Florida 5:30 p.m.4/3 at Florida 3 p.m.4/4 at Florida Noon4/6 Belmont 6 p.m.4/9 South Carolina 6 p.m.4/10 South Carolina 2 p.m.4/11 South Carolina 1 p.m.4/13 Middle Tennessee 6 p.m.4/16 Auburn 6 p.m.4/17 Auburn 2 p.m.4/18 Auburn 1 p.m.4/20 at Lipscomb 6 p.m.4/21 at Middle Tennessee 6 p.m.4/23 at Tennessee 6 p.m.4/24 at Tennessee 6 p.m.4/25 at Tennessee 1 p.m.4/27 at Austin Peay 6 p.m.4/30 Georgia 6 p.m.

Golf4/5-6 at Reunion Intercollegiate (Jackson, Miss.) All Day4/16-18 at SEC Championship (Sea Island, Ga.) All Day

Tennis4/2 Florida 2 p.m.4/4 South Carolina 1 p.m.4/9 at Arkansas 1:30 p.m.4/11 at LSU Noon4/17 at Kentucky Noon4/22-25 at SEC Championships TBA

Women’s SportsBowling4/7-10 at NCAA Championship (New Brunswick, N.J.) All Day

Golf4/2-4 at Bryan National Collegiate (Greensboro, N.C.) All Day4/16-18 at SEC Championship (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) All Day

Lacrosse4/3 John’s Hopkins 1 p.m.4/10 Ohio State 1 p.m.4/14 at Binghamton Noon4/18 at Florida Noon4/24 at Northwestern 7 p.m.

Tennis4/2 at Florida 5 p.m.4/4 at South Carolina Noon4/9 Arkansas 2:30 p.m.4/11 LSU Noon4/17 Kentucky Noon4/22-25 at SEC Championship (Athens, Ga.) All Day

Track & Field4/2-3 at Florida Relays (Gainesville, Fl.) All Day4/7-10 at Sea Rays Relays (Knoxville, Tenn.) All Day4/16-17 Vanderbilt Invitational All Day4/21-24 at Penn Relays (Philadelphia, Pa.) All Day4/21-24 at Sooner Invitational (Norman, Okla.) All Day4/3 John’s Hopkins 1 p.m.4/10 Ohio State 1 p.m.4/14 at Binghamton Noon4/18 at Florida Noon4/24 at Northwestern 7 p.m.

In the past the game has drawn former Vanderbilt teammates and members of the coaching staff who watch as the former team-mates go against one another.

On top of her coaching duties at USN, Davis teaches physical education, weight training and works in the admissions office.

Although she has found a home as a coach, Davis isn’t quite ready to move to the sidelines full-time. Davis last played profes-sionally in 2008 after being drafted in the WNBA in 2007 by the now-defunct Houston Comets. It’s been two years since she last played, but she hopes it won’t be the last time.

“I trained all of last year, but didn’t get an opportunity in the WNBA,” Davis said. “One team folded, and they cut roster sizes down across the league. It really limited job opportunities last year. I am praying for something this year.”

Training camp for WNBA teams opens on April 25, and Davis hopes to be in a camp vying for a roster spot in the league that runs from May through August.

Even though Davis has her sights set on reviving her playing career, she doesn’t plan on leaving the coaching ranks anytime soon. In fact, even if she makes a WNBA roster, Davis plans on remaining at USN as the head coach. It is a unique situation that Davis is grateful the administration at USN is supportive of.

“USN is very supportive of what I want to do and is very excited for me to maybe have that opportunity to play at the next level,” Davis said. “Having someone on the faculty here that is playing at the next level is something they would like to have, as well.”

If she does make a roster, balancing her time between playing and coaching will be a difficult challenge, but Stringfield believes that if anyone can do both, it is Davis.

“All things are possible if someone wants to do something and they work hard enough toward it,” Davis said. “That’s just the type of person that Dee is, and she will cross that line when it comes.” n

April 5 • Opening Day

The 2010 Major League Baseball season will begin on Monday, April 5. Former Commodores expected to be in the big leagues this year are Jensen Lewis (CLE), David Price (TB) and Jer-emy Sowers (CLE)

April 10 • Black & Gold Scrimmage

Fans will get an early look at Vanderbilt’s 2010 football team when the Commodores host their annual Black and Gold Scrimmage on April 10 at Vanderbilt Stadium. Admission to the scrim-mage is free. VU also hosts South Carolina in baseball at 2 p.m. that afternoon.

April 22-24 • NFL Draft

Former Commodore defensive back Myron Lewis, offensive tackle Thomas Welch and other NFL hopefuls will be waiting by the phone April 22-24 to hear which team selects them in the 2010 NFL Draft.

April 27 • Spring Semester Ends

The last day of spring classes at Vanderbilt will be Tuesday, April 27. Final exams will be held April 28 through May 6.

What to Watch For

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