Commodore Nation, November 2010 by Vanderbilt Commodores

November 2010

TIGHT END + TEACHER

BARDEN

table of contents

2 Compliance Corner Can teams go recruiting? 4 National Commodore Club Construction update / Ole Miss victory 6 My Game Sophomore receiver John Cole 7 More from McGugin By the numbers 8 Point of View Rebecca Silinski, SAAC president 10 Brandon Barden Feature Tight end begins teaching career 13 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s My Turn: Rod Williamson Measuring excellence

15 Extreme Bowl-Over Bowlers help rebuild Antioch school 16 Fall Baseball Finneran fan feature; Corbin Q&A 18 Basketball Hoopsters open season this month

21 Kinsella has CLASS

Tennis team heads to South Africa

To submit a letter to Commodore Nation, you can e-mail: commodorenation@vanderbilt.edu or write to Commodore Nation, 2601 Jess Neely Drive, Nashville, TN 37212. Letters should include the writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name and address and may be edited for clarity and space.

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23 Commodore Calendar The schedule for November 24 Last Shot Two lasting images from the gridiron

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C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

COMPLIANCE

COR NER Q: A:

One of the soccer coaches wants to take the team to watch a potential commitment play in a local match. Is this permissible?

Editorial

No. It is not permissible to provide an enrolled student-athlete with transportation or expenses to recruit a student. The only way the team could attend this match is if they did not do so at the direction of the coach, transported themselves to the match and did not speak with the prospective student-athlete at any time during the match. Current student-athletes are not allowed to recruit.

Publisher: Vanderbilt University Editor-in-Chief: Chris Weinman

Director of Communications: Rod Williamson

Designers: Jeremy Teaford

Chris Weinman

Digital Image Specialist: Julie Luckett Turner VU Photography: Mary Donaldson

Daniel Dubois Steve Green

Compliance questions? Please contact:

Joe Howell Jenny Mandeville

Candice Lee George Midgett Director of Compliance Compliance Coordinator 615/322-7992 615/322-2083 candice.lee@vanderbilt.edu george.d.midgett@vanderbilt.edu

Anne Rayner

John Peach Andrew Turner Compliance Coordinator Recruiting/Compliance Coordinator 615/343-1060 615/322-4543 john.w.peach@vanderbilt.edu andrew.turner@vanderbilt.edu

Sterling Frierson

John Russell Susan Urmy

Contributors: Laina Balafas

Andy Boggs Larry Leathers George Midgett Ryan Schulz Jennifer Stevens Donald Turnbaugh

Administrative

Chancellor: Nicholas S. Zeppos Vice Chancellor for University Affairs: David Williams II Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs: Beth Fortune

Vanderbilt Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mission, Goals and Values Vanderbilt 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: Brandon Barden; photo by Joe Howell, VU Photography. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to National Commodore Club, 2601 Jess Neely Drive, Nashville, TN 37212. SUBSCRIPTION: To subscribe to Commodore Nation, please contact Chris Weinman by phone at 615/343-0019 or by e-mail at commodorenation@vanderbilt.edu ADVERTISEMENT: To advertise with Commodore Nation, please contact Vanderbilt ISP Sports. Jeff Miller, general manager 615/322-4468 jmiller@ispsports.com

Commodore Nation is printed using recycled paper.

NOVEMBER 2010

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C O M M O D O R E C LU B

COR N E R

PHONE: 615/322-4114 â&#x20AC;˘ ONLINE: vanderbilt.edu/ncc Can I support Vanderbilt student-athletes through planned giving?

NCC 101

Sure. The Office of Planned Giving is here to assist our NCC members when they are interested in supporting student athletes with an estate gift or a gift that can provide income back to the donor. Whether it is a gift of real estate, a bequest, IRA beneficiary designation, or a charitable remainder trust or gift annuity, our planned giving team is available to answer any questions you may have. For more information, please call Anthony Barclay, Director of Planned Giving, at 615/936-5518.

PAVE THE WAY Be a part of Vanderbilt history by purchasing a brick toward our Pave the Way brick campaign. Your personalized brick will be placed in the plaza around Vanderbilt Stadium. Proceeds will go toward facility upgrades for our outstanding student-athletes. Log on to vanderbilt.edu/ncc for more information.

McGUGIN FACILITY UPDATE - STRATTON FOSTER ACADEMIC CENTER

Student-athletes are able to take advantage of two new and improved computer labs inside the academic center.

As part of the renovation, nine counselor offices and 10 tutor rooms and conference spaces were expanded.

To accommodate the needs of all 325 student-athletes, the center was enlarged by more than 500 square feet.

SUSAN URMY

Thanks to the generous support of alumni and friends, the Stratton Foster Academic Center recently received a comprehensive update.

NOVEMBER 2010

LSU FOOTBALL GAME - SEPT. 11, 2010

NCC member “Vandy” Lance Smith, pictured with his sister, Stacy, was named a Top 10 Superfan nationally by ESPN.

OLE MISS FOOTBALL GAME - SEPT. 18, 2010

NCC members Cynthia, William and Dr. Robert Hoehn (’80).

WELCOME NEW NCC MEMBERS Below are the names of NCC members who joined in September. We welcome you and look forward to seeing you at Commodore games and events this year. Encourage your friends and family to make a gift to the NCC if they have not already. Kali Adams - Brentwood Erik Baptist - Arlington, Va. Carrie and Nicholaus Bartlow - Kansas City, Mo. Barry Becker - Nolensville Lisa and Gustav Bloomquist - Nashville Luis Botero - Nashville Darby Daniel - Nashville Cydney Daniell - Nashville Chris DeGeorge - Portland Carol Dellavedova - Nashville Amanda Fish - Charlotte, N.C. Douglas Franck - Nashville Jennie and Joseph Gebhardt - Franklin Marla Gordon - Flossmoor, Ill. Kimberly Gossele - Nashville Megan and Martin Gregor - Carmel, Ind. Lorie and William Hougland - Houston, Texas Tommy Hutson - White House Joan Lester - Flower Mound, Texas Eve and Eugene McCarron - Weston, Mass. Stephen Parker - Nashville Robert Plummer - Franklin James Rissler - Nashville David Uskavitch - Nashville

All former student-athletes are invited to a pregame event on Nov. 20 before the Tennessee game. Vice Chancellor David Williams will give remarks on the future of Vanderbilt Athletics and all former student-athletes will be honored during pregame festivities. For more information or to reserve your seat, visit www.vanderbilt.edu/ncc or call the NCC office at 615/322-4114 today.

NCC member Chuck Sullivan (’67) and Wayne Batten.

Vanderbilt Development Officer Matt Wilson (’96) and NCC Director of Development Mark Carter.

Show us your Commodore spirit. If you are interested in having your photos appear in a future issue of Commodore Nation, please e-mail your images to ncc@vanderbilt.edu. To ensure you receive important updates, please make sure your most current e-mail address is on file.

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My Game A redshirt-sophomore wide receiver and punt returner for the Commodore football team, John Cole grew up in Somerset, Ky., the youngest of four siblings. On his Oct. 31 birthday: “There’s a funny story about that—when I was 3, my mom dressed me up as a birthday cake... in a pink sweatsuit (laughs). So I’m never going to live that one down. I think there’s video evidence of that somewhere.”

John

Cole

On his pregame routines: “I’m not too big into superstition. I usually do the same thing [before a game], but it’s more about focus. I try to get mentally prepared for the game. I always listen to music, but it’s usually just to relax and get in a calm mood, which is a little bit different than most of the guys.” On being the youngest of four siblings: “I always looked up to my older brothers and sister because they were always doing the right thing, both on and off the field, regardless of what sport they were playing. I was always striving to be like them, but I never felt pressure. It helped to motivate me to do well in school and on the athletic playing field.” On choosing football after a four-sport high school career that included baseball, basketball and track: “Actually, it wasn’t an easy decision, because I had offers in baseball, as well. That was probably the toughest decision I had, which collegiate sport to pursue. I chose football, and I’m glad I did, but that was a really tough decision. On whether he has talked to Coach Tim Corbin about playing baseball again: “I talk to him in the weight room a lot. He’s a great guy. But I decided early on that I was just going to stick with football and see where I could get pursuing that.”

JOHN RUSSELL

On his role mentoring younger wide receivers: “The mental aspect of the game is the toughest part to grasp as a freshman—reading coverages and what not. I do see myself as a leader, and I pride myself on helping them when they’re going through tough times.” On what he gained while redshirting his first year: “Physically, for sure, having a year in the weight room. Looking back, that was some serious adversity, and I was really down that year because I wanted to play and help the team. So I really grew up in a sense. It put things into a good perspective for me—taking each day as it comes and really being thankful for being able to be out there.” On the most important thing for a receiver to work on: “Footwork. Staying on top of that is important in the offseason. Whether it’s ladder or cones, I think those drills are important. If you take some serious time off working on your footwork, that’s something that can really get rusty.” On the toughest defensive back he faces: “Casey [Hayward], for sure. His football instinct is remarkable. He’s really one of the better DBs I’ve gone against as far as his football instinct and being able to read the quarterback and receivers in and out of their breaks.”

NOVEMBER 2010

John Cole’s family after the 2009 VU-UK game. (left to right): brother Andy; grandfather Jerry Weigel; brother Adam; mom, Gretchen; John; sister, Sarah; dad, Stan; Adam’s wife, Ellen.

More from McGugin

By The

NUMBERS

Cross Country Reunion Weekend The home cross country meet on Sept. 18 served as the backdrop for the first Vanderbilt Cross Country Reunion Weekend. More than 30 former student-athletes and coaches returned to campus for the two-day event and had the pleasure of watching the women’s cross country team successfully defend their Commodore Classic championship.

home runs in 95 Major League games for Pedro Alvarez, who was named the National League Rookie of the Month for September.

clay herron

points scored by the football team against Eastern Michigan—the most since a 58-point performance against The Citadel in 1999.

games allowed to be played by collegiate baseball teams prior to postseason, which for Vanderbilt this season will include a pair of October scrimmages against the University of Texas. Those games will not count toward either team’s 2011 win-loss record.

Bottom left: The group gathered in the Admiral’s Room at Memorial Gymnasium on Friday night for a social event to kick off the reunion weekend. Head Coach Steven Keith (B.A., ’81) is pictured with event co-organizer Clay Herron (B.A., ’81), Carl Rundell (B.S., ’90) and Harry Campbell (B.A., ’83). Top: Nashville’s Percy Warner Park was again the site of the Commodore Classic. Saturday morning the group reconvened to cheer on the Vanderbilt runners. Pictured are Tony Bastian, Mark Jones, Clay Herron, Thomas Davis, Gale Courtney Moore, Will Monin, Tom Raynor, Carmen Noel, Chris Noel, Art Androkites, Coach Steve Keith, Alvin Harris, Clay Griffin and Denise Griffin. Bottom right: After the meet, the alumni hosted a barbecue for the team members and their families. Here, senior Rita Jorgensen is joined by Tony Bastian (center) and Kevin Harper.

Devoted Commodore Harris Retires

combined wins for the eight teams in the 2010 Puerto Rico Tip-Off, which runs Nov. 18-21 in San Juan.

518

pounds of food collected at the Sept. 26 soccer game between Vanderbilt and Florida as part of the Southeastern Conference’s “Together We CAN” initiative.

1,012

Former Vanderbilt Sports Information Director Lew Harris is retiring after 36 years of service to the university. As an undergraduate at Vanderbilt, Harris was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity. He earned his degree from the College of Arts & Sciences in 1968. In 1975, Harris became the school’s sports information director, responsible for publicizing all varsity athletic teams. He would hold that post for 18 years. Ever a Commodore, Harris has excelled in several other communications roles for the university in the past 18 years, including with the Vanderbilt News Service and, more recently, Alumni Publications. Harris plans to devote more time to his myriad hobbies and looks forward to traveling and spending time with his grandchildren.

inches—the combined height of the 14 members of the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team.

8,433 Lew Harris

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miles the men’s and women’s tennis teams will fly (from Atlanta) to begin their Thanksgiving break trip to South Africa.

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

Point of View By Rebecca Silinski

he Student-Athlete Advisory Committee was formed in 1995 by Vanderbilt student-athletes as an avenue to accomplish the goals of our organization. It is the hope of the current SAAC members for the organization to grow each year and benefit more members of the community and Vanderbilt students. SAAC provides opportunities for studentathletes to cultivate relationships with and give back to the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities. SAAC was recognized as a student organization in 2007 and received AcFee funding for the first time. This has allowed participation in several new events on campus. It also has helped to increase student-athlete interaction with the Vanderbilt student body through participation in a variety of social activities and programs. Furthermore, we aim at enhancing communication with athletic and academic administrations to convey the ideas and concerns of student-athletes. The student-athletes who represent their teams are given the opportunity to develop leadership skills, not only on specific teams and within the university, but also at the Southeastern Conference and NCAA levels. Each varsity team is required to have two representatives attend bi-monthly meetings and serve as contacts to their teammates. Meetings provide the opportunity for student-athletes and the student body to promote events or express concerns. Meetings and events are open to all athletes and the entire student body, and e-mail notifications are sent to everyone, as well. Our organizational structure is made up of a vice president and president who are nominated by their fellow SAAC members to fulfill a one-year term. In addition, an adviser serves to attend and help plan meetings, help put events into action and improve efficiency and quality of the organization and events. As president, my responsibilities include: leading meetings, formulating action plans with the adviser, organizing events, acting as the liaison between administration and student-athletes, serving on various Vanderbilt committees to represent student-athletes and representing the university at NCAA and SEC functions. The opportunity to serve as president of SAAC comes with the opportunity to move our athletic program in a new direction to create an improved future for Vanderbilt in the years to come. We always have been determined to be successful in the classroom and on the court, and we want to take that success to another level and increase our involvement with our fellow students, fans and the community. As of this year, we will begin a new initiative dubbed Senior Night Awareness Game. We want to encourage active involvement in the community. The seniors of each team are responsible for choosing a cause that means something to them, hits close to home. Fans will be encouraged to wear a designated color, and the teams will work with an organization for their cause by designing awareness T-shirts and passing out awareness bracelets and awareness ribbons. Having participated in this with the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball team the past two years, I cannot begin to express what a great experience this can be, not just for the team but also for the fans and the community! We hope to involve the student body at Vanderbilt, the fans and the community as a whole! We are looking forward to an extremely successful year! It is our goal this year to take our leadership to another level. As SAAC representatives, we realize that it is our responsibility to make a significant impact and begin to push athletic leadership at Vanderbilt to the next level! I look forward to the future that we have in store and the legacy we will leave. Go Dores! n Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: Rebecca Silinski is a senior on the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball team and is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the 2010-11 school year.

NOVEMBER 2010

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Meet the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representatives for the 2010-11 school year. Nicole adams

marina alex

jack armstrong

adam baker

elizabeth brunk

kim carper

anna carr

jordan coleman

jillian currie

trey Delgreco

rachael dillon

adrienne diraddo

joe duffy

anna fargo

megan grehan

brittni hamilton

jenner kizer

claire leonard

elizabeth lillie

austin monahan

navery moore

andy pulido

kyle rewick

CJ rhoades

meghan rose

rebecca silinski

jordan smart

will snipes

tristan strong

johnell thomas

caleb welchans

josalyn white

jackie wu

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Brandon Barden

JOHN RUSSELL

This semester, Brandon Barden splits his time between catching touchdown passes (above, vs. Northwestern) and teaching eighth grade math. (Top) Brandon at Wright Middle School in Nashville.

NOVEMBER 2010

othing good ever came from a trip to the principal’s office. The meetings were seldom voluntary, as the guest was usually in some sort of trouble. All kids hold fast to a healthy fear of the principal, due in large part to their role as the school’s chief disciplinarian. For Brandon Barden, the pressure to behave was doubled. During his time at Lincoln County High School, his principal was also his mother, Becky. “I was probably tougher on Brandon and held him to a higher standard. It made him tougher,” Becky Barden said. That higher standard stuck. He not only excelled in the classroom and on the football field, he made sure to use his influence in a positive manner. “Brandon always worked with special needs children at our school,” Becky said. “As a football player, he was very popular at a small school, but he made sure to take the time to work with the special education kids.” Brandon had already forged his love of football, but working with the special education program at Lincoln helped him realize another passion. “Growing up and throughout high school, I was close with the special education program and the kids there really looked up to me. I

SUSAN URMY

Student, Athlete, Teacher

tried to be a role model and show people how to interact with the kids. I fell in love with it.” He had another family member who had another positive influence on him. His sister, Brittany, is a special education teacher. When Barden got to Vanderbilt, he started as a human and organizational development major. He credits Dr. Joseph Wehby with introducing him to Vanderbilt’s special education program. “I took the introductory class, and professor Joe Wehby was my teacher,” Barden said. “Right from the get-go he knew I was into the program, and he came up to me and told me he wanted to meet with me. He knew I was an athlete and had a lot going on, so he became my adviser. Since then, he’s been a good role model and helped steer me in the right direction.” An associate professor of special education at Peabody, Wehby quickly noticed Barden’s interest in his field. “Brandon is intelligent, serious and has a genuine interest in helping others,” Wehby said. “He possesses the skill of understanding and is empathetic to what someone’s struggles might be. As part of that class each student has a volunteer experience with children or young adults with a disability. I think that’s when it hit him that this was something

SUSAN URMY

he would like to do.” This semester, Barden spends most weekday mornings at Nashville’s Wright Middle School for his pre-student teaching practicum with Lee Shreeve’s eighth-grade math class. Shreeve says Barden showed early on that he had quite a penchant for teaching. “Brandon’s a tall, quiet guy, and I thought I might have to pull it out of him to get involved with the kids,” Shreeve said. “But he just jumped in from day one and has been really good with the kids. He learned the kids’ names quicker than I did when they started at the beginning of the school year.” Like Wehby, Shreeve appreciates the always-on work ethic that allows Barden to manage his responsibilities as student, athlete and educator. “The special education program at Vanderbilt is very demanding of its students. The work demands a lot of time. And Brandon puts it in on top of football, and he’s not lagging behind. He’s on top of it. He always gets his lesson plans done and knows what’s going on when he’s here. I’m really impressed with that.” A top-tier special education program, Vanderbilt ranks first in scholarly production among other departments at research universities in the United States. Barden will move to a full-time student teaching position in a special education classroom next semester, but he is enjoying his time in Shreeve’s class. “Eighth grade is a time when everyone starts to mature,” Barden said. “So I feel like that is a good time to affect somebody’s life. This has been a great class.” When talk turns to career aspirations, Barden certainly has a mind to continue his football career in the National Football League. That opportunity could very well come to fruition for the 6'5" tight end who leads the Commodores in receiving this season. “That’s been my dream since I was a little kid,” Barden said. “So if I have the opportunity I’ll try to pursue that.” Barden knows that the NFL will not be his final destination in the working world, but he still sees himself using sports to help make a difference in the world. “I grew up playing all types of sports, and most of my coaches were also teachers. I realized on the playing field how big of a role model you could be for kids coming from different backgrounds. You could be a solid example for them, and I wanted to know, ‘Why couldn’t it be me?’ I want to coach and teach and make an impact on people’s lives.” n

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NOVEMBER 2010

It’s My Turn By Rod Williamson

Measuring Excellence

hat’s your definition of athletic excellence and who personifies it? Is it Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods? How about David Price? The 1927 New York Yankees or Johnny Wooden’s UCLA basketball teams were pretty special. In the Southeastern Conference, many outside the Bluegrass say winning on the gridiron equates to excellence. Victory on football Saturdays means the rest doesn’t matter. This perception is fueled by media behemoths and their hired pundits, who anoint pigskin royalty in High Definition. But is excellence really the guy who can run a 4.4 or dunk a basketball 19 different ways? Super stars are remarkable, but as we learn over and over, not all are “excellent.” Excellence must mean more than numbers on a scoreboard. Otherwise, what is the purpose? Joe Paterno and Ed Thomas defined excellence, if not perfection. Many think the nearly 84-year-old Paterno is over the hill, but one of his former stars, LaVar Arrington, recently defended his mentor in a Washington Post column. “…College athletics isn’t all about wins and losses for a team. I learned from Coach Paterno there’s so much more. Coach Paterno has molded and shaped the lives of countless numbers of young adults. I visit with players every year at my alma mater, and the most interesting stories I hear sound exactly the same as the stories I’ve told myself and heard from greats like Jack Ham and Blair Thomas when I was in school…. Joe continues to have a very positive effect on these young guys….Life lessons like responsibility, accountability, confidence, solid work ethic, compassion, respect. I could continue the list, but it would get too long. I think you get the point….” As a teacher and coach at tiny Aplington-Parkersburg High School in Iowa, Ed Thomas was much less known until he made the cover of Sports Illustrated last year after being murdered in the school’s weight room by a schizophrenic. Thomas won 85% of his games over 34 years and produced four long-time NFL starters—amazing for a hamlet of 1,900. He told his teams, “If all I teach you is football, I have failed you as a coach.” Thomas was much more than a successful ball coach; he was the heartbeat of his community. As these examples suggest, perhaps the question we should ask in a sporting society is, “How should we measure excellence?” Earlier this month, Vanderbilt was ranked 18th among all Division I athletic programs in a comprehensive study called the NCSA Collegiate Power Ratings that combined athletics (Director’s Cup finish), academics (U.S. News & World Report rankings) and graduation (compiled by NCAA research). We were not only the highest rated program in the SEC, we were the ONLY school in the conference to make the top 100! Will you ever hear this mentioned on talk radio, the front page or as chat room buzz? Of course not; it has little sizzle for most of us. Should that mean it’s not important? Let’s be clear; winning matters. Vanderbilt Athletics can’t be the national leader it should be if 50% of our athletics-academics equation falls short. One of our department’s stated goals this year is to improve our Director’s Cup finish. (The Director’s Cup measures all-around success in the NCAA Tournaments). Let’s also be on record that a trophy gained by fraud or scandal should be an F. Alas, not all see it that way anymore, if indeed they ever did. We need balance and common sense. Excellence is not doing one thing well, it’s doing everything well. We’re not going to hear that reminder often enough, we fear, because in our sports-crazy world it’s, “What have you done for me on Saturday,” that too often rings the bell. n

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NOVEMBER 2010

JOHN RUSSELL

Kim Carper (L-R), Brittni Hamilton and Amanda Halter helped rebuild Lighthouse Christian’s preschool in September.

s soon as Brittni Hamilton saw the e-mail, she was in. Hamilton, a junior member of the Vanderbilt women’s bowling team, had just received an e-mail asking for volunteers for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The television show was going to be in town to rebuild Lighthouse Christian’s preschool, which was demolished during Nashville’s devastating May flood. “I’ve always wanted to volunteer for Extreme Makeover,” Hamilton said. “I tried to get anybody on the team to do it with me. We were all excited about it.” Teammates Kim Carper and Amanda Halter were more than happy to sign on. On Sept. 16, after going to practice and finishing their homework, the three headed to the site at 11 p.m. and worked until 6 a.m. They performed various duties, including unloading appliances for the kitchen, rearranging furniture and staging rooms with toys. “One man was painting and doing electrical work,” said Carper, a sophomore. “His kids went to this school. He and his wife were really passionate because they had an emotional connection. He talked about all the people he knew who were volunteering. It was really touching to hear.” Halter, a senior, had an internship during the summer that involved interviewing country music stars about the flood. But it wasn’t until she volunteered that the devastation became palpable. “It was shocking,” Halter said. “But seeing everyone come together this summer, willing to volunteer even though it had been months, was amazing.” The episode is scheduled to air in November. The women’s bowling team will be competing in the Fairleigh Dickson Invitational in Howell, N.J., beginning Nov. 5. n

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JIMMY JONES

SHELLEY HARPER

Barbara Finneran Baseball Fan

Barbara Finneran was named the “Fan of the Game” during the final game of the Auburn series on Sunday, April 18, 2010—her 75th birthday.

arbara Finneran follows the Vanderbilt baseball team. Not the way you follow the stock market, checking reports in the paper or getting news snippets off the television. She literally follows the team. During the 2010 season, Finneran missed only one Southeastern Conference road trip with the Commodores—their mid-March meeting with Alabama in Tuscaloosa. But she more than earned her frequent fan miles with journeys to Gainesville, Knoxville, Baton Rouge and Starkville. Not to mention two different sites for the NCAA Tournament—both the Regional in Louisville and the Super Regional in Tallahassee. Oh, and a small trip out to the West

Coast when the Commodores played in Los Angeles last February. Back home, Finneran celebrated her 75th birthday in April. There was no place she would have rather been than sitting at Charles Hawkins Field (above, left, being presented flowers as that day’s Fan of the Game) during the decisive game of a three-game set with Auburn. First baseman Aaron Westlake (above, right, with Finneran after the game) provided quite a birthday present by hitting a walk-off home run in the ninth inning. This fall, Finneran ventured down to Austin, Texas, as Vanderbilt played a pair of exhibition games against the other UT. She plans to hit the road hard again next

Catching up with Corbin On the fall series with Texas.... “We felt that [the 2009 Japan trip] put us one step ahead when we started last season. We knew Texas had played in the fall and we knew Baylor did. I thought I would give some schools in the west a call and see if they were interested in playing us for two dates. The games counted against how many we can play. We’ve subtracted two from the 56. They didn’t go towards our record. It was basically a scrimmage situation and we treated it as such. It was a very competitive environment against a very competitive team. The more competition you throw in there, the more you link the fall and the spring together, which is my goal.” On how he evaluates the team through the fall? “You have four or five weeks where you are just trying to get the newcomers comfortable with the environment. Once they start getting comfortable you start to press the buttons a little bit in terms of competition. You’re left with not a whole lot of time when

NOVEMBER 2010

Aaron Westlake, who hit a walk-off home run to defeat Auburn, poses with birthday girl Barbara Finneran.

spring and is looking forward to visiting the ballparks in Fayetteville, Auburn, Athens, Lexington and Columbia. A member of the National Commodore Club and a Vanderbilt fan of “over 50 years,” Finneran has instilled her love of the Commodores in her four children, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. “I love this team,” Finneran said. “The fact that they’re great young men, good students, good people. Coach Corbin does a tremendous job motivating them and teaching life lessons. It’s got to be about all of that—school, baseball and life—to make a complete person.” n

Three questions from Eric Jones

you get back from Christmas to reevaluate your team and to develop a starting nine, so to speak. With that being said, not all the time do you get your starters developed in the fall. I remember Pedro [Alvarez] and Ryan Flaherty during their freshmen fall. We did a player evaluation and the players did not have them starting at third base or shortstop. They had four hits between the both of them for the entire fall, but then they became our two and three hitter by the end of the year.” On the senior class.... “I think in terms of choosing between newcomers or the opportunity to bring back players, the ultimate goal is to recruit your own if you feel like they can make some headway going into next year and improve on where they are and, more importantly, finish their degree. We are really lucky to get three guys back in Taylor Hill, Curtis Casali and Aaron Westlake. Without those three guys we wouldn’t be in the position that we are right now. Curtis is most likely going to be the frontline catcher. Aaron will be the first baseman and Taylor is a mainstay on the pitching staff right now.”

JOE HOWELL

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C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

Commodore Basketball Tips Off Hoops on TV

Free Turkey

The Vanderbilt women will make 10 television appearances during Southeastern Conference play, league officials have announced. Vanderbilt will play three games on the ESPN family of networks, in addition to having three appearances on Fox Sports Net and CSS. Vanderbilt also will play one game on the SEC Network. The Commodores’ television appearances are split in half between road and home games. Vanderbilt’s SEC television debut will be Saturday, Jan. 15, when the Commodores travel to Knoxville to take part in ESPN’s College GameDay before facing Tennessee at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The game is a doubleheader with the Vanderbilt men’s team, which will play at Tennessee at 11 a.m. CT. The game also will be just the second women’s game to be featured as part of ESPN’s College GameDay. The Commodores’ first home television game will come Jan. 30 when Vanderbilt hosts Ole Miss at 2 p.m. on FSN. Vanderbilt also will have home games televised against LSU (FSN), Tennessee (ESPNU), Kentucky (SEC Network) and Florida (CSS). Vanderbilt will be featured on television during the SEC Tournament at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. FSN will carry the first two rounds of the tournament. The semifinals will air on ESPNU, and the championship will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Again for 2010, admission to all four games of the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament will be free. This year, Memorial Gymnasium will play host to Southern Cal, Princeton and Quinnipiac over Thanksgiving weekend for what promises to be an exciting weekend of women’s basketball. The tournament is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 26, with USC playing Princeton to open the event. Vanderbilt and Quinnipiac will tip off at approximately 7 p.m. With the football team at home on Saturday, the noon consolation game and the 2 p.m. championship will be played on Sunday, Nov. 28.

5'4" point guard Jasmine Lister and 6'7" center Kayci Ferriss.

The Commodore men filled out their television schedule with a total of eight non-conference game being scheduled for air. Every one of Vanderbilt’s road games will be televised this year, and the six home games that were not chosen by television will be available via webcast on Vanderbilt’s official athletic website, vucommodores.com. Your first chance to catch the Commodores on national television comes on Thursday, Nov. 18, when VU faces Nebraska on ESPN2 in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off from San Juan. 6'11" center Festus Ezeli

NOVEMBER 2010

Commodore junior Jeffery Taylor is one of only three SEC players to be named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list, putting him in consideration for the award named after former legendary UCLA coach John Wooden that recognizes the best player in college basketball. Taylor was joined on the list by Georgia post man Trey Thompkins and Florida guard Kenny Boynton as the other SEC representatives.

2010-11 Vanderbilt womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball (left to right). Back row: Hannah Tuomi, Tiffany Clarke, Rebecca Silinski, Clair Watkins, Kayci Ferriss, Stephanie Holzer, Tori Jarosz, Elan Brown; Front row: Jasmine Lister, Angela Puleo, Jence Rhoads, Gabby Smith, Jordan Coleman, Christina Foggie.

2010-11 Vanderbilt menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball (left to right). Back row: James Siakam, Jordan Smart, Rod Odom, Josh Henderson, Festus Ezeli, Steve Tchiengang, Aaron Noll, John Jenkins, Kyle Fuller; Front row: Lance Goulbourne, Andre Walker, Chris Meriwether, Darshawn McClellan, Joe Duffy, Brad Tinsley, Jeffrey Taylor.

vucommodores.com

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

NOVEMBER 2010

Molly Kinsella: Lowe’s Senior CLASS finalist Molly Kinsella, a senior on the women’s soccer team, has been named a finalist for the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. The 10 men’s and 10 women’s soccer student-athletes nominated for the award excel both on and off the field, setting themselves apart in the four areas celebrated by the award—community, classroom, character and competition. A native of Memphis, Molly has led the Commodores in scoring in each of the past three seasons. She ranks in Vanderbilt’s career Top 10 in goals, assists and points. An exemplary student, Molly has carried a 3.893 GPA while majoring in molecular and cellular biology. She was recently accepted to the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in Memphis. The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner will be chosen by a combination of fan voting and a poll of national coaches and media. Fans are eligible to vote online once daily through Nov. 14 at seniorclassaward.com.

Tennis: Thanksgiving Break in South Africa Most Vanderbilt students use the Thanksgiving holiday as an opportunity to return home for the week. For men’s tennis Head Coach Ian Duvenhage, the break is more meaningful than a simple trip home. Duvenhage will travel with his men’s tennis team along with the women’s squad to his homeland of South Africa, where he lived until accepting a tennis scholarship to the University of Miami at the age of 18. He grins widely when talking about going back to show off his home country—its been six years since he had the chance to return—but is quick to deflect credit for making the trip a reality. “I would say the impetus for the whole thing was really David Williams,” Duvenhage said. “He started talking to me about this from day one when I got here. He’s been there five times and loves it. And, obviously, Vanderbilt places an emphasis on students having a foreign experience. Between David loving it over there and me having been born there, it just all made sense.” While the trip is required by NCAA rules to feature some measure of competitive tennis, Duvenhage believes the adventure may be more worthwhile off the court. On the team’s itinerary, cultural encounters outweigh athletic endeavors five-to-one. The team will visit the Mandela Museum and the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, and have scheduled a two-day safari in King’s Camp. They also will see the township of Khayelitsha, home of the largest shanty town in the world. Duvenhage has passed out copies of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, to help the student-athletes gain a better understanding of the country’s history. “From my perspective, we live in this bubble here sometimes where we don’t realize how tough other people have it,” Duvenhage said. “We’ve got it so good that we live with our heads in the sand sometimes. I’m hoping this trip changes their opinions about some things.”

vucommodores.com

The tennis team is planning to blog from South Africa. Log on to vucommodores.com for timely updates on the trip.

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

NOVEMBER 2010

NOVEMBER Schedule

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Men’s Basketball

Signing Day

Alabama-Huntsville - exhib. (Memorial Gym)

7 p.m.

Southern Indiana - exhib. (Memorial Gym)

7 p.m.

Presbyterian (Memorial Gym)

Nebraska (San Juan, P.R.)

West Virginia/Davidson (San Juan, P.R.)

TBA (San Juan, P.R.)

Grambling State (Memorial Gym)

Appalachian State (Memorial Gym)

7 p.m. 12:30 p.m. TBA TBA 7 p.m. TBA

Women’s Basketball 4

Delta State - exhib. (Memorial Gym)

7 p.m.

Union - exhib. (Memorial Gym)

7 p.m.

14 Howard (Memorial Gym)

2 p.m.

18 Samford (Memorial Gym)

7 p.m.

Florida State (Tallahassee, Fla.)

1 p.m.

USC vs. Princeton (Memorial Gym)

5 p.m.

Quinnipiac (Memorial Gym)

7 p.m.

Consolation Game (Memorial Gym)

Championship Game (Memorial Gym)

Noon 2 p.m.

Bowling 5

FDU Invitational (Howell, N.J.)

Hawk Classic (Millsboro, Del.)

For prospective student-athletes enrolling in the 2011-12 academic year, the early signing period for the National Letter of Intent begins for most sports on Wednesday, Nov. 10, and lasts one week. Basketball headlines the fall signing period, but all sports other than football, soccer, cross country, and track and field can utilize the early signing period. Those sports can begin signing on Feb. 2, with the “regular period” for basketball and other sports opening back up in April. Puerto Rico Tips Off ESPN Coverage A total of 24 men’s basketball games will be televised this season, including 16 airing on the ESPN family of networks. That starts with the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in mid-November. On Thursday, Nov. 18, the Commodores will play Nebraska at 12:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Games scheduled for Friday and Sunday will be slated for a specific channel closer to air. Check vucommodores.com for the latest information.

Cross Country 1

SEC Championships (Columbia, S.C.)

NCAA Regionals (Birmingham, Ala.)

NCAA Championships (Terre Haute, Ind.)

Football 6 Florida (Vanderbilt Stadium) 13

Kentucky (Lexington, Ky.)

Tennessee (Vanderbilt Stadium)

Men’s Golf 1

Hummingbird Intercollegiate (Cashiers, N.C.)

27 Wake Forest (Vanderbilt Stadium)

Hummingbird Intercollegiate (Cashiers, N.C.)

Soccer

Women’s Golf 8

SEC-Pac 10 Challenge (Palo Alto, Calif.)

SEC Tournament (Orange Beach, Ala.)

SEC-Pac 10 Challenge (Palo Alto, Calif.)

SEC Tournament (Orange Beach, Ala.)

Men’s Tennis

NCAA Tournament First Round (Campus Sites)

NCAA Tournament Second Round (Campus Sites)

NCAA Tournament Third Round (Campus Sites)

NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals (Campus Sites)

SEC Tournament (Orange Beach, Ala.)

Swimming 19

Western Kentucky Invitational (Bowling Green, Ky.)

vucommodores.com

4-7

Bulldog Scramble (Athens, Ga.)

4-7

ITA National Indoors (Flushing Meadows, N.Y.)

5-7

Crimson Tide Invitational (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Women’s Tennis 5

UNC Invitational (Chapel Hill, N.C.)

All times Central and subject to change.

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

JOE HOWELL / VU PHOTOGRAPHY

last shots

MIKE MARTI

Chattanooga native Jay Fullam was chosen to carry the American flag when the Commodores took the field before the LSU game on Sept. 11.

Head Coach Robbie Caldwell is doused with Gatorade in the closing moments of Vanderbilt’s 28-14 win at Ole Miss—his first as a head coach.

NOVEMBER 2010