The Blog is moving...

by Barca Blog

You've probably noticed that we haven't posted much in the blog over the last few weeks.

Moving forward, we have decided to post all of our information on the Commodores, including blog-type content, on VUcommodores.com.

Don't worry... the information that you enjoyed in the blog will still be available, just fed directly into the VUcommodores' news feed within the main template (and not Blogspot).

At the moment, we are working with CBS College Sports on a site redesign for VUcommodores.com to be unveiled during the month of September. With the redesign, we plan to roll out more content this athletic year to keep you informed 24-7 on your favorite teams.

One feature that's already started... my daily posts titled Barca Break, which serves as a one-stop shop for news related to the Commodores from around the web (with a sprinkle of random pop culture videos that were popular in the blog).

As always, we're open to your feedback and ideas.

Thanks and Go Commodores.

Video: MBB summer weightlifting session

by A. Boggs

Most of the returning basketball players and two of the incoming freshmen participated in a weightlifting session at the McGugin Center weigh room on Monday, and we were there to catch it on video. Men's basketball strength coach Mark Davis put the guys through a gauntlet of movements, including bench press, power cleans, and push presses.

Davis puts the crew through strenuous workouts four days a week, and the results can be seen in the video.

Just a reminder, Vanderbilt basketball season tickets go on sale Thursday night at 6 p.m. CT on vucommodores.com and at the McGugin Center ticket office Friday morning.

(enlarge video)

Beal goes for 11 points in Heat Summer League win

By A. Boggs

Jermaine Beal once again logged big-time minutes for the Miami Heat Wednesday night in NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas, but unlike the game on Tuesday, his team came away with a win - a 92-83 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Beal played 21 minutes, scored 11 points, dished out three assists, and had two rebounds in the Heat win. Beal was 2-for-6 from the floor, but converted all seven of his free throws. On Tuesday, the former Commodore point guard scored four points in 26 minutes of action in a loss to Golden State.

Derrick Byars logged nine minutes for the Bulls in a 79-50 win over the Clippers, but did not score. A.J. Ogilvy did not play in the game.

Newly minted Vanderbilt Hall of Fame member Shan Foster returns to the floor tonight against the Washington Wizards in Summer League action. The game tips at 8 p.m. Pacific time.

Three Commodores in action Tuesday in Summer League

By A. Boggs

Three former Commodores saw playing time in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas on Tuesday, as Derrick Byars and A.J. Ogilvy suited up for the Bulls, while Jermaine Beal saw his first action of the summer with the Miami Heat.

Byars started for the Bulls in a 99-71 loss to the Denver Nuggets, played nearly 20 minutes and scored six points and grabbed four rebounds. Ogilvy played eight minutes, was 1-of-2 from the floor, and scored two points.

Beal played significant minutes for the Heat Tuesday in a 72-69 loss to Golden State. The DeSoto, Texas, native, who did not play in Miami's first game of the summer, played 26 minutes and scored four points, dished out two assists, and had one steal against the Warriors. He also had a plus/minus of +7 - which means while he was on the floor, the Heat scored seven more points than the Warriors. It was the highest total for any Heat player on the day.

The Bulls are back in action tonight against the Clippers at 8 p.m. pacific, and the Heat take on the Pistons at 10:30 p.m.

NBA Summer League stats of interest

By A. Boggs

Two former Commodores, Shan Foster and Jermaine Beal, each suited up for their first NBA Summer League game over the weekend for their respective teams, the Mavs and the Heat.

Foster, a 2008 2nd round pick of Dallas, scored six points on 2-of-4 shooting in an 88-70 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday, and two points on 1-of-4 shooting in 14 minutes of action in the Mavs' 87-78 loss to the Rockets on Saturday. Foster and the Mavs play the Bucks Monday at 5 p.m. pacific time in their next game.

Beal's Heat team defeated the New Orleans Hornets, 77-72, but Beal did not play (Coach's Decision). The Heat take on Golden State on Tuesday night in their next matchup.

Former Commodores Derrick Byars and A.J. Ogilvy begin Summer League play with the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday against the Nuggets.

For a complete rundown of Summer League action, click here.

Four Commodores ready for NBA Summer League in Vegas

By A. Boggs

Four former Commodore players are preparing for NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas, with play beginning on Friday and lasting through Sunday, July 18th.

A.J. Ogilvy and Derrick Byars, who will both play with the Bulls this summer, will tip off their summer season at 1 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, July 13, when Chicago takes on the Denver Nuggets. The game can be seen live on NBA TV. Other games for the summer for Chicago include a game with the Clippers on 5 p.m. on July 14 (NBA TV), a matchup with the Clippers at 5:30 on July 16, and a game against Portland on July 18 at 3 p.m. (NBA TV).

Jermaine Beal, who just latched on with the Miami Heat's Vegas team, will play New Orleans at 7 p.m. on July 11 (NBA TV), against Golden State at 7:30 p.m. on July 13, versus Detroit at 7:30 p.m. on July 14, against Milwaukee on July 16 at 7:30 p.m., and against Cleveland at 3 p.m. on July 17 (NBA TV).

Shan Foster will once again suit up this summer for the Mavericks, who drafted the 2008 SEC Player of the Year in the second round of that year's draft. Foster and the Mavericks will play against Denver on July 9 at 1 p.m. (NBA TV), on July 10 against Houston at 7 p.m. (NBA TV), on July 12 against Milwaukee at 5 p.m. (NBA TV), on July 15 against the Wizards at 5 p.m. (NBA TV) and on July 18 against Sacramento at 5 p.m. (NBA TV).

Stay tuned to the blog for further updates on these former Commodores, and click here for the complete NBA Summer League schedule.

Stallings summer quotes

by Barca Blog

Head coach Kevin Stallings spoke with media during the annual SEC men's basketball summer teleconference earlier this week. Read below to find out what he had to say about the upcoming season.

Opening comments:
"We're looking forward to the year. Now is the time for them to be getting better as individuals. We're excited about the guys we have coming back. We know we lost a couple of significant players, but we're looking forward to the year. We think we have the makings of a good team, and hopefully it will play out that way."

On the difficulty of replacing a veteran point guard and post player:
"I think what you hope to do is have them replaced, so you don't have to replace them with freshman. We have some guys in waiting that we think can play and be effective, and hopefully that's what will happen.

"Brad Tinsley's been in our program for two years. We think he's a very capable point guard. He's played the 2 for us mostly, but we think he has a chance to be a very good point guard. Festus (Ezeli) has been in our program for three years now, so hopefully he can alleviate some of the loss of A.J. (Ogilvy)."

On Jeff Taylor as an NBA prospect:
"Jeff's a very good player, and very, very good NBA prospect. It would not surprise us at all if this were Jeff's last year in our program because I think he's that well thought of, and deservedly so.

On SEC Tournament basketball seeding structure:
"I was fairly neutral (on the topic at the SEC spring meetings), and honestly didn't think it was that big of a deal. I would have been okay if we had done it, and also okay not doing it.

"We really just had more discussion about the SEC Tournament than we did about anything else. We weren't really talking about eliminating divisions or anything like that. I think those of us in the East, even though we know what a brutal proposition it is night in and night out in the league, we enjoy being in what we feel like is the toughest division in college basketball."

Vanderbilt’s NBA Draft history

By Ryan Schulz

With the 2010 NBA Draft taking place at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN tonight, let’s take a look back at Vanderbilt’s NBA Draft history.

Since 1950, Vanderbilt has had 33 players selected in the NBA Draft. Billy Joe Adcock was the first Commodore selected in 1950 by Fort Wayne and Shan Foster was the most recent player to hear his name called when he was selected in the second round of the 2008 draft by Dallas.

Will another Commodore hear his name called tonight? Jermaine Beal and A.J. Ogilvy certainly hope so. Either way, the two Commodores have professional careers ahead of them no matter what happens tonight.

The NBA Draft is comprised of two rounds and there are a total of 60 players selected. Three teams, Charlotte, Cleveland and Denver, are without draft picks.

Year Player - Team Round

2008 Shan Foster - Dallas 2nd

2007 Derrick Byars - Portland (Traded to Philadelphia) 2nd

2004 Matt Freije - Miami 2nd

2000 Dan Langhi - Dallas (Traded to Houston) 2nd

1989 Frank Kornet - Milwaukee 2nd

1988 Will Perdue - Chicago 1st (11th pick)

1987 Glen Clem - New York 5th

1984 Jeff Turner - New Jersey 1st (7th pick)

1981 Charles Davis - Washington 2nd

Mike Rhodes - San Antonio 5th

1980 Tommy Springer - Denver 7th

1976 Butch Feher - Phoenix 2nd

Jeff Fosnes - Golden State 4th

1974 Jan van Breda Kolff - Portland 2nd

Terry Compton - Kansas City-Omaha 4th

Bill Ligon - Detroit 10th

1973 Steve Turner - Boston 10th

Rod Freeman - Philadelphia 11th

1971 Thorpe Weber - Boston 6th

1970 Perry Wallace - Philadelphia 5th

1969 Tom Hagan - San Francisco 3rd

Bob Bundy - Atlanta 7th

1968 Bob Warren - Atlanta 4th

Bo Wyenandt - Cincinnati 10th

1967 Jerry Southwood - Baltimore 18th

1966 Clyde Lee - San Francisco 1st (3rd pick)

Keith Thomas - Los Angeles 6th

1961 Bill Depp - Boston 3rd

1959 Jim Henry - Minneapolis 6th

1957 Al Rochelle - St. Louis 5th

1954 Dan Finch - Minneapolis N/A

1951 George Kelley - Indianapolis N/A

1950 Billy Joe Adcock - Fort Wayne N/A

Ogilvy works out with Bucks

By A. Boggs (Photo: NBA.com)

The kind folks at the Milwaukee Bucks sent me an email about their website, nba.com/bucks, which has an interview with A.J. Ogilvy after his workout with the team on Tuesday.

Here's the link to read Ogilvy's comments after the workout. We want to wish him luck as he gets ready for the draft, which takes place June 24 in New York City.

Two SEC players withdraw from NBA Draft

by Barca Blog

Two of the 12 SEC underclassmen that declared for the NBA Draft -- Florida's Alex Tyus and Mississippi State's Ravern Johnson -- changed their minds before yesterday's deadline and opted to return to school.

Here's the list of SEC players that decided to remain in the draft to be held on June 24 in New York City.

Eric Bledsoe, G, 6-1, 190, FR, Kentucky
Dee Bost, G, 6-2, 170, SO, Mississippi State
DeMarcus Cousins, F, 6-11, 260, FR, Kentucky
Courtney Fortson, G, 5-11, 180, SO, Arkansas
A.J. Ogilvy, C, 6-11, 250, JR, Vanderbilt
Daniel Orton, F, 6-10, 255, FR, Kentucky
Patrick Patterson, F, 6-9, 235, JR, Kentucky
Eniel Polynice, G, 6-5, 225, JR, Ole Miss
John Wall, G, 6-4, 195, FR, Kentucky
Terrico White, G, 6-5, 211, SO, Ole Miss

SEC players on NBA Early-Entry Draft list

by Barca Blog

Last week, I posted the list of SEC basketball players that planned to leave school early for the NBA Draft.  Two more underclassmen -- Dee Bost and Ravern Johnson from Mississippi State -- declared for the draft prior to last Sunday's deadline, pushing the number of conference entries to 12.

Underclassmen have until May 8th to withdraw their name and return to school, unless they've already signed an agent. The NBA Draft will be held on June 24 in New York City.

Here's the official SEC rundown:
Eric Bledsoe, G, 6-1, 190, FR, Kentucky
Dee Bost, G, 6-2, 170, SO, Mississippi State
DeMarcus Cousins, F, 6-11, 260, FR, Kentucky
Courtney Fortson, G, 5-11, 180, SO, Arkansas
Ravern Johnson, G, 6-7, 175, JR, Mississippi State
A.J. Ogilvy, C, 6-11, 250, JR, Vanderbilt
Daniel Orton, F, 6-10, 255, FR, Kentucky
Patrick Patterson, F, 6-9, 235, JR, Kentucky
Eniel Polynice, G, 6-5, 225, JR, Ole Miss
Alex Tyus, F, 6-8, 220, JR, Florida
John Wall, G, 6-4, 195, FR, Kentucky
Terrico White, G, 6-5, 211, SO, Ole Miss

Video: Jenkins feature on Fox 17

By A. Boggs

John Jenkins' visit to Stewartsboro Elementary School was shown on Fox 17 on Wednesday night in their 9 o'clock newscast.

Click here to watch the feature.

Men's Basketball awards

by Barca Blog (Photo by John Russell)

Earlier this week, Vanderbilt men's basketball held their annual team dinner to reflect on the 2009-10 season. Five Commodores were recognized for their contributions:

MVP: Jermaine Beal*

Captains: Jermaine Beal

Leadership: Jermaine Beal*

Defense: Jeffery Taylor*

Most Improved: John Jenkins*

Scholar Athlete: Joe Duffy

Coaches: Chris Meriwether

*Voted on by players

John Jenkins visits Stewartsboro Elementary

By A. Boggs

Vanderbilt rising sophomore John Jenkins made a surprise visit to Stewartsboro Elementary School in Smyrna, Tenn., on Thursday afternoon to an after-school reading group.

John read a book to the group, signed some autographs, and took a few pictures with the parents and students.

We all had a great time, and we want to thank Debra Marshall, a physical education teacher at Stewartsboro, and two students, Kyle Jones and Chris Hoak, for helping to arrange the visit. Also thanks to Dan Phillips and Dave Foster from Fox 17 for making the trip down to Smyrna.

Check out the photo gallery here.

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is expanding...

By A. Boggs

As we all expected, but not to 96 teams. Looks as if the tournament will expand to 68 teams beginning next season, and every game of the tournament will be carried live by CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.

A couple of outlets have reported this, but here's a link to CBSSports.com, who has a lot of the new details of the television contract and other things relating to the tournament expansion.

It must be said that the Division I Board of Directors must approve the changes next week, but according to reports, that should not be a problem.

SEC underclassmen in NBA Draft

by Barca Blog

According to FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman... Here's a list of SEC basketball players that plan to leave school early for the NBA Draft.

Underclassmen must declare for the draft by Sunday. Those players choosing to test the draft waters can return to school if they (a) don't sign with an agent and (b) withdraw their name by May 8.

The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 24 in New York City.

(Side note: VUcommodores' draft expert intern Travis just told me he thinks this might be the deepest draft ever in terms of early entries. Stay tuned for his in-depth analysis.)

Signing with an Agent (can't return to school)
Eric Bledsoe, 6-1, 190, PG, Fr., Kentucky
DeMarcus Cousins, 6-11, 260, C, Fr., Kentucky
A.J. Ogilvy, 6-11, 250, C, Jr., Vanderbilt
Patrick Patterson, 6-9, 235, PF, Jr., Kentucky
Eniel Polynice, 6-5, G, Jr., Mississippi
John Wall, 6-4, 195, PG, Fr., Kentucky

Getting Evaluated by NBA (could return to school)
Courtney Fortson, 5-11, G, Soph., Arkansas
Daniel Orton, 6-9, 255, PF, Fr., Kentucky
Alex Tyus, 6-8, 220, F, Jr., Florida
Terrico White, 6-5, 215, G, Soph., Mississippi

Men's Hoops visits Apollo Middle School

By A. Boggs

Four members of the Vanderbilt basketball team, Festus Ezeli, Aaron Noll, Jeffery Taylor, and Steve Tchiengang, visited Apollo Middle School in Antioch on Thursday to participate in their TCAP (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program) Celebration, a get together to raise the students' confidence and morale as they take the state exam next week.

Steve spoke to the 400+ students in attendance about studying hard in school, giving their all on the test next week, and never giving up on their dreams. He told me he was nervous at first, but he settled into the speech a couple of seconds into it. I think he did a great job, and I think the kids enjoyed it.

Jeffery, Festus, and Aaron participated in some dunks and some other basketball stuff in the visit. Jeffery even dunked over a teacher, Matt Earls, on his last attempt.

Special thanks to Apollo Middle School, and especially to Matt, who helped organize the visit.

You can check out some of the photos I took here.

Duffy to host Nothing But Nets fundraiser

By A. Boggs

Vanderbilt rising senior forward Joe Duffy will be hosting a fundraiser this weekend for Nothing But Nets, a charity that buys mosquito nets for the people of Africa, where Malaria is one of the continent's number one killers.

Duffy and his Commodore teammates will divide the entrants by grade and then conduct a series of 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, with the individuals/teams that raise the most money getting to choose who their "celebrity" coach will be.

The entry fee is $20 per child, with all of the donations going directly towards Nothing But Nets. One mosquito net costs $10, and according to Duffy, one net saves one life. The tournament will be held in the Memorial Gym practice gym beginning at 1 p.m. For those registering on site, arrive a little earlier to register.

Those participating will receive a free Nothing But Nets t-shirt, and Gatorades and snacks will also be available to the players.

Nothing But Nets is a charity that was started by former Sports Illustrated writer and current ESPN.com columnist Rick Reilly. According to the Nothing But Nets website, Reilly says:

Thank you for joining Nothing But Nets, the global campaign to save lives by preventing malaria. When I learned that a million kids die each year of malaria, I wrote a column asking people to give $10 for malaria bed nets. I started to get letters. And checks. Already, more than 70,000 people have raised over $20 million – enough to buy 2,000,000 nets.

Here's Duffy's website where you can register or, if you can't make the tournament, donate a few dollars to a worthy cause. Click here to visit. Also, click on the video below to see Duffy address the media about his fund raiser Saturday.

Beal competes in NBA pre-draft camp

by Barca Blog

Jermaine Beal was one of 64 seniors to participate in the 58th annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament last week in Portsmouth, Va.

Beal played for Sales Systems, one of eight teams in the four-day, twelve-game tournament. Representatives from every NBA team were in attendance for the pre-draft camp.

Let's take a look at Beal's numbers:

Thursday, April 8 - First Round
Roger Brown's 76, Sales Systems 66 (Box Score)
Beal: Started, 4 pts, 1-8 FG, 1-4 3FG, 1-2 FT, reb, blk, TO, 23 min

Friday, April 9 - Consolation Bracket
Sales Systems 96, Cherry Bekaert & Holland 86 (Box Score)
Beal: 6 pts, 3-7 FG, 0-2 3FG, 6 reb, 5 ast, 3 TO, stl, 23 min

Saturday, April 10 - Fifth-Place Game
Tidewater Sealants 108, Sales Systems 74 (Box Score)
Beal: 10 pts, 3-8 FG, 1-5 3FG, 3-4 FT, 4 ast, 4 reb, 3 TO, stl, 24 min

Video: Ogilvy declares for NBA Draft

by Barca Blog

Vanderbilt junior center A.J. Ogilvy met with the media a few hours ago to officially announce that he will forgo his senior season to declare for the NBA Draft.

A couple of notes from the press conference:

- Ogilvy opened with the following statement: "I talked with my family and coaches here, and I think (going pro) is what's best for me. I really enjoyed all my time at Vanderbilt. I really want to thank the coaches and fans for everything they've done for me. I'm just excited to try to get my game to the next level."

- Ogilvy mentioned that it wasn't an easy decision, and that he a spent long time thinking about it to make the right decision. His said his parents played a big role in the process.

- When asked why he didn't wait to hire an agent to keep his options open, Ogilvy said, "This is what I wanted to do. Once I put my name in, I wanted to put all my effort and time into it." He added that he might pull out of classes this semester to spend time at home before workouts. He didn't know if he would finish his degree at Vanderbilt, but suggested in the "long run" he might finish school in Australia.

-Based on what his agent said, he feels that he could move up the board during pre-draft workouts, which helped him make his final decision. He's been told he needs to improve on his explosiveness and conditioning. If he doesn't get drafted, he plans to play in Europe, but wants to pursue his dream to play in the NBA.

- The high number of underclassmen entering the draft didn't play a role in his decision.

- According to Ogilvy, Coach Stallings thought he should wait to sign with an agent.

- When asked if he had any regrets at Vanderbilt, Ogilvy said, "The two tournament losses will haunt me, but we've had a lot of fun and won a lot of big games and I'll take those memories with me."

- On if he felt appreciated by the fans: "I think the fans did a great job of acknowledging me and cheering me on during games."

Watch the entire press conference below: