Meanwhile, at that other school in Tennessee...

[Plebe]

After worst two seasons in Vanderbilt women's basketball history, Stephanie White will return

 

[SECbbfan24]

Poor Vandy, they haven't been the same since Melanie Balcomb

Is she still at Texas Tech?

 

[biobioprof]

Poor Vandy, they haven't been the same since Melanie Balcomb

Is she still at Texas Tech?

Not sure what she's doing now but she left Texas Tech at the end of 2017 for a personal medical reason. She had been brought in by Candi Whitaker, who was fired a month later.

Trivia: Recee Caldwell, who just finished at Cal as a grad transfer, was on that Tech team.

 

[bennyskid]

I had no idea Tennessee had two schools . . .

Seems weird . . . like turkey bacon. I found out that's a thing today, too.

 

[JordyG]

Dear Vanderbilt, the ship isn't sinking, it's just that your expectations are rising.

 

[eebmg]

Beating TN must have saved her job.

 

[triaddukefan]

 

[SECbbfan24]

There is no way Stephanie White lasts after next year

 

[garddog]

They are giving Kim Rosamund another year over at Tenn Tech. She was their lead recruiter for 9 years before White.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Stephanie is a good X's and O's coach, but she does seem to have a lot of transfers.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Stephanie is a good X's and O's coach, but she does seem to have a lot of transfers.

And injuries...

 

[DaddyChoc]

here's a good candidate

 

[DanishBulldog]

Vandy was making a lot of progress during the year, but it wasn't showing up in the Win column. If they don't get over the hump next year, I would pull the plug and get a new coach.

 

[Plebe]

Vandy was making a lot of progress during the year, but it wasn't showing up in the Win column. If they don't get over the hump next year, I would pull the plug and get a new coach.

I think next year is the put up or shut up year. She's been hurt bad by injuries and transfers, and losing Cierra Walker is another blow. But she still has Fasoula, Newby, Hall and others plus a pretty decent recruiting class. I don't know what would qualify as "over the hump," but they definitely have to show progress. Almost no way she survives another bottom-dweller year.

 

[DanishBulldog]

I don't know what would qualify as "over the hump," but they definitely have to show progress.

Stop losing games to teams like North Alabama would be a good place to start.

 

[Plebe]

Stop losing games to teams like North Alabama would be a good place to start.

Or to Florida and Ole Miss.

 

[DefenseBB]

Stephanie is a good X's and O's coach, but she does seem to have a lot of transfers.

“Good x’s and o’s Coach”? As evidenced by what exactly?

 

[Dillon77]

In all candor, I think the only reason that Stephanie White didn't follow Coach Drew out the door is because she's only halfway though the six-year contract she was signed to in 2016. Even for a new AD (who could look in his rear view mirror and assign blame), that's a lot of cash to be paying out to "exe's" in your first few months on the job.

Some high...no, make that low lights. Ones that are tough to ignore:
- White has a 28-63 record, including a 9-39 SEC mark. Her past two seasons — 7-24 in 2017-18 and 7-23 in 2018-19 — were the worst in program history, just like Drew’s team did in the same two seasons.
- For context, Melanie Balcomb was coming off one losing record, then a, say, mediocre one. The tank was not empty (Overbeck was there).
2010-11: 20–12 NCAA First Round
2011-12: 23–10 NCAA Second Round
2012-13 21–12 NCAA Second Round
2013-14: 18–13 NCAA First Round
2014-15: 15-16
2015–16: 18–14
- Four players with eligibility remaining left after the 2017-18 season. Kayla Overbeck (Southern Cal), Erin Whalen (Dayton) and Blessing Ejiofor (Chipola College) transferred, and Paige Warren left the team but remained enrolled at Vanderbilt. And now Walker is hitting the road.
- The best player on the team is Mariella Fasoula (who some UConn and ND fans would love to have as a grad transfer) and she'll work with a large incoming class. Two top-100 players but not a "right the ship quickly" class.

So, given this news that she'll back, I think this year had better see marked progress. They're not paying her to change that culture (Jim Foster and Balcomb did a pretty good job in that department). She's got to, err, win.

 

[triaddukefan]

Stop losing games to teams like North Alabama would be a good place to start.

North Alabama is still playing in the WBI

 

[SECbbfan24]

“Good x’s and o’s Coach”? As evidenced by what exactly?

I think this a great summary of the Vanderbilt and Tennessee programs.

 

[eebmg]

Lower the hoops.

I think this a great summary of the Vanderbilt and Tennessee programs.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Lower the hoops.

why, they'd run into them

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

“Good x’s and o’s Coach”? As evidenced by what exactly?

My observations from behind the opposing team’s bench. She just doesn’t have the experienced horses to win, but they had a lot of competitive games against good teams.

 

[Vowelguy]

I had no idea Tennessee had two schools . . .

Seems weird . . . like turkey bacon. I found out that's a thing today, too.

Uhhh, can we at least do a little representin for our AAC colleagues at Memphis.

 

[Vowelguy]

The Ole Miss coach lost pretty much her whole team, and they still did better than Vandy. I dont know what the issues are, but White has gone from home-run hire to whiffing on her first two pitches.

 

[Dillon77]

My observations from behind the opposing team’s bench. She just doesn’t have the experienced horses to win, but they had a lot of competitive games against good teams.

But that raises a topic/question that is raised here and in in news reports: she had experienced players and not bad ones. Why did they leave? Maybe the early ones could be attributed to change in leadership. But Cierra Walker, a leader of this year's team is leaving with one year left?

Glad she appears to be getting the best out of what she has, but the tenure up to this point raises more questions than it answers from the games I've seen and activity that has been chronicled.