Vanderbilt

[PhilipVU94]

Congrats to Mikayla. If you're reading this thread you likely already know about her 53 points tonight at Florida -- SEC record and national freshman record (record just under a year old, in fact).

Also a nice win against an opponent that has given us trouble at times. Way to go, Dores!

 

[RoadMaster]

Swipe..

 

[YoDore]

Coach Ralph and Mikayla Blakes after Florida game where Blakes set an SEC record and broke the NCAA freshman single-game scoring record with 53 points. JuJu Watkins had the record with a 51-point performance last season.

 

[Dillon77]

Swipe..

Wow.
As a resident of Northern NJ, I knew Blakes was good and for awhile, there was some mutual interest between Ms. Blakes and Notre Dame, my educational and rooting interest. However, she chose Vandy, which certainly one had to respect for all kinds of reasons, athletic and academic.

I knew she was good, but recently she's morphed into a dominating guard. Way to go. Will be interesting in how she matches up against very physical and defensive Ole Miss team.

 

[YoDore]

Sports Illustrated has a nice feature on Mikayla Blakes.

SI:AM | Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes Sets True Freshman Scoring Record

Move over, JuJu Watkins.

www.si.com

 

[Blakeon18]

Mikayla just a frosh!

Season so far:

Points per game: 22.4
Rebounds per game 3.1
.Assists per game: 3.1
Field goal percentage 46.9

We have a pretty fair frosh at UConn...wonder who wins the award of Best Frosh of the
Year?

I wonder if either one [or both] gets on first team AA?

Sarah has better talent surrounding her...that might explain the higher ppg for Mikayla...then again
it also might mean Vandy's opponents first focus on defense is Blakes.

 

[cancontent]

Mikayla just a frosh!

Season so far:

Points per game: 22.4
Rebounds per game 3.1
.Assists per game: 3.1
Field goal percentage 46.9

We have a pretty fair frosh at UConn...wonder who wins the award of Best Frosh of the
Year?

I wonder if either one [or both] gets on first team AA?

Sarah has better talent surrounding her...that might explain the higher ppg for Mikayla...then again
it also might mean Vandy's opponents first focus on defense is Blakes.

Great points and questions. To me, they're both thriving in great situations which bodes well, not only for both teams but the NCAA as a whole. The more storylines to follow, the better for the game.

 

[YoDore]

Mikayla just a frosh!

Season so far:

Points per game: 22.4
Rebounds per game 3.1
.Assists per game: 3.1
Field goal percentage 46.9

We have a pretty fair frosh at UConn...wonder who wins the award of Best Frosh of the
Year?

I wonder if either one [or both] gets on first team AA?

Sarah has better talent surrounding her...that might explain the higher ppg for Mikayla...then again
it also might mean Vandy's opponents first focus on defense is Blakes.

Teams are getting very physical with her. Mark Schindler, the host of "They've Got Now," said on a recent podcast that Mikayla is getting thrown around like a rag doll, but she just bounces up and keeps going. She took a beating at Florida Thursday night, and it was not dirty play. Just physical. I expect her to get mugged at every turn Sunday against Ole Miss, but it doesn't seem to bother her all that much so far. She scored 19 against Ole miss in Oxford on 8 of 16 shooting and had five rebounds. She needs Iyana Moore to step up and take some pressure off and for Khamil Pierre to break out of a two-game slump.

 

[YoDore]

Ole Miss 76 Vanderbilt 61

Assistant coach Ashley Earley pretty well summed it up after the game on the radio:

“Hats off to Ole Miss. They seem to have our number. Every time we play them, they out-hustle us. They are the tougher team.”

On a positive note, Khamil Pierre, who had been struggling the past couple games, bounced back with 24 points and 7 rebounds. But, Mikayla Blakes picked up two early fouls and sat out part of the first period then picked up her third foul two minutes into the second quarter and sat out the rest of the half. She wound up with 16, almost all in the second half, but Ole Miss was in control the final three periods.

 

[YoDore]

Mikayla Blakes has been named the United States Basketball Writer's Association (USBWA) Freshman of the Week for the third straight week after her record-breaking, 53-point performance at Florida.




Plus........

 

[YoDore]

Every team needs a Jordyn Oliver. She is invaluable to the Commodores. She has played every position from 1 to 5. Both Mikayla Blakes and Khamil Pierre, who get the lion's share of attention, have credited Oliver for being a leader and a calming influence on the floor.

 

[YoDore]

Mikayla Blakes wins her sixth SEC Freshman of the Week award.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK​

Mikayla Blakes • Vanderbilt
Mikayla Blakes scored 22 points, pulled down four rebounds, and collected three steals at No. 4/6 Texas last Thursday. Blakes extended her double-digit scoring streak to 10 games with a 22-point performance at No. 4/6 Texas. The guard shot 57.1 percent from the field and went a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Blakes pulled down four rebounds, tallied three steals, and dished out two assists against the Longhorns. The Somerset, New Jersey, native posted her 15th game of the season with 20 or more points. Blakes is averaging 22.8 points in five games vs. ranked opponents this season. Her 22-point performance marked the freshman’s seventh SEC game in which she scored 20-plus points.

 

[YoDore]

 

[YoDore]

Vandy's new practice facility, The Huber Center, was recently dedicated. It's said to be the largest in the country, and those who have seen it say it is state of the art. In addition to separate practice courts for the men and women, there is a large weight room, recreation areas, film rooms, training rooms and dining facilities. Here's a brief video tour. I keep hoping someone will do a full, guided tour:

 

[YoDore]

Vandy's Blakes scores NCAA D1 freshman record in win over Auburn - Southeastern Conference

Mikayla Blakes resets her own Division I women's freshman record with a 55-point performance to lead the Commodores to a 98-88 overtime victory over the Tigers.

www.secsports.com

 

[YoDore]

Nice bit of recognition for coach Ralph.

 

[Geew1992]

Vandy's Blakes scores NCAA D1 freshman record in win over Auburn - Southeastern Conference

Mikayla Blakes resets her own Division I women's freshman record with a 55-point performance to lead the Commodores to a 98-88 overtime victory over the Tigers.

www.secsports.com

30 points in 10 mins and 55 secs. Absolutely amazing but how many were with the clock stopped???

 

[BRS24]

Nice bit of recognition for coach Ralph.

IMHO, as much as I hate to admit it, she's gonna stay there when there's an opening in, ahem, a certain northeast school. She's from NC, and imagine what a few more top players (incoming or portal) would do for the program.

 

[YoDore]

30 points in 10 mins and 55 secs. Absolutely amazing but how many were with the clock stopped???

Not sure. I know she hit five free throws in the final seven seconds of regulation, including three with .9 seconds left to send the game to overtime. She hit five more in OT, completing a 23 of 24 performance at the line. She missed the last one after hitting 23 in a row. She also had 5 assists and 5 rebounds. It was truly a remarkable performance that I won't ever forget.

 

[Gus Mahler]

@YoDore: What's VU's recruiting situation for next year? Any size coming in?

 

[CajunHusk94]

@YoDore: What's VU's recruiting situation for next year? Any size coming in?

Probably from the portal

 

[YoDore]

@YoDore: What's VU's recruiting situation for next year? Any size coming in?

Shea has signed a 6'3 kid from Australia, Monique Williams, who started school in January and is practicing with the team but will not play so they can preserve four full years of eligibility. She's strong and seems to like being physical though I would not say she's a great leaper. Just plays hard and battles. I think she'll help.

Also, as you probably know, Sacha Washington (6'2) will be back for he senior year after sitting out this season with a blood clot in her leg. She has been doing everything on the court that doesn't require contact. I expect her to be better than ever. They say she has really worked hard on her game during these months.

Along with Williams, they've signed 5'11 Ava Black from Tabor Academy in Massachusetts. She's a combo guard/small forward who is a great athlete, is physical and can shoot it.

The fun one is 5'6 guard Aubrey Galvan out of Chicago. Number-one point guard in Illinois. Has scored 2,000 points with 500 assists and 500 steals in her career. Attends Loyola Academy and is a Blue Star 30 player and two-time Adidas All-American. Oh, and a 4.0 student.

Plays the game with a bit of flair. She's fun to watch:

 

[YoDore]

The Dores lost 101-81 at Oklahoma last night in a virtual repeat of the game at Texas a couple weeks ago. Down five midway through the third quarter, the team just hit a wall. Got smashed on the boards 54-29. Mikayla Blakes continues her stellar season with 34 points. Khamil Pierre had a cold-shooting 11, but, continuing a recent trend, the rest of the team struggled offensively. Well, it's fair to take note of Justine Pissott's nine points and her season-high 20 minutes of playing time. She has had a puzzling season and has only been a factor in recent games.

The team returns home for a contest against South Carolina Sunday. I want to thank UConn for waking the Gamecocks up a week before we play them. Much appreciated.

I'm not all that dismayed with where we are. I predicted 8-8 in conference play, and if we beat Texas A&M and Missouri to finish the regular season, we'll be 8-8. We're just taking a different route than I expected.

 

[YoDore]

Great story from The Tennessean on Mikayla Blakes' decision to choose Vanderbilt. No subscription needed.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/vanderbilt/2025/02/18/mikayla-blakes-vanderbilt-womens-basketball-shea-ralph/78339559007/

 

[YoDore]

A couple 247 stories here about Vandy's recent struggles and what it will take to straighten things out. Bottom line, the offense has hit a wall of sorts with only Mikayla Blakes and Khamil Pierre carrying the huge part of the load, and Pierre has struggled from time to time, also.

And, the third quarter has been deadly during this time period. On the road at Texas and Oklahoma Vandy was within six points nearing midway through the third quarter when the wheels fell completely off. Same thing happened at home Sunday against South Carolina. Down six near the middle of the third, had a potential two-player breakaway, but a pass sailed over their head out of bounds. The Gamecocks went on a 16-1 run, and that was that. To be fair, I've seen South Carolina do that to teams for years in the second half, but it's sort of becoming a trend in Vandy games the past couple of weeks. Giving up 47 rebounds, including 20 offensive, didn't help any.

Here's the part where sanity has to prevail. As much as we'd like to see it, there's no way Vandy fans should expect to go on the road and beat Texas and Oklahoma or win at home against South Carolina. But, when you're in the game during the second half and wind up getting pretty much blown out, it hurts your feelings.

https://247sports.com/college/vanderbilt/article/morris-vanderbilt-must-figure-it-out-this-week-in-order-to-succeed-in-march-246108646/