Vanderbilt

[YoDore]

Stole this from @Sluconn Husky on the May Recruiting thread. Just happy to have a wee bit of Vandy news.

P Kate Koval (Class of '24)
6-foot-5
Long Island Lutheran (New York)
Unranked to No. 20

Koval has created quite the buzz among recruiters from high school play and now into club basketball. As size is a premium, skilled size is highly sought after -- so much so that she already boasts offers from Vanderbilt, Tennessee, South Carolina, Oregon, Louisville, Ohio State, NC State, Miami and Maryland.

She knows her game -- physical and on the block. She has a feel that allows her to play against double teams, whether she passes to the open teammate or takes advantage of her strengths for an easy bucket inside.

Koval has decent mobility and is comfortable away from the paint when she needs to be. She keeps things simple, and as she continues to get more experience in a faster pace, watch for her to continue to blossom. She plays for Exodus (New York) on the Nike EYBL circuit.

 

[CL82]

Wonder what Committed without a % means….

Sort of committed?

 

[YoDore]

Next stop appears to be Georgia Tech.

Any word on whether Agata visited anywhere other than Vandy, Georgia Tech and Miami? Would love to see Shea get this one.

 

[Argonaut]

Any word on whether Agata visited anywhere other than Vandy, Georgia Tech and Miami? Would love to see Shea get this one.

Just those three and they headed back to Poland.

Hopefully Anna puts in a good word about her time playing for Shea and with Kyla.

 

[YoDore]

Just those three and they headed back to Poland.

Hopefully Anna puts in a good word about her time playing for Shea and with Kyla.

Thanks. My thinking is Anna would have given them the scoop on Shea good or bad, so she must have had good things to say since the family used one of their three visits at Vandy. Fingers crossed. We need some good recruiting news.

 

[Plebe]

And she’s 1000% committed….for now anyway.

One thousand percent! Really puts to shame all those people who are only 110% committed. Slackers.

 

[eebmg]

One thousand percent! Really puts to shame all those people who are only 110% committed. Slackers.

Those 1000% er's must have major sleep disorders.

 

[CL82]

One thousand percent! Really puts to shame all those people who are only 110% committed. Slackers.

You have to respect the 1000% committed, at least until someone decides to be 1001% committed.

 

[YoDore]

Nice overview of coach Ralph's first season at Vandy.

Foundation Laid

The Commodores have come alive again

vucommodores.com

Team One:

Year 1, Team 1 by Vanderbilt Athletics on Exposure

Shea Ralph was named the sixth head coach in Vanderbilt women's basketball history on April 13, 2021, after spending 13 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut.Ralph's inaugural staff included husband Tom Garrick as associate head coach, and Vanderbilt alumna Ashley Early...

anchordown.exposure.co

 

[YoDore]

Lots of competition for this young lady, but at least Vandy's name is in the hat.

 

[UConnCat]

Good for Shea.

 

[YoDore]

Interview with coach Ralph this morning on Nashville's ESPN radio station. Nothing earth shattering. Interview starts at 3:02:00 and runs for about 15 minutes. Interesting discussion between the hosts starting about 3:22:00 about Shea and the program.

 

[YoDore]

SEC schedule but no times, dates or TV info yet. As always, Vandy plays Tennessee home and away. The two other teams we play twice are LSU and Arkansas. Two each against UT and LSU? Thanks for that.

SEC Opponents Set

Vanderbilt to play Arkansas, LSU and Tennessee twice

vucommodores.com

 

[dws3665]

Tennessee is the permanent partner, so the 'Dores are always stuck with that.

 

[YoDore]

Tennessee is the permanent partner, so the 'Dores are always stuck with that.

Yep. The LSU part seems like rubbing it in, though . Probably two of the top three teams in the league behind SC. To be honest, it's year two of a massive rebuild job, and I'm not too worried about wins and losses yet. I'd love to see the same amount of progress as last year, and if that happens, we'll win a few. SC, LSU and UT would be massive upsets, and while I'd love to see it, I simply don't bother myself about winning those games. I would like to see us cut the SC margin under 50, though. Seems reasonable.

 

[YoDore]

Vandy to play in Cancun Challenge during Thanksgiving.

Commodores in Cancun

Vanderbilt will compete in Thanksgiving tournament

vucommodores.com

 

[eebmg]

Vandy to play in Cancun Challenge during Thanksgiving.

Commodores in Cancun

Vanderbilt will compete in Thanksgiving tournament

vucommodores.com

That might add a transfer or 2.

 

[YoDore]

The Tom Garrick Show co-starring May May.

 

[YoDore]

No word on matchups yet, but the teams involved in the Cancun Challenge have been released, and Vandy is in the same bracket as N.C. State. Not everyone will play each other. The Dores, and the other teams in their bracket, will play two games, and there are six teams in the bracket. The other bracket has only four teams, but each team in that one will play a round-robin schedule giving them three games each. I guess not everyone wants the expense of staying that extra day and playing the extra game.

The Commodores will be in the Riviera bracket with Central Michigan, North Carolina State, Northern Iowa, Tulane and West Virginia.

Harvard, Florida State, Purdue and Oklahoma State are in the Mayan bracket.

I'd like to see us have one matchup where we have a good chance to win, but I wouldn't mind seeing us take on N.C. State. We gained a lot by playing good teams last Thanksgiving (Arizona, Depaul and Rutgers), and a matchup against a Top 10 team could help us prepare for conference play.

Just about three months until practice starts.

 

[YoDore]

Assistant coach Kevin Demille on the way to Hungary. I know Cambridge and Ume are definite Vandy targets, but I have no idea who else.

 

[YoDore]

Vandy offers 6'4 post from Colorado ('23). She also got an offer from Boston College today. Has several others including Minnesota and Clemson.

 

[YoDore]

Vandy offer to a 6'2 player from Arizona, Khamil Pierre, for the class of '23. ESPN has her ranked 87 for the class, and she has 20-plus offers

 

[YoDore]

Another one. Appears to be a shooting guard out of Ohio. I don't know a lot about her.

 

[JellyBean]

The Tom Garrick Show co-starring May May.

Caught a glimpse of one of my favorite drills in that clip. Love the energy they had in the workouts. Thanks for sharing the clip. Awesome stuff. Coach Ralph and staff will have Vandy being a tough out in that SEC. No easy nights for any team when you are playing Vandy.

 

[YoDore]

One more. Can't say I know a lot about these players, but there's no doubt coach Ralph is looking to get bigger. Three of the four players offered last week are 6'2 or taller.

 

[triaddukefan]

The Tom Garrick Show co-starring May May.

Another sign of me getting old.... I remember him playing for Rhode Island back in the day. They gave Duke all they could handle in the 1988 Sweet 16.

 

[YoDore]

Another sign of me getting old.... I remember him playing for Rhode Island back in the day. They gave Duke all they could handle in the 1988 Sweet 16.

I've seen a bit of film. He could play.

 

[WFFL]

Pains me to see Mulkey walk in the SEC and put Ralph in the shadows of recruits smh . Ralph is a better coach and motivator imo than Mulkey , Staley and Harper. Recruits should really give her a chance !!

 

[CL82]

Pains me to see Mulkey walk in the SEC and put Ralph in the shadows of recruits smh . Ralph is a better coach and motivator imo than Mulkey , Staley and Harper. Recruits should really give her a chance !!

Shea Ralph is a good coach. I like what she did last year in remaking the team. But there is simply no basis to say she’s a better coach and a better motivator than Mulkey. Mulkey is one of the best coaches in women’s college basketball right now. Shea hasn’t earned that yet.

 

[Mdoggie]

Pains me to see Mulkey walk in the SEC and put Ralph in the shadows of recruits smh . Ralph is a better coach and motivator imo than Mulkey , Staley and Harper. Recruits should really give her a chance !!

I think it has more to do with the College as I believe Vandy maybe a little harder to get into. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Also It’s too early in the game to put Shea in the company of Mulkey or Staley regarding coaching and recruiting as a head coach. Harper not so much.