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Tough Transition to the Colonial (CAA) - King Rice and Monmouth

King had a couple of Junior and Senior laden groups of players the last two years whereas he has lots of new "young and inexperienced" players this year.

Hopefully, he can survive this rocky transition which represents an upgrade in conference (from the MAAC); the Hawks one win this year is versus an old MAAC opponent . . . Manhattan. They did play Charleston in a fairly competitive manner for most of the first half yesterday.



Source: Monmouth University Athletics Website [My Edits: (King's son plays at Bucknell leading the Bison in scoring, assists and steals.) AND (Look at the results during his time at VU.)

NCAA POSTSEASON APPEARANCES
As a head coach (2):
NIT (Monmouth, 2016, 2017)
As an assistant coach (8):
NCAA (Illinois State 1997, 1998, Vanderbilt 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011)
NIT (Illinois State 1995, 1996)
As a player (4):
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 (North Carolina 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 [Final Four])
ACC Tournament Championship Teams (1989, 1991)

WHAT'S BEEN SAID ABOUT KING RICE
"We want to congratulate King and his family for this great opportunity to be a collegiate head coach. He brought a tremendous amount of energy, liveliness, hard work, and dedication to his position here at Vanderbilt, and I believe those attributes will make him a very successful head coach at Monmouth. We wish him, his wife Summer, and their son Alexander all of the best in their future endeavors."
- Kevin Stallings, Head Coach, University of Pittsburgh

"I am ecstatic for King and the Monmouth basketball program. He will do a great job there. He was a coach on the floor as a player and has always thought like a coach. He is ready to be a head coach. I'm confident that Monmouth will look upon this as a great day in its basketball program's history."
- Roy Williams, Head Coach, University of North Carolina

Rice's Year-by-Year Coaching Record

SeasonOverallConferencePostseason
2011-1212-20 10-8 (T-5th NEC)NEC First Round
2012-1310-215-13 (T-10th NEC)N/A
2013-1411-215-15 (9th MAAC)MAAC First Round
2014-1518-1513-7 (T-3rd MAAC)MAAC Semifinals
2015-1628-817-3 (1st MAAC)MAAC Finals, NIT Second Round
2016-1727-718-2 (1st MAAC)MAAC Semifinals, NIT First Round
2017-1811-207-11 (T-7th MAAC)MAAC First Round
2018-1914-2110-8 (6th MAAC)MAAC Finals
2019-2018-1312-8 (T-3rd MAAC)MAAC Tournament Canceled - COVID-19
2020-2112-8 12-6 (T-1st MAAC)MAAC Quarterfinals (COVID shortened year)
2021-2221-13 11-9 (4th MAAC) MAAC Finals
TOTAL182-167120-90
15-21 NEC
105-69 MAAC

FB Recruiting 2023 local linebacker talks recent Vanderbilt offer, has decision timeline

I caught up with Bryan Longwell. He will make a decision soon.

Disparity between stars and NFL success

Interesting article on The Athletic about how HS recruiting stars for offensive players are less predictive of NFL success than defensive ratings. Quote:

"On this year’s NFLPA All-Pro Team, none of the 11 offensive players selected had been a five-star recruit; only one of them, guard Zack Martin, was even ranked as a four-star prospect. The average star ranking of the 11 players was 2.0. It’s on the opposite side of the ball where stars apparently really matter. Of the 11 defensive players on the All-Pro team, seven had been five-star recruits and two more were four-stars prospects. The other two were three-star players, making the average 4.5."

FB Recruiting Brainerd (Tenn.) 2025 ATH Jayun Smith details Vandy offer

Brainerd (Tenn.) 2025 ATH Jayun Smith, an intriguing in-state talent, picked up an SEC offer from Vanderbilt this past week. Smith announced the opportunity from the Commodores over social media this past Tuesday.

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The 6-foot-1, 180-pound recruiting target out of Chattanooga, TN. sat down with VandySportsDotCom to detail his opportunity from the Commodores, revealing his overall interest in the program.

Smith said the Commodores got involved in his recruitment just recently as he sent out his film this past week.

"It feels great, a very big offer," Smith said. "I just sent out my film four days ago, so it was a short period."

As an in-state recruit, Smith said that it feels great to have the option to play close to home and still be able to see family, friends and possibly compete with old teammates. Smith, who connected with the Commodores' defensive coordinator Nick Howell, added that he hasn't decided on his visit date yet but is eager to learn more about the program.

"Very special to be able to play close to home while still being able to see family, friends and maybe play with old teammates," Smith said. "And I haven't planned on visiting yet... I wanna see a lot more of Vanderbilt, and I liked the defensive coordinator."

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Basketball Basketball season over?

Walking into Memorial Gym Tuesday and seeing Robbins in a walking boot, then finding out he’s out for 4-6 weeks took the fan life out of me for the season. Robbins, clearly our best player, was the one guy we couldn’t afford to lose. Sitting on razor thin margins already, I’m not sure if we win more than 2 more games now.

QMB is playing like he’s got vertigo (wtf happened to him), and Dort will foul out in less than 15 minutes each game.

Stack alluded to needing Dia to step up but can he guard anybody?

Seeing our guys miss all of those wide open looks just reminded me how bad of a shooting team we actually have.

I really felt like we were going to win 7 games or more if things went well, now, I’d say we finish 4-14, win a game Wednesday of SECt, then season ends Thursday.

I hope the team keeps fighting though. Georgia game is huge and comes at a bad time.

Football Jayden Everett officially joins the staff (press release)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea has announced the addition of Jayden Everett as assistant coach. Everett will serve as the Commodore running backs coach.

Everett joins Vandy following two seasons as the running backs coach at Tulsa. He also has coaching stints at Akron, Central Michigan and Indiana State.

“I’m excited to welcome Jayden Everett and his family to Vanderbilt,” Lea said. “Jayden has established himself as a rising star in our industry as both a coach and recruiter. Most importantly, Jayden’s ability to forge relationships will have an immediate impact on our staff and in our running backs room.”

With Tulsa in 2022, Everett mentee Deneric Prince led the team with 729 rushing yards, finishing among the American Athletic Conference’s top 10 and the top 100 in FBS.

Everett mentored Shamari Brooks to a 1,000-yard season in 2021. Brooks ran for seven touchdowns on the season and finished his career second on Tulsa’s career rushing yards list. As a team, the Golden Hurricane ranked third in the conference with 192 yards per game.

Prior to Tulsa, Everett spent four seasons as a running backs coach in the Mid-American Conference. He coached at Central Michigan from 2017-18 and Akron from 2019-20.

With the Zips, running back Teon Dollard ran for 666 yards and six touchdowns on 112 carries. Dollard was the first running back and just the fourth offensive player in program history to earn first team All-MAC honors.

For the Chippewas, Jonathan Ward ran for 1,019 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2017, adding 470 receiving yards. He was the first CMU running back to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in three seasons and went on to play for the Arizona Cardinals before joining the Tennessee Titans.

Everett also led the recruitment of Lew Nicholas Jr. who went on to be named MAC Freshman of the Year in 2020.

Before Central Michigan, Everett spent four seasons at his alma mater, Indiana State. Shakir Bell notched 4,214 career rushing yards under Everett’s tutelage, placing him second all-time at ISU. In 2014, Everett helped the Sycamores reach the postseason for the first time in 30 years as they made the second round of the FCS playoffs.

Everett started his coaching career at Hutchinson Community College as recruiting coordinator and running backs coach. Future NFL All-Pro receiver Cordarrelle Patterson played at Hutchinson while Everett was there. Patterson was later selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the NFL Draft.

As a player, Everett was a linebacker at Indiana State. He was named the team’s MVP and was a defensive captain as a senior. He ranked among the top-20 in FCS in tackles that season, making 102 to earn All-Missouri Valley honorable mention accolades.

The Newton, Kansas, native earned a degree in psychology from Indiana State in 2009. He and his wife, Susan, have two children — Vera and Kaenan.

Audio PODCAST: Highlights, lowlights, remembrances and regrets

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For the first time in podcast history, Chris Lee is a guest on his own show. George Plaster asks him to reflect on his time with Tim Corbin, Kevin Stallings, Bryce Drew, Jerry Stackhouse, David Williams, Bobby Johnson, James Franklin, Clark Lea and more, and takes mailbag questions for Chris, too.

FB Recruiting Donelson Christian Academy (Tenn.) 2026 TE Carson Sneed details Vanderbilt offer

Donelson Christian Academy (Tenn.) 2026 tight end Carson Sneed, a rising in-state talent, picked up an offer from Vanderbilt earlier this month, announcing the opportunity from the Commodores over social media on Friday, Jan. 13.

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The 6-foot-6, 215-pound tight end out of Nashville, TN. talked to VandySportsDotCom about how it felt to pick up an offer from his hometown school and detailed his overall interest in the Commodores' program.

"It feels great to get an offer from my hometown school, same city I've lived my whole life," Sneed said. "They haven't been involved too long. It kind of all happened pretty fast honestly. I'm still very grateful for the offer from my hometown school."

Sneed said that he's interested in visiting West End whenever that opportunity arises. He added that while he doesn't know a whole lot about Vanderbilt's roster, one player that stands out to him is former Mount Juliet linebacker Ethan Crisp, who now plays for the Commodores. Sneed added that Crisp is friends with his older brother.

"Whenever the opportunity comes up, I would love to visit," Sneed said. "And I don't know a whole lot about their roster, the only player that stands out is Ethan Crisp because I know him and he's friends with my older brother."

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FB Recruiting Phenix City (Ala.) 2024 S Rydarrius Morgan details Vanderbilt offer

Phenix City (Ala.) 2024 safety Rydarrius Morgan, an intriguing recruiting target with several big names looking at him, picked up his very first SEC offer from Vanderbilt earlier this month, announcing the opportunity from the Commodores over social media on Jan. 12.

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The 6-foot-0, 175-pound safety out of Phenix City, AL. talked with VandySportsDotCom about how how it felt to pick up an offer from Vanderbilt and discussed his overall interest in the Commodores' program.

"Feels great to be offered by the Commodores," Morgan said. "Glad they are giving me the opportunity to play for them. I've been in touch with them since September."

Morgan said he's extremely interested in Vanderbilt and is eager to visit West End as he's planning to stop by on Jan. 28. He said he's excited to see more of the Commodores program and meet the coaching staff.

"I'm talking about visiting on the 28th," Morgan said. "I'm very excited to see what they have to offer and to see what the coaching staff is like."

On top of the offer from Vanderbilt, Morgan also holds an opportunity from UAB, and has garnered the interest of Auburn, East Carolina and Tennessee.

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Basketball Guess the Record and Coaching Search Decision

With Liam Robbins seemingly being out for most of season, let’s hear your predictions for Vanderbilt’s final record and what the administration will decide to do. I’ll go first.

Record: 13-18 (6-12)
Decision: Vanderbilt and Stackhouse “mutually part ways” after the SECT. Vandy hires Pat Kelsey (that’s the dream part for me).

Interested to hear everyone’s predictions.
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