Last Year: 22-15, Fourth (11-7) in the Southeastern Conference, lost in the quarterfinals of the NIT
Head Coach: Jerry Stackhouse (Fifth Year; 61-69 at Vanderbilt with no NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
| PG Ezra Manjon – 6’0″, 170 – Senior (5th) |
| SG Tyrin Lawrence – 6’4″, 200 – Senior |
| SF Evan Taylor – 6’6″, 205 – Senior (5th) |
| PF Ven-Allen Lubin – 6’8″, 220 – Sophomore |
| C Tasos Kamateros – 6’8″, 240 – Senior (5th) |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Ezra Manjon: 10.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.8 apg, 0.9 spg – 48.6% FG%
Tyrin Lawrence: 13.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.0 spg – 50.2% FG
Evan Taylor: 14.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.5 spg – 43.0% FG
Ven-Allen Lubin: 6.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.8 bpg – 58.0% FG @ Notre Dame
Tasos Kamateros: 12.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.3 bpg – 44.9 FG @ South Dakota
Experienced Reserves
| F Colin Smith – 6’8″, 215 – Sophomore |
| G Paul Lewis – 6’2″, 170 – Sophomore |
| C Lee Dort – 6’11”, 255 – Sophomore |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Colin Smith: 4.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.6 apg – 37.6% 3FG
Paul Lewis: 2.9 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.4 spg – 39.5% 3FG
Lee Dort: 1.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.7 bpg – 65.0% FG
Freshmen
| W Jason Rivera-Torres – 6’7″, 190 – Freshman – Consensus Top 150 recruit |
| G Isaiah West – 6’2″, 190 – Freshman – Consensus Top 200 recruit |
| F/C Carter Lang – 6’9″, 245 – Freshman – Consensus Top 200 |
| G Jordan Williams – 6’3″, 205 – Redshirt Freshman / Texas A&M |
| W Malik Presley – 6’6″, 185 – Freshman – Consensus Top 200 recruit |
| F JaQualon ‘JQ’ Roberts – 6’8″, 210 – Freshman |
All aboard, folks! The Commodores have gotten taste of postseason success, and now they’re adding talented new crewmen for another March voyage. After a run to end last season which brought Jerry Stackhouse’s team to the high-water-mark of success so far, Vandy is charting a course for Arizona. If there are fair winds and only a few raids from the feared nests of privateers, Gators and that pesky Crimson Tide along the Southeastern Conference seaboard, these ‘Dores are planning to arrive at their destination come March. And, once there, to show ’em how to party like they do in Nashville.
In its third and fourth seasons, head coach Stackhouse’s program has taken some meaningful steps forward the past two seasons. After winning a combined six SEC games in his first two seasons, Vandy has gone 18-18 in league play the past two years. Likewise, these past two crews have both won two games in the SEC tournament, and the same in the NIT afterwards. This past season, the Commodores somewhat redefined themselves without two-time All-SEC point guard Scottie Pippen, Jr. Now, Stackhouse has a more well-rounded team, not a sometimes-uncertain group led by a superstar. And despite the good bit of roster turnover, this season’s team is looking like the best one yet.
Even without Pippen and now-graduated star big man Liam Roberts, this Vanderbilt team has an undeniable star to build around. Tyrin Lawrence had a true breakout season last year, jumping from a scoring average of 3.8 per game in his first full season to more than 13 last year. And down the stretch, Lawrence was at his best. He put up 15.8 and 5.3 boards on a 51/41/78% slash line over Vandy’s final 20 games, establishing himself as a dangerous scorer from all three levels. “Your talent and your ability, not to take anything away from the guys on our roster, is different,’” Stackhouse recalled telling Lawrence last year. “I think he has the potential to play at the next level.” After a then-career-high 22 point outburst against Arkansas early in SEC play, Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman said “Lawrence dominated us off the dribble. The scouting report was no dribble drives left, and he continually went left and blew by us.”
It was a theme which would continue through league play, especially as Lawrence continued to knock down enough outside shots to force opponents to respect him from the perimeter. Then came his game-winner to knock off arch-rival Tennessee for the first time since 2017. “It felt great,” Lawrence enthused when interviewed post-game. “That’s stuff we dream about as kids – in the backyard, counting down from 3, 2, 1. Glad I was able to hit a game-winner; it’s something I’ll never forget.” So good was Lawrence last year that, this past offseason, he entered both the Transfer Portal and tested the NBA Draft waters to fully weigh his options. In the end, he opted to return to Nashville; where he will surely be given the spotlight in which to shine on the court this season, and be cared for off of it by the ‘Dores’ new NIL Collective, the Anchor Impact Fund. Lawrence is out to prove that last year was no fluke, and there’s more to come. With an even better outside shot, Lawrence will truly become a go-to guy capable of hitting the type of tough jumpers which defenders will try to force him into this time around, and getting buckets no matter what the other guys throw at him.
Joining Lawrence in the backcourt is Ezra Manjon, a veteran who did a nice job of transitioning from being the main man at UC-Davis to running a team in SEC play a year ago. He isn’t an outside shooting threat, but after years of needing to do it all offensively as an Aggie, Manjon tightened up his game and proved to be a very efficient floor general in his debut season at Vandy. Manjon, like Lawrence, is most comfortable putting it on the deck and driving towards the goal more so than hunting for outside shots. Also like Lawrence, he was one of the few players in Vandy’s lineup last year who could cause live-ball turnovers, and coordinate a quick attack on the other end. He’s extremely quick and has an aggressive mindest on both ends of the court; and despite his small stature, Manjon shied away from no matchups in his first year at the high-major level. Manjon had 140 assists against just 54 turnovers a year ago, re-proving his mettle from a time when he had the ball in his hands nearly all the time out West and had to force some things to keep the Aggies competitive. His overall assist rate of 27.6% ranked seventh in his new conference, and Manjon joined Lawrence in playing his best basketball late last year. Over Vandy’s final 13 games, Manjon averaged 14.2 points and 4.6 assists on 58.4% true shooting. He was named to the SEC All-Tournament team after going off to average 19.3 points over the team’s three tourney tilts – including 25 to knock Kentucky out in the quarterfinals. Manjon also has a knack for getting to the charity stripe, and is a 76.6% career free throw shooter. It would be a huge boost to the lineup if Manjon could become a more worrying deep jump shooter, but as is he’s a steady leader who is very good at the things he does well.
Jordan Wright had been a big part of Vanderbilt’s resurgence, starting 68 games the past three years and scoring more a thousand points as a Commodore. He’s returned to his home state, though, transferring to SEC rival LSU to cap off his career. To fill his spot in the lineup and role as a shooter, ‘Coach Stack’ snagged Lehigh transfer Evan Taylor. Wright was the top defensive playmaker on a team which struggled mightily to turn the opposition over last year, and the hope is there won’t be much of a drop-off – and, Stackhouse hopes, maybe an improvement – with Taylor on the wing this year. “Evan is an exciting addition to our team,” Taylor’s new coach said upon the graduate senior’s pledge to Vandy. “He is an experienced wing with size, who has been amongst the top scorers and shooters in the Patriot League over the course of his career. Evan is ready to reach a new level with his game while with us at Vanderbilt.” A four-year starter for the Mountain Hawks, Taylor is a 41% career shooter from downtown, and has knocked down 109 outside shots over the past two seasons. That’s invaluable, because the Commodores have lost the players responsible for 250 of the team’s 310 made triples from a year ago. Taylor is more than a shooter, too. He’s been Lehigh’s go-to scorer each of the past two years, and the 6’6 lefty has the ability to score both inside and out. While he may be more of a perimeter player than Vanderbilt fans got used to Miles Stute being, Taylor has shown a willingness to drive against stronger, more athletic defenders. The hope is that, as the second or third target of opposing defenses for a change, Taylor can provide a new outside weapon who keeps defenders honest and maintains good spacing for Lawrence and Manjon on their drives.
Up front, there are some prominent new faces. After losing three of his top four bigs from a year ago, Stackhouse has replaced one trio of multi-skilled forwards with another. The prize addition is Notre Dame transfer Ven-Allen Lubin, a four-star recruit just a year ago with lots of untapped potential. “He is versatile, athletic and provides our roster with a valuable combination of proven collegiate production and long-term upside. He can play multiple positions and does so with a great motor and athleticism,” Stackhouse glowed when Lubin joined the ‘Dores. Lubin acquitted himself rather well as a freshman last season, playing almost 18 minutes per night with seven starts for the Irish as the season came to a close. With a 67.1% mark near the rim and a strong 51.4% rate on all other 2FG tries, Lubin made 58.0% of his shots overall as a freshman, per Bart Torvik. He scored in double figures five times during ND’s final ten games, including a 19 point, 8 board & 3 block effort against Wake Forest.
With a 67.1% mark near the rim and a strong 51.4% rate on all other 2FG tries, Lubin made 58.0% of his shots overall as a freshman
While Lubin is unpolished, he has a lot of skills that will allow him to make an impact while the fine-tuning process gets rolling. Lubin is long and bouncy, with both good strength and the reach to guard and grab rebounds over bigger, more experienced players. He’s also quick and athletic enough to cover smaller guys on switches, and when all else fails, Lubin is a skilled shot blocker whose raw athleticism can cover up his mistakes as well as those of his teammates. While his jump shot is still a bit mechanical, Lubin has the ability to knock down shots from the elbow, and he was decent (68%) from the foul stripe in his first college season. While his offensive approach may take awhile to expand, Lubin will cash in lots of opportunities from Manjon as he rolls to the rim or off of putbacks – he led the Fighting Irish with 28 such attempts last year, per Hoop-Math. An above-the-rim forward like Lubin won’t need many plays run for him in order to make an impact on the game.
Contrasting Lubin’s youth and elite athleticism is Tasos Kamateros, an experienced Greek big man who has spent the past four seasons steadily improving at South Dakota. While Kamateros isn’t the defensive presence or imposing specimen that Lubin is, he’s a slick passer and excellent face-up shooter who is consistently thinking a step ahead of his nearest defender. Kamateros has splashed 38% of his career triple tries, and has done Taylor two better, canning 111 total treys the past two seasons. Stackhouse will be thrilled if Kamateros can keep up that pace, pulling defenders out of the paint so that his attack-mode teammates can operate. A savvy passer, Kamateros had five games with five or more helpers two years ago playing alongside current Cal Baptist forward Hunter Goodrick, and now that he’s got a finisher like Lubin – and others – to drop passes off to, ‘Dores fans should expect some exciting big-to-big passes which set up easy buckets this year. “He’s interesting because I think he’s a 5. I think that’s where he’s most comfortable. He’s really good in the paint, he’s really good at the rim,” North Dakota head coach Paul Sather told 247 Sports about Kamateros this summer. “The biggest factor towards determining how big an impact Kamateros will make this season is going to be his defense. He’s strong and experienced, but he’s not tall by SEC standards, and he’s never been much of a shot-blocker. Last season, Kamateros cut his fouls almost in half in order to stay on the court as his team’s only real scoring option up front. If he can play even average defense and stay out of foul trouble, Kamateros is going to provide much-needed offensive versatility to the Commodores.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 10.8 – Turnovers Per Game (39th) |
| 10.3 – Opponent Turnovers Per Game (333rd) |
| 8.4 – 3FG Made Per Game (58th) |
| 39.0 – Opponent 2nd Half Points Per Game (296th) |
| 48.6% Opponent Effective FG% (86th) |
The third new face in the frontcourt will find himself in a battle against a pair of young holdovers for minutes as a freshman. Carter Lang is 20% of Stackhouse’s heralded incoming freshman class, a skilled post player from Virginia who appears physically ready to contribute immediately. While Lang is not an above-the-rim athlete, he is a very adept playmaker and ballhandler with excellent footwork and a good overall sense for operating in the post, and he can make things happen with either hand. Lang has said that he models his game after NBA superstar Nikola Jokić, and watching the young center operate, that inspiration is plain to see. It’s not as though Stackhouse is expecting nightly triple-double’s any time soon from his new center, but Lang has solid long-term potential and should be able to contribute in a reserve role immediately. And if he’s able to defend the skilled and athletic forwards with which the SEC is jam-packed, Stackhouse has hinted at using a lineup with both Lang and Kamateros up front at the same time, which should lead to some great high-low action between the big guys.
Lang will face a battle for minutes from Stackhouse’s top recruit last year, Lee Dort. Rated a top 100 recruit by some services coming out of high school, Dort has unteachable size & strength, and showed a few intriguing flashes as a freshman. He doesn’t have a calling card yet offensively, generally scoring off of deep post feeds or the offensive glass. The hope is that Dort can develop better footwork and softer hands, because he is physically imposing enough to create both space and opportunities for himself. Defensively, Dort is an effective rim protector and rebounder who needs only to get up and down the court with abandon and avoid foul trouble in order to make a solid impact. Dort has a year’s experience on Lang and simply lots more physical presence than Kamateros: if he can play efficiently, Dort is going to have a chance to carve out a significant role as a sophomore.
A potential x-factor in this lineup is another sophomore, Colin Smith. A talented scoring forward who knocked down 35 triples at a 37.6% clip as a freshman, it’s fair to reason that he may be in line for a big role this year, whether he starts or provides scoring punch off the bench. Smith scored in double figures four times over Vandy’s final ten games last year, and will help to replace some of the departed outside shooting. Depending on how well he can handle a variety of defensive assignments, Smith’s future in Nashville looks bright. With Stute gone, Colin Smith is going to see significantly more minutes as a sophomore than he did last year. He also has the size and quickness to develop into a strong scoring option closer to the hoop, but 93 of Smith’s 136 shot attempts came from distance last year and he’s most comfortable facing up at this point. With Smith as the returning poster child, nearly all of Vandy’s big guys can handle and shoot the ball, and that versatility will only help as Stackhouse figures out his best rotations this fall. The biggest growth Stackhouse will be looking for from Smith this year will be on the defensive end and on the glass. The Commodores were among the bottom 20 programs in the nation at giving up offensive rebounds to the opposition last year, and if he’s going to play big minutes , Smith – and his buddies – need to shore up the defenses.
Speaking of a bright future, that’s what Stackhouse envisions for the highest-rated member of this year’s incoming freshman, Jason Rivera-Torres. Off the court, Rivera-Torres’ bright future has already arrived. Coming to Nashville by way of the Bronx, RVA hoops power John Marshall High School and Hollywood, Rivera-Torres is a 4-star scoring wing…and an established actor. Despite his role in the new sports drama ‘Swagger’, Vandy is most interested in Rivera-Torres’ jumper and two-way potential, while the young wing is keeping everything in focus. “I chose Vanderbilt because I’m a student-athlete first and I believe in the 40 year plan,” he told 247 Sports this summer. “Vanderbilt is close to an Ivy League degree and it’s ranked 13th or 14th in the nation for academics. With the prestigious academics and athletics it’s going to help me in 40 years.” Rivera-Torres sees the court well, also, and keeps the ball moving while hunting for good perimeter shots. With good size and increasing confidence attacking the lane, Rivera-Torres is a strong overall prospect on the offensive end. He’s an active and aware defender, though Rivera-Torres will need to keep adding strength in order to maximize his versatility defensively in the SEC.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| @ Memphis – December 23 |
| vs Texas Tech – December 16 |
| N – NC State – November 23 |
| N – Arizona St / BYU – November 24 |
| vs Boston College – November 29 |
Madison, TN product Isaiah West comes to Nashville as a former top 50 national recruit, according to some services as recently as two years ago. Unfortunately, West tore his ACL towards the end of his prep career, and saw his star prospect rating take a hit as a result. He’s still rated as a consensus Top 200 prospect, and as a home state kid whose career Vanderbilt fans have been watching, West has plenty of fans in Nashville hoping for him to succeed. Now healthy, and having been named Tennessee’s Mr Basketball in 2023, West is an impact scoring guard who can create his own shot and distribute to others. He won’t have to play huge minutes immediately, and should stand to gain valuable experience from Manjon and Lawrence. West will see the court, though, and could even become Vandy’s top reserve guard as a freshman.
Jordan Williams is a transfer who redshirted last season at Texas A&M, and the former football star is hoping to push for serious minutes now that he’s finally going to be on the court in real games. A physically strong player, Williams is a matchup advantage when guarding most backcourt opponents. He also knows how to bring the noise on offense, driving hard to the cup for buckets and fouls, and dropping off timely passes along the way. If Williams can shoot it well enough to keep defenses honest, he should provide a nice compliment to Manjon. Malik Presley is another lanky wing with some explosiveness getting through the lane and the quickness to help in a variety of ways. “Malik is an athletic, slashing wing who plays with high energy. His combination of athleticism and versatility is exciting. He has a spirit and competitiveness that raises the play of all those around him,” says Stackhouse. A 4-star recruit per ESPN, Presley isn’t quite the shooter yet that Rivera-Torres is, but should be a nice compliment as more of a downhill-driving wing. He could become a high-quality defender soon, and as Presley adds strength, he will likely guard all over the floor. ‘JQ’ Roberts is a lanky young forward who comes to Nashville from Hoosier country. “We love the versatility and competitiveness that JQ brings to our program,” Stackhouse said upon Roberts committing to Vandy. “He has athleticism, skill and the positional size to allow him to play both inside and out.” Though a bit unrefined offensively, Roberts has the ability to be a disruptive and multi-purpose 4 man. He may take a bit to develop, but Roberts turned down offers from Marquette, Iowa and West Virginia to play for Stackhouse.
There are other squads in the SEC which will have significantly more raw talent on their rosters than Vanderbilt this year. That’s often the case, though; what’s new is that Stackhouse is slowly but steadily closing the gap on that disparity. The Commodores roster has been quite re-worked, but there are players who are bringing along with them skills which look to fit what’s been lost, and there is a proven duo to provide Vandy with a stout foundation.
“We got people that want to fight, we got people that were underdogs in high school or whatever,” Manjon said towards the end of last season. “I think we have a tough, gritty team and we love each other. We really do.”
Last season was great fun, as the ‘Dores finished strong and gave everyone around the program something to get excited about. If this year’s crew can rekindle that magic – with a deeper supporting cast – Vandy has every right to expect an NCAA Tournament appearance.
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