Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball
Encyclopedia
The Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball team represents Vanderbilt University
in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference
(SEC). The Commodores have won four SEC tournament titles (1993, 1995, 2002 and 2009). Melanie Balcomb
is the current head coach of the Commodores.
. Memorial Gymnasium was built in the early 1950s. It was dedicated as the campus memorial to students and alumni killed in World War II; a plaque commemorating those who died is displayed in the Gym's North lobby.
At the time of the Gym's construction, there was a serious discussion within the Vanderbilt community about whether the school should de-emphasize intercollegiate athletics and refocus on its academic program. As a compromise between those who advocated increased athletics competition and those who argued in favor of de-emphasis, the Gymnasium was built to hold only about 9,000 seats, and it would be readily adaptable to other uses—significantly, as a possible concert hall.
Consequently, the gymnasium floor was built up above its surroundings, more in the nature of a stage. The areas out of bounds along the sidelines were very wide, in contrast with the small facility which it replaced, where the walls were right along the sidelines and players could scrape their shoulders bringing the ball up the court. This necessitated the placement of the benches at the end of the court, which was not highly unusual at the time.
In addition, each goal was anchored by two far-reaching beams attached to support columns, with extra support coming from cables stretching all the way to the gym's ceiling. In the case of a backboard shatter or beam fracture, replacing these goals would be highly difficult, compared to the usual goal setup at most venues.
Memorial Gym is well-known for its unusual design. The end-of-the-floor bench location is now unique in major college basketball, and SEC coaches who travel to Memorial, along with coaches from other schools who have played at Vanderbilt as a post-season venue, have said that the unusual setup gives Vanderbilt a tremendous home court advantage, since no other facility in which opponents play is arranged in such a way.
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC). The Commodores have won four SEC tournament titles (1993, 1995, 2002 and 2009). Melanie Balcomb
Melanie Balcomb
Melanie Balcomb is the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Vanderbilt University.Balcomb attended Hightstown High School, in Hightstown, New Jersey, where she starred as a point guard for the girls' varsity basketball team from 1976 to 1980...
is the current head coach of the Commodores.
Memorial Gymnasium
The Commodores play their home games in Memorial GymnasiumMemorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt University)
Memorial Gymnasium is a multi-purpose facility located in Nashville, Tennessee. Usually called Memorial Gym or simply Memorial, the building is located on the western end of the Vanderbilt University campus. It was built in 1952 and currently has a seating capacity of 14,316...
. Memorial Gymnasium was built in the early 1950s. It was dedicated as the campus memorial to students and alumni killed in World War II; a plaque commemorating those who died is displayed in the Gym's North lobby.
At the time of the Gym's construction, there was a serious discussion within the Vanderbilt community about whether the school should de-emphasize intercollegiate athletics and refocus on its academic program. As a compromise between those who advocated increased athletics competition and those who argued in favor of de-emphasis, the Gymnasium was built to hold only about 9,000 seats, and it would be readily adaptable to other uses—significantly, as a possible concert hall.
Consequently, the gymnasium floor was built up above its surroundings, more in the nature of a stage. The areas out of bounds along the sidelines were very wide, in contrast with the small facility which it replaced, where the walls were right along the sidelines and players could scrape their shoulders bringing the ball up the court. This necessitated the placement of the benches at the end of the court, which was not highly unusual at the time.
In addition, each goal was anchored by two far-reaching beams attached to support columns, with extra support coming from cables stretching all the way to the gym's ceiling. In the case of a backboard shatter or beam fracture, replacing these goals would be highly difficult, compared to the usual goal setup at most venues.
Memorial Gym is well-known for its unusual design. The end-of-the-floor bench location is now unique in major college basketball, and SEC coaches who travel to Memorial, along with coaches from other schools who have played at Vanderbilt as a post-season venue, have said that the unusual setup gives Vanderbilt a tremendous home court advantage, since no other facility in which opponents play is arranged in such a way.
Year-by-year season records
| Season | Head Coach | Overall Record | Conf. Record | Postseason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeastern Conference Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama... |
|||||
| 1977-78 | Joe Pepper | 15-9 | N/A (N/A) | - | |
| 1978-79 | Joe Pepper | 11-16 | N/A (N/A) | - | |
| 1979-80 | Joe Pepper | 12-14 | N/A (N/A) | - | |
| 1980-81 | Phil Lee | 13-16 | N/A (N/A) | - | |
| 1981-82 | Phil Lee | 20-14 | N/A (N/A) | - | |
| 1982-83 | Phil Lee | 12-14 | 2-6 (4th, SEC) | First Round, SEC Tournament | |
| 1983-84 | Phil Lee | 23-9 | 2-6 (6th, SEC) | NWIT Champions | |
| 1984-85 | Phil Lee | 14-13 | 2-6 (8th, SEC) | Second Round, SEC Tournament | |
| 1985-86 | Phil Lee | 22-9 | 4-5 (7th, SEC) | First Round, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1986-87 | Phil Lee | 23-10 | 4-5 (6th, SEC) | First Round, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1987-88 | Phil Lee | 18-10 | 4-5 (7th, SEC) | - | |
| 1988-89 | Phil Lee | 21-8 | 5-4 (4th, SEC) | First Round, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1989-90 | Phil Lee | 23-11 | 5-4 (5th, SEC) | Sweet Sixteen, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1990-91 | Phil Lee and Ada Gee | 19-12 | 4-5 (5th, SEC) | Sweet Sixteen, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1991-92 | Jim Foster | 22-9 | 6-5 (4th, SEC) | Elite Eight, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1992-93 | Jim Foster | 30-3 | 9-2 (2nd, SEC) | Final Four, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1993-94 | Jim Foster | 25-8 | 9-2 (2nd, SEC) | Sweet Sixteen, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1994-95 | Jim Foster | 28-7 | 8-3 (2nd, SEC) | Sweet Sixteen, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1995-96 | Jim Foster | 23-7 | 7-4 (3rd, SEC) | Elite Eight, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1996-97 | Jim Foster | 20-11 | 6-6 (6th, SEC) | Sweet Sixteen, NCAA Tournament | |
| 1997-98 | Jim Foster | 20-9 | 9-5 (4th, SEC) | First Round, NCAA Tournament | |
| 2007-08 | Melanie Balcomb | 25-9 | N/A (N/A) | - | |
| 2008-09 | Melanie Balcomb | 26-9 | 10-4 (2nd, SEC) | Sweet Sixteen, NCAA Tournament | |
| 2009-10 | Melanie Balcomb | 20-9 | 9-7 (5th, SEC) | ||
Other awards and honors
- Elan Brown, 2010 All-SEC Rookie Team
- Tiffany Clarke, 2010 All-SEC Rookie Team
- Merideth Marsh, 2010 Second Team All-SEC
- Jence Rhodes, 2010 First Team All-SEC
- Jennifer RisperJennifer Risper-High school:Risper played high school basketball at Canyon Springs. As a senior, she averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.2 steals. She was named All-Ivy league and All-Riverside County First Team, along with the CIF Division 1A Co-Most Valuable Player. Other honors included...
, 2008-09 Vanderbilt women's Co-Athletes of the Year - Jennifer RisperJennifer Risper-High school:Risper played high school basketball at Canyon Springs. As a senior, she averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.2 steals. She was named All-Ivy league and All-Riverside County First Team, along with the CIF Division 1A Co-Most Valuable Player. Other honors included...
, Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCAWomen's Basketball Coaches AssociationThe Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...
), National Defensive Player of the Year (2009) - Jennifer RisperJennifer Risper-High school:Risper played high school basketball at Canyon Springs. As a senior, she averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.2 steals. She was named All-Ivy league and All-Riverside County First Team, along with the CIF Division 1A Co-Most Valuable Player. Other honors included...
, SEC All-Tournament Team (2009) - Jennifer Risper, SEC All-Defensive Team (2008)
- Jennifer Risper, Second-team All-Southeastern Conference honouree (2008)
- Jennifer Risper, All-tournament honors at the 2007 Contra Costa Times in Berkeley, California
- Jennifer Risper, All-tournament selection (2007 Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament.)
- Jennifer Risper, Female Newcomer of the Year honors among all Vanderbilt student-athletes (2006)
- Christina Wirth, Earned All-Tournament honors at the 2006 VU Holiday Classic.
- Christina Wirth, All-tournament honors at the 2007 Contra Costa Times Classic in Berkeley, Calif
- Christina Wirth, Most Valuable Player of the 2007 Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament
- Christina Wirth, Named a first-team All-Southeastern Conference honoree (2008)
- Christina Wirth, Second-team recognition from the Associated Press (2008)
- Christina Wirth, Named preseason All-SEC by league coaches (first team) and writers (second team) (2008)
- Christina Wirth, Named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV third team(2008)
- Christine Wirth, All-Senior All-America First Team by the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award committee.
- Christine Wirth, All-SEC Honors
- Christine Wirth, SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player
- Christine Wirth, SEC All-Tournament Team
- Christina Wirth has received honorable mention on the 2009 State Farm Coaches' All-America Team
- Christina Wirth, 2008-09 Vanderbilt women's Co-Athletes of the Year
See also
- Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketballVanderbilt Commodores men's basketballThe Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represents Vanderbilt University in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . The Commodores have won three SEC regular season titles . They have competed in ten NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 six times...
- Vanderbilt FootballVanderbilt Commodores footballThe Vanderbilt Commodores football program is a college football team that represents Vanderbilt University. The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference...
- Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...