Sunday afternoon marked the beginning of the 2008-2009 men's basketball season. Vandy's 84-65 win over Alabama-Huntsville offered fans a first look at several new Commodores. Though the freshmen jitters showed up early, coach Kevin Stallings was impressed with his team's performance.
"I thought we were nervous at the beginning, and I wasn't surprised," Stallings said. "Overall, I was encouraged with our team's effort. Once we got past our nervousness, I thought we played well."
Two Commodore starters, Festus Ezeli and Jeffery Taylor, had never played in a collegiate game prior to Sunday. Ezeli, voted the team's most improved player after redshirting, will be relied upon as a defensive presence in the post.
Taylor, a consensus top 50 recruit out of high school, made the college transition look easy. The Swedish native scored 16 points on 7-8 shooting, including a thunderous dunk that drew a standing ovation from the Commodore crowd.
While freshmen were there to provide surprises, A.J. Ogilvy's game was characteristic of what Commodore fans have grown to expect. The sophomore, who led all scorers with 25 points in just 19 minutes of play, seems poised to improve on a stellar freshman season.
"I've been working really hard in practice," said Ogilvy, who only missed one shot from the field. "Going up against Festus (Ezeli) and all the other big men every day made this game a lot easier than how practices have been."
The Commodores officially open the season against Morehead State on Nov. 16. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. in Memorial Gym.
