The Vanderbilt men's basketball team welcomes its most highly-rated recruiting class ever this year. All five players logged minutes in an 84-65 exhibition victory Saturday and were led by a 16-point performance by Jeff Taylor.
#5 Lance Goulbourne
Goulbourne is a 6-foot-8-inch, 225-pound wing from Brooklyn, N.Y. He starred at The Hun School in New Jersey in both basketball and tennis, averaging 16 points and eight rebounds on the hardwood and boasting a thunderous serve that could reach speeds of up to 130 mph on the tennis court.
Goulbourne was a late bloomer on the basketball court, first asserting himself as one of the nation's best in tennis before picking up basketball in the eighth grade. He has also spent the past five years as a ball boy for the U.S. Open, one of professional tennis' premier events.
In Sunday's exhibition against Alabama-Huntsville, he showed off his versatility by notching 6 points, four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in only 15 minutes on the court.
Rated as the No. 72 recruit in the country last year by the Rivals Network, Goulbourne was named his county's Player of the Year as a senior. He also led The Hun School to a state championship as a junior.
Extremely athletic for his size, he has range out to the new college 3-point line (the line was moved back by 1 foot in the offseason) but can also drive to the basket and elevate above the rim.
--Mike Kranzler
#44 Jeff Taylor
Originally from Sweden, Taylor came to Vanderbilt as the No. 52 recruit in the country as rated by the Rivals Network. The 6-foot-7-inch, 205-pound small forward played for Hobbs High School in New Mexico, where he averaged 30 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals per game as a senior in leading his school to a state championship. He was also named the New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year for 2008.
Coming to Vanderbilt from New Mexico may not be as much of a stretch as it seems at first, however. At Hobbs, Taylor's school colors were black and gold and his home gym featured the odd configuration of benches along the baselines instead of on the sidelines.
This summer, he prepared for Vanderbilt by starring for the Under-20 Swedish National Team in the European Division B Championships, and that hard work is already getting him noticed. He had 16 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in Sunday's exhibition, only missing one shot from the field.
Taylor has also begun to cause a stir on the practice court, as sources say he managed to accidentally cut his head on the rim a few weeks ago due to his incredible leaping ability.
More than capable of putting up points in bunches, Taylor should be counted on early in the season to make up for the loss of Shan Foster, Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer.
--Mike Kranzler
#33 Steve Tchiengang
At 6-feet-9-inches and 240 pounds, Tchiengang is a physical power forward with enough versatility in his game to nail shots from the perimeter if necessary.
Born in Cameroon, Tchiengang transferred from Houston's Cypress Christian School (where he was a three-time all-state selection) to Florida's Montverde Academy for his senior year. He chose to come to Vanderbilt over Baylor, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
As Rivals' No. 87 recruit last year, he averaged 14 points and nine rebounds for Montverde's nationally ranked team. In 14 minutes of play on Sunday, he contributed 11 points, one rebound and one assist, including a powerful dunk that drew a foul and brought the crowd to its feet. He provided a spark of energy off the bench for the Dores that brought an end to their early struggles and jitters after Alabama-Huntsville raced out to an early 9-point lead.
Like the rest of the members of this class, Tchiengang is extremely athletic and versatile, which should allow coach Kevin Stallings to use him in a number of ways in order to create mismatches on the court. His size and strength will allow him to play in the paint in relief of A.J. Ogilvy and Festus Ezeli, but he is also capable of moving out onto the wing to keep defenses honest.
--Mike Kranzler
#1 Brad Tinsley
Tinsley was the last addition to this recruiting class, as the 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound point guard originally signed with Pepperdine before getting released from his Letter of Intent when their coach was fired at the end of the season. He quickly became a very hot commodity on the recruiting circuit before picking Vanderbilt over Wake Forest.
As the No. 94 recruit in his class according to Rivals, Tinsley averaged 21 points, six rebounds and five assists for Oregon City High School as a senior. He led his team to a runner-up finish in the state championship as a senior, and was named the Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year.
He is also No. 5 on the state of Oregon's all-time career scoring list, not far behind current Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Kevin Love and ahead of Duke's Kyle Singler. A nominee for the 2008 McDonald's All-American Game, Tinsley was also a standout baseball player for Oregon City.
He struggled in his debut on Sunday, only scoring 1 point to go along with two assists and one steal, but with the transfer of Keegan Bell in the offseason, playing time should not be hard to come by for the multifaceted guard.
--Mike Kranzler
#12 Jordan Smart
Smart is the stereotypical sharp-shooter of this year's recruiting class, the kind of player who can come in and make 3-pointers along with the occasional last-second shot. Because of his abilities in this area, Smart will bring much value to the team in terms of scoring. In limited minutes in Vanderbilt's exhibition victory last Sunday, Smart drained the only three he took.
At 6-foot-6-inch, Smart brings length and athleticism to the guard position as well. Because of his height, it is not difficult to envision a scenario in which coach Kevin Stallings could plug Smart in at forward to give Vanderbilt's offense a boost. This versatility will be especially crucial for the Commodores this year.
When Smart chose to come to Vanderbilt as a preferred walk-on, Stallings and his staff were excited about what he brings to the recruiting class as well as the high level of potential they sense in Smart. Certainly, some of that potential includes his ability to offset the drop in scoring that is inevitable now that former Commodore and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Shan Foster and his sweet shot have left for the NBA.
Whatever role on the Vanderbilt basketball team Jordan Smart finds himself in this year and in years to come, it is sure that he will be making important contributions to the team. What makes him even more valuable is his keen ability to make shots when it counts.
--Peter Letarte
