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Stadium:
Memorial Gymnasium
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 these people is displayed in the lobby. At the time of its construction, there was a serious discussion within the Vanderbilt community about whether the school should de-emphasize intercollegiate athletics. As a compromise, the gymnasium was built to hold only about 9,000 seats, and it would be readily adaptable to other uses. 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 is 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.

Team History:
Vanderbilt's intercollegiate athletics teams are nicknamed the Commodores, in honor of the nickname given to Cornelius Vanderbilt, who made his fortune in shipping. Fans often refer to Vanderbilt athletic teams as "Dores" or use the cheer "Go Dores!" The term commodore was used by the Navy during the mid- to late-nineteenth century. A commodore was the commanding officer of a task force of ships, and therefore higher in rank than a captain but lower in rank than an admiral. The closest parallel to this now-defunct rank is rear admiral lower-half. (In the Royal Navy, the designation of commodore was applied to the commanding officer of a convoy in the Second World War.) Since the term was used most during the late nineteenth century—and because it was then that Cornelius received his nickname—Vanderbilt's mascot is always portrayed as a naval officer from the 1880s, complete with chops, cutlass, and nineteenth-century naval regalia.

Season Preview:
Good news: The Commodores return three starters from the team that finished 22-12 and came within a few seconds of beating Georgetown in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Guard Shan Foster averaged 15.6 points per game, and point guard Alex Gordon runs the offense well and is a tenacious perimeter defender. The team's third returning starter, Ross Neltner, averaged 9.2 points and was the top rebounder with 5.7 boards per game. Bad news: SEC Player of the Year Derrick Byars, who averaged 17 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists, is gone. So is Dan Cage, a 3-point shooting specialist and the team's third-leading scorer. The Commodores still lack a big inside presence, but help could come from incoming freshman Andrew Ogilvy of Australia.

Official Site:
vucommodores.cstv.com