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Posted: Monday November 08, 1999 01:20 AM

Vanderbilt

1998-99 record

14-15 overall, 5-11 SEC

Coach

Kevin Stallings, first year at Vanderbilt; 123-63 overall

Projected starting lineup

G Atiba Prater, 6-1, Sr. Needs 119 assists to become school¹s career leader, fifth on career steals list with 155. G James Strong, 6-3, Sr. The greediest defender in the league, led SEC with 77 steals last year, needs 58 this year to become Vandy¹s all-time leader. C Darius Coulibaly, 7-1, So. Son of a mango farmer in the Ivory Coast speaks five languages (English, French, German and two native tribal languages). Not as polished on the court, needs time to develop. F Dan Langhi, 6-11, Sr. Led team in scoring (17.7 points), rebounds (7.3), minutes played (32.9 per game) and free throw percentage (.844). Stallings coached at Purdue and Kansas, but says Langhi is as talented as anybody he's ever coached. F Greg LaPointe, 6-10, Jr. If healthy, he's team's "second-best player," according to Stallings; missed three games with strained Achilles' tendon last year.

Top guy off the bench

F Anthony Williams, 7-1, Jr. Averaged 5.8 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game last year, also an effective defender in the paint.

Key Newcomer

G Sam Lekwauwa, 6-8, Winston-Salem, N.C. Honorable mention McDonald's All-American averaged 14.5 points and 10.2 rebounds; graduated high school at age 16.

Key Games

vs. Florida (Jan. 5) The Commodores' first... . at Kentucky (Jan. 8). ...three conference games... at Tennessee (Jan. 128). ...are brutal.

Outlook

The Commodores could be much-improved under Stallings, who has reached the NCAA Tournament in 12 of his 17 seasons as a coach, and still finish no better than fourth in the league. "Our basketball team has a chance to be a good basketball team if its stays healthy," said Stallings, who came from Illinois State to replace Jan van Breda Kolff. However, with only nine scholarship players, the Commodores don't have any margin for error. The key will be Langhi, who Stallings is wild about. It's too much to ask of this team, which will have to play Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky twice, to make the NCAA Tournament. However, a solid season and a nice run in the NIT would be a good way for Stallings to start his tenure and could be the foundation for a turnaround.

Commodores' 1999-00 schedule

 

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