Is Vanderbilt going to fire Jerry Stackhouse? A lot of eyes are on these Commodores | Estes
Thus far in 2024, I’ve received one question more than any other.
It’s no longer “Why did the Tennessee Titans fire Mike Vrabel?” Popular as that query was, it was passed this week by another.
“Is Vanderbilt firing Jerry Stackhouse?”
Speculation has turned rampant in recent days about the status of the Commodores’ embattled men’s basketball coach, and it had a lot to do with what went down Saturday in Knoxville.
Vanderbilt was humiliated on the court by rival Tennessee. The final score was 88-53, but that score was whatever the Vols wanted it to be. They – and their fans – took pity after halftime. Can’t say the Commodores quit, because they never really showed up at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in the first place. They got the hell beat out of them and went home.
Wasn’t unprecedented. Or terribly surprising. But of all the disappointments in this awful 7-19 season, losing that way to that opponent in that building stripped bare an ugly reality that even the most optimistic Vandy supporter could no longer ignore. They can no longer expect their program to be competitive in the SEC.
REQUIRED READING: Stackhouse was right. Vanderbilt basketball isn't close to Tennessee's level | Estes
Which brings us back to the topic du jour.
Vanderbilt basketball is crying out for change. You've sensed it in the frustration – or apathy – of the fanbase. You've noticed it in the empty seats at Memorial Gymnasium. You’ve seen it too often this season in games with lacking effort and intensity, traits that Stackhouse’s earlier teams, despite their faults, typically were able to demonstrate.
Take Wednesday night, for instance. The Commodores took their wounded pride into a home game against a very beatable Georgia team. Stackhouse himself said he had expected that “we’d come out with a lot of energy” for the occasion. Nope. The Bulldogs jumped to a 10-2 lead that’d grow to 23 in the second half.
The visitors never trailed. The home team never gave itself a chance.
Afterward, Stackhouse was asked by Tennessean beat writer Aria Gerson if he feels like he has done enough to retain his job for next season.
Stackhouse didn’t say yes.
Instead, he rambled through an answer that was part reflection, part spiritual – “No weapons formed against me shall prosper” – and partly a defense of his Vanderbilt record without acknowledging the ongoing season: “I’ve been trending in the right direction for a long time.”
“There's a lot of people pulling for me, and there's a lot of people pulling for our team,” Stackhouse said. “I just try to think about those people and make sure that I continue to do my job and focus on these guys and helping them get better. And then I'll live with the result from there.”
When a coach is on the hot seat, that’s what it sounds like. When a major program is approaching major change, the vibe feels like what this Vanderbilt season has become.
That’s what my instincts tell me from a career covering sports teams, many in the SEC.
And yet ...
Vanderbilt athletics director Candice Storey Lee hasn't spoken publicly about this, but as I’ve written previously, she is and has been a strong supporter of Stackhouse. I believe that she would prefer to bring him back with enhanced NIL support to rebuild a depleted roster – rather than spending resources to buy out a coaching staff. That's important.
Doesn’t mean a coaching change couldn't happen anyway, though.
REQUIRED READING: Vanderbilt doesn't want to fire Jerry Stackhouse, but it may not have a choice | Estes
Speculation will persist until Vanderbilt's leaders say something to resolve it. Either way, it'll be a pivotal decision in this program's journey.
Is Vanderbilt firing Stackhouse?
If I knew, I’d tell you.
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Vanderbilt basketball fire Jerry Stackhouse? The watch is on
