Our Vanderbilt Basketball All-Time Team 2020 Edition

On Tuesday, Vanderbilt Basketball posted a question on their Twitter account asking fans to name their all-time Commodores team. In honor of that question and not to be left out, it seemed appropriate to share our all-time team with you are readers.

Here are the criteria we set for this exercise. They have to be an all-time talent, but to make it a little different and not just a review of the record books, we think it's wise to select players that we've seen play during our lifetime.

Being a little older, my list is a bit longer than that of a younger person who doesn't go back to the early 70s with memories of Commodores greats.

Other than seeing them play in person or television in our lifetime (that's why Clyde Lee won't appear), that's it. So here we go with our all-time team that will include a starting five and three bench players, just like the fans on the Commodores tweet.

POINT GUARD

Phil Cox: The Commodore's second all-time leading scorer in program history, he was a fantastic ball-handler and scorer from the point. A native of Harlan, Kentucky, Cox grew up a fan of the Wildcats and dreamed of playing for Kentucky. He was the first recruit by then Commodores head coach C.M. Newton. He became a Commodore legend as part of teams that defeated Duke inside Memorial Gym along with other great victories during his career.

Cox Finished with 1,724 career points in 117 games over his four years at Vanderbilt, averaging 14.7 ppg in an era where there was no three-point shot, which would have increased his final total substantially.

SHOOTING GUARD

Billy McCaffrey: Perhaps the most difficult to call on the team with players like McCaffrey, Ronnie McMahon, Mike Rhodes, Drew Maddux, Scott Draud, Kevin Anglin, and Shan Foster available, there is one stat in particular that earned McCaffrey the nod.

McCaffrey transferred from Duke and became an instant offensive weapon for the Commodores, averaging 20.6 ppg in both seasons in Nashville and for his career. He is one of three players in school history (Dan Finch 65, Berry Wallace 78, and McCaffrey 66 games) to surpass the thousand point plateau in scoring in less than 80 career games.

McCaffrey is currently 15th on the all-time scoring list but include his 691 points while at Duke, and he would be the all-time leading scorer in Vanderbilt history. That total would have made him the only 2,000 (2,050 for his combined career between Duke and Vanderbilt) scorer ever for the Commodores.

FORWARDS

Matt Freije: This one was easy as the 6'10 Kansas native improved his scoring every season in a Commodores uniform and left as the school's all-time scoring leader, a mark he continues to hold today.

Freije could score with his back to the basket and step out and hit facing the basket. He led the Commodores to the 1993 Sweet 16along with earning All-SEC and All-American honors before being selected as the 53rd overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat.

Charles Davis: Perhaps better known for his time alongside Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls than his career at Vanderbilt, Davis was a force inside for the Commodores, leaving the school with 1,675 career points, which currently ranks seventh all-time in program history.

A member of the Vanderbilt and Tennessee Sports Hall of Fames, the McGavock high school and Nashville native was one of a long line of Commodore greats from inside the state of Tennessee in the 70s and 80s.

CENTER

Will Perdue: Another former Commodore perhaps betters known for his time with Jordan and the Bulls, the 7-footer was a dominating force for Vanderbilt inside during his career on West End.

Perdue averaged just 12.3 ppg over his career, finishing with 1,281 points for his career, a number that has him 21st on the all-time list currently.

BENCH

These are some tough ones because there are so many players that could be included, but here are the three we enjoyed most during their time in Black & Gold.

Mike Rhodes: The Perry County, Tennessee native, was a star for the Commodoresfrom 1978-81 and could score with the best in the SEC and country during his college career.

Rhodes broke Clyde Lee's record of 471 points for a first-year player as a freshman on his way to earning Third Team All-SEC by both AP and UPI and SEC Freshman of the Year, a distinction no other Commodores player has ever received.

Shan Foster: While Foster is just 18th on the all-time scoring list, he had an uncanny ability to hit big shots at critical moments and was a thrill to watch play.

He ended his career with 1,320 points, an average of 13.5 ppg, but will forever be remembered for his big shots and how entertaining he was to watch.

Jan Van Breda Kolf: The only member of this team to be both a player and head basketball coach for the Commodores, he was my youthful initiation to Vanderbilt basketball- and my dad's favorite player back then- and it would be a crime not to have him as part of this team.

HONORABLE MENTION

Ronnie McMahon: An incredible scorer and quiet leader, McMahon, another Middle Tennessee product to play at Vanderbilt, he had one of the smoothest shots of anyone who ever hoisted one up inside Memorial Gym.