|
Home > SECWB News & More! > SEC Teams > Vanderbilt > Vanderbilt Commodores: Meet the Fresh Faces of the Class of 2011
Vanderbilt Commodores: Meet the Fresh Faces of the Class of 2011
by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com
Posted: November 1st, 2007 @ 1:39am
In November of 2006, four outstanding high school players signed National Letters of Intent to play for Coach Melanie Balcomb and the Vanderbilt Commodores. When the dust had settled and the counts were in, Vanderbilt’s incoming Freshman class was voted the #15 recruiting class in the nation by Scout.com and HoopGurlz. Let’s take a closer look at these four young women and the impact they will have when they hit the court for the defending SEC Tournament Champions.
Jence Rhoads is a 5’11” point guard from Slippery Rock, PA where she played at Slippery Rock Area High School and for the Tri-State Rock Solid AAU team. Rhoads finished her high school career with 2,170 points, the only Butler County player - male or female - to eclipse the 2,000 point mark. She averaged 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals her senior season, and led Slippery Rock to the District 10 Championship while being named the District 10 Player of the Year. In addition, Rhoads was also named Butler County Player of the Year, Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year and was nominated as a McDonald's All-American. Ranked a five star recruit at her position, Scout.com ranked her as the #25 recruit in the nation overall, but she flew virtually under the radar until leading her AAU team to the finals of the adidas Tournament of Champions in the summer of 2006. Up until that time, many predicted she would sign with Wake Forest by default, where her father Robert had played college ball before playing professionally in Australia and New Zealand. Rhoads had hoped to sign with Vanderbilt, a school she had become enthralled with after taking an unofficial visit there following her sophomore year. But her outstanding performance at the adidas tournament made many schools sit up and take notice; in fact, about 30 schools in all came calling during the next open contact period. But the most important call of all to Rhoads was when Vanderbilt offered that long-awaited scholarship. Rhoads states: “It is an established program, I like all the coaches, I liked the area and the campus. It just seemed like the right place for me." Commodore fans will agree. Rhoads has been most often compared to Sue Bird with her upright ball-handling style, speed, and poise on the floor. She has excellent court vision and is noted for her solid decision making. With the graduation of Dee Davis, look for Rhoads to have an immediate impact at the point guard position where she could get some solid minutes early on.
Chanel Chisholm, the #80 overall prospect in the nation according to Scout.com and ranked #47 by HoopGurlz, is a 5’11” swing player from Long Island, NY. She played for North Babylon High School and AAU ball with the Liberty Belles. Chisholm is capable of playing either guard or forward, but will most likely see playing time as a guard at the collegiate level due to her height and speed. As a senior, she led her North Babylon Bulldogs to the 2007 State finals, was named to the Class 2A All-State team by NY sportswriters, and was chosen as the 2007 All-Island Team Player of the Year by Long Island Hoops. In addition, Chisholm was also nominated as a McDonald's All-American. She averaged 21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals per game as a junior and led the Lady Bulldogs to an 18-4 record and a League IV championship. She averaged 24 points, 8 boards and 5 assists as a sophomore and led North Babylon to the Section XI finals. Chisholm also competed on her high school track team as a sprinter. Vanderbilt is fairly deep at the #2 guard position, so Chisholm will have to distinguish herself with solid play and outstanding defense.
Rebecca Silinski is a 6’3” forward from Birmingham, AL. where she was already the all-time leading scorer at Shades Mountain Christian School as a junior with 1,423 points and averages of 21 points and 10 rebounds a game. As a junior, she was voted Honorable Mention All-State, and as a senior was a finalist for the Class 2A Basketball Player of the Year, where she finished her career as Shades Mountain's all-time leading scorer with 2,103 points and all-time leading rebounder with 1,139. Silinski was also named Female Student-Athlete of the Year by the Birmingham News, a first team All-American by Sportsquest, honorable mention All-State by the Alabama Sports Writers Association, and was captain of the team her senior season, leading SMC to the elite eight, their best ever finish in the State tournament. Silinski was also a 3-year letter winner on the SMC volleyball team. Her high school coach said, “she’s a gifted athlete, a very skilled player. She’s strong when she gets the ball, is quick and runs the floor very well. It will be interesting to see what Vanderbilt does with her.” Silinski said of Vanderbilt: “It’s one of the top universities academically and playing basketball with the defending SEC (Tournament) champions, everything came together when we were there (on official visit). It just felt like the right place with tremendous opportunities.” She was a member of the National Honor Society, served as class president, and was her high school’s Valedictorian with a 4.46 GPA. Silinski plans to major in Political Science with her eye on law school and a possible career in politics. Silinski chose Vanderbilt over Holy Cross (where her father, Rob, played football and her mother, Karen, played volleyball), Penn State and Arkansas. With the graduation of Carla Thomas, Liz Sherwood is expected to start at center, but Silinski will add some much-needed height to the roster and could get considerable minutes at the #4 spot.
Hannah Tuomi, a 6’0” forward from Thornton, CO, is a talented multi-sport athlete who played at Horizon High School. Voted All State at the end of her sophomore season, she was named the Class 5A Miss Basketball and the Colorado Miss Basketball 2005-2006 by the Denver Post as a junior. She led her team to the state championships both her sophomore and junior years, and averaged 19.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per game as a junior. As a senior, Tuomi averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, and was a first team selection to the All-Colorado girl's basketball team by The Rocky Mountain News. This gifted athlete also competed in volleyball, where she was named one of the top outside hitters in Colorado by the Rocky Mountain News. At 6’ and with her athleticism, Tuomi could have an impact at several different positions.
Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb states: “I've been very impressed with the energy we've shown through the first few days of practice. Everyone is competing at a very high level. We're making good progress right out of the gates. Our four freshmen stepped in on day one and have not held us up at all."
|
|
|
|
