Collen says key will be meshing his style with Commodores

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Posted 6:06AM on Thursday, May 2, 2002

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - Tom Collen knows the Vanderbilt Commodores have been very successful playing basketball their own way. He doesn't plan any major changes just because he is the new coach. ``You'd be foolish as a coach to not look at what has been successful,'' Collen said Wednesday after being introduced as the fourth women's head coach in Vanderbilt history. Collen, 48, takes over a team that went 30-7 and has All-American center Chantelle Anderson and point guard Ashley McElhiney returning. The Commodores were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament in March but fell to instate rival Tennessee in the Midwest Regional championship. They lose two starters who went to the WNBA in the recent draft. ``I don't think you're going to see us stop throwing the ball down inside to Chantelle. You'll see us push tempo, move the ball up the floor more, mix defenses more. It'll be important for both of us to be adaptable.'' A handful of Commodores attended the news conference, and McElhiney said it was a relief to finally have a head coach. ``We met with him this morning, and my first impression was good. He seems like the type of guy we want to have here, and I think he's going to be what we want on and off the court,'' she said. Collen replaces Jim Foster who left for Ohio State on April 7. Foster was 256-99 at Vanderbilt where he led the Commodores to the 1993 Final Four and 10 NCAA tournament berths in his 11 seasons. Athletic director Todd Turner said he is confident he has found someone to help Vanderbilt improve even more, citing Collen's reputation as a top recruiter, his experience in the Southeastern Conference and the fact he has never had a losing season. Collen leaves Colorado State as the winningest coach in school history with a record of 129-33. He took the school to the postseason in each of his five seasons, including four NCAA berths. He called Vanderbilt a good fit for him because his parents now live in Tennessee. But he said he never thought about Vanderbilt because he didn't think Foster would leave a program that targets national titles every year. He returns to the SEC where he worked as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Arkansas. He was the recruiting coordinator for the Lady Razorbacks and helped sign several of their key players. Collen and his wife, Nicki, visited Nashville over the weekend and returned to Fort Collins on Monday. Questions arose over his bio in the Colorado State media guide that listed him with two master's degrees. Turner said that slowed the process as Vanderbilt officials checked his academic credentials. Collen even sent copies of his transcripts and diplomas by fax to Vanderbilt officials. Collen said his resume correctly showed he had one master's degree with a dual major in physical education and health education but was misunderstood as two degrees when he filled out a questionnaire for the sports information department at Colorado State. ``It just went unchecked and really wasn't discovered until Vanderbilt found it,'' Collen said. Turner said Collen's resume was accurate. Once that information was verified, Turner flew to Fort Collins on Tuesday and offered Collen the job that night. Collen has not hired any assistants yet. He said his wife, who had been his assistant at Colorado State, is among several people he wants to consider for his new staff.