With a 79-50 drubbing of the University of Pennsylvania Quaker Oats (nickname: The Emory of the Delaware Valley), Coach Kevin Stallings recorded his 300th victory as head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Stallings, who had been on the hot seat with many fans the previous two years (unless you were David Williams), has been our head coach since 19-Dickety-9. We're not sure exactly when he took over, as Jan van Breda Kolff stole the decade of the 90s (or maybe that was grunge music; tough to say). Certain posters, like VandyMontana, want him dead. Others recognize Stallings as one of the best Xs and Os coaches in the game, and though the last few years were nigh on unwatchable, we're back to being a fun, young team again, so shut up.
Shut up.
With this win, Stallings is just 8 more victories away from topping Tubby Smith's mark of 308 victories while coaching SEC teams, and Tubby coached both Georgia and Kentucky - winning a National Championship with the Judds before playing his son at point guard enough to make the Judds forget he had won a National Championship.
Stallings has made it to the NCAA Tourney 6 times, the Sweet 16 twice, and was one Jeff Green correctly officiated travel call from winning the whole damned thing in 2007 (so say us all, and all will go to their death beds convinced of this; dissenters will face punishment via catapult).
I say Stallings is a Vandy coach for life. So does David Williams. We have equal say in this.
So stick that glorious dome of yours in the Shine-O Ball-O and shine on, you crazy diamond.