Vanderbilt fourth-year head coach Jerry Stackhouse was named SEC Co-Coach of the Year by the league’s coaches, as announced on Monday afternoon. Center Liam Robbins was also named Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC per the coaches.
Stackhouse tied Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams in the voting, earning him the distinction of Co-Coach of the Year. The fourth-year head coach guided Vanderbilt to an 18-13 (11-7) record in the regular season this year as his team vies for a spot in the NCAA Tournament at the SEC Tournament this week. The Commodores were projected to finish No. 12 in the SEC Preseason Coach’s Poll but finished tied for No. 4.
Vanderbilt hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2017, though Stackhouse led the program to the brink of the NIT Final Four last season.
The North Carolina (’99) alum has amassed a record of 57-67 in four seasons on West End, with each of his teams finishing with a better record than the year before. Stackhouse, an All-American player during his time at UNC, signed a contract extension with Vanderbilt in October after hauling in a top-25 recruiting class (247Sports).
“The positive trajectory of our men’s basketball program under Coach Stackhouse is clear,” Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candice Story Lee said at the time of the extension. “Committing to and investing in him as the leader is an important part of building the championship-caliber program that we all want and expect here at Vanderbilt. I value the contributions Jerry and his program have made to our community and campus, and I am excited about our future.”
Liam Robbins was also honored with the coaches’ awards, nabbing the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award and earning a First Team All-SEC selection. The senior big man averaged 15 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game in 26 games this season. Robbins tallied 32 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in a career-best performance against Florida on Feb. 11.
Per Vanderbilt Athletics, Stackhouse is the first Vanderbilt men’s basketball coach to win SEC Coach of the Year since 2010 while Robbins is the first Commodore to ever win SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
