Vanderbilt basketball star Festus Ezeli lands 49th on the VandySports 100.
Honors and awards: 2010-11 second-team All-Southeastern Conference
2010-11 SEC Player of the Week (Dec. 1)
In the VU record book: Single-season blocked shots: first and eighth (87 in 2010-11, 52 in 2011-12)
Single-season blocked shots per game: second and tied-sixth (2.6 in 2010-11, 2.0 in 2011-12)
Career field-goal percentage: fourth (.562)
Career blocked shots: second (204)
Career blocked shots per game: tied-first (1.69)
Before VU: Ezeli never played high school basketball. He was discovered playing for the Sacramento Pharoahs in the summer of 2007 when he averaged 10 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks per game. He signed with VU later that summer.
Freshman (2008-09): After a redshirt season, Ezeli played 29 games, starting six, and averaged 3.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game in 12.4 minutes of action for a 19-12 (8-8 SEC) team that didn't play in the postseason. Played 194 minutes spanning 16 SEC games (three starts) and averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds, shooting 62.5 percent from the field. Had three blocks against both UMass and Arkansas. Had a season-high 11 vs. Central Arkansas.
Sophomore (2009-10): Played in 32 games, with five starts, and averaged 12.7 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per gam3. In SEC regular-season games, he logged 186 minutes, averaging 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds, shooting 44 percent from the field. Blocked 43 shots. Season-high in points was 10, coming vs. TSU and MTSU. Blocked four shots vs. Manhattan.
Junior (2010-11): Started all 34 games, averaging 13.4 points and 3.2 rebounds and ranked fourth in the league with 88 blocks, and second in field-goal percentage (58.8) for a 23-11 (9-7) team that lost to Richmond in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Had 25 double-digit scoring games, five double-doubles, and 15 games with three blocks or more. Logged 404 SEC regular-season minutes, averaging 13.1 points and 6.0 rebounds, with 48 blocked shots. Had 22 points, 13 rebounds and 36 minutes in a loss to Kentucky. Had six blocks at LSU and Missouri and five at Auburn. Had 18 points and 10 rebounds against Georgia. Had a season-high 24 points vs. Belmont, adding 10 rebounds. Hit all seven shots from the field against Western Kentucky. Had 15 points and nine rebounds in a win over North Carolina. Had his first career double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds) vs. Grambling.
Senior (2011-12): A knee injury limited Ezeli to 26 games for a 25-11 (10-6) team that, as a No. 5 seed, beat Harvard in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and also won the SEC Tournament. Missed the season's first seven games, during which the team went 5-3. Averaged 23.2 minutes, 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in SEC regular-season play and blocked 36 shots. Had 15 double-figure scoring nights, with a high of 21 against LSU and MTSU. Had three double-doubles and set a career high with 14 rebounds against Mississippi St. Had eight points and 11 rebounds in the Harvard win, and 18 points and 11 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament loss to Wisconsin.
Post-VU: Golden State took Ezeli No. 30 overall in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft. Ezeli played three seasons and won two NBA titles, before signing a free agent deal with Portland. Ezeli's chronic knee issues popped up--they'd cost him the entire 2013-14 season--and Portland waived him without him ever playing a game there. There is talk that Ezeli, who hasn't played since 2016, is eyeing a comeback.
Final thoughts, and why I ranked him where I did: Ezeli was a respectable backup his first two years as he learned basketball. He wasn't fully healthy his senior year, which hurt his chance to produce more and certainly hurt the team as well. There was also one significant hole in Ezeli's game: He had 18 career assists to 195 turnovers, though that's not an uncommon flaw with big men.
You may notice I ranked Ezeli and Luke Kornet back to back. I originally had Kornet ahead of Ezeli, and maybe that was the right thing to do since Kornet played 917 more career minutes, and had a way better assist-to-turnover ratio (143 to 138) and a much more versatile overall game.
So why did I change the order? Mostly because a friend I respect talked me into Ezeli over Kornet, simply saying, "I don't care what the stats say, he was a better player." And when this guy talks, I give it some thought.
Certainly, Ezeli had more success (though he was also surrounded by better players), was more efficient from the field ( 56.2 eFG vs. 49.4, rebounded considerably better (10.0 boards per 40, vs. 7.9) and blocked shots more frequently (3.8 vs. 2.7). Ezeli also played two years behind one of the school's all-time post greats (A.J. Ogilvy) whereas Kornet played more minutes his first two seasons because VU needed him more.
I'm not sure what the right answer is and I put them back-to-back to drive home that point. And if the order is wrong, blame my friend, who may or may not be an editor at a prominent sports website and may have even appeared on our podcast before.
