We continue our recruit and return series with the Vanderbilt Commodores, whose season ended Tuesday night with a 70-50 loss to Wichita State in the First Four. A look at what the 2016-17 season could hold:
Possible 2016-17 starting five (statistics reflect regular-season averages)
G: Wade Baldwin IV (14.3 PPG, 5.1 APG)
G: Matthew Fisher-Davis (9.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG)
F Jeff Roberson (9.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG)
F: Luke Kornet (9.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.9 BPG)
C: Damian Jones (14.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.6 BPG)
Who is lost: Skilled graduate student and center Josh Henderson and walk-on guards Carter Josephs and Nathan Watkins are the only players scheduled to depart, though Wade Baldwin IV, Damian Jones and Luke Kornet could all consider jumping to the NBA.
Who is added: Three-point marksman Payton Willis, a three-star guard, will join the roster along with power forward sleeper Clevon Brown, a good athlete who scores in and around the lane and rebounds. Brown also possesses a defensive presence and tremendous upside.
What it means for next season: Vandy returns all five starters, barring early NBA draft entries from Baldwin, Jones and Kornet. Baldwin is currently No. 17 in Chad Ford's Top 100, Jones is No. 34 and Kornet is No. 82. All three would have a chance to boost their stock if they came back. If it happens, Kevin Stallings' team will be loaded with talent, size and shooting.
Trending: Up. If Baldwin and the two bigs come back, Vandy will be stacked. Even if they don't, there will be talent, size and ability to shoot the 3 from a variety of positions on the floor. But Baldwin, Jones and Kornet could be the key to the Commodores being not only an NCAA tournament team, but a Final Four contender.