Legacy

Meet Luke Kornet.

He's Vanderbilt's latest basketball recruit.

At 6' 10'' inches tall, and having grown over 6 inches in just the last year alone, he's an inside player Black & Gold fans can't wait to see fully develop over the next few seasons.

But what may have them even more excited is that Luke is a rare legacy player for the Commodore program.

Luke's father  is Frank Kornet, a 6' 8'' inch power forward who was a first team All-SEC player his senior year at Vanderbilt back in 1989 . He then went on to be an NBA draft pick and play for the Milwaukee Bucks for several seasons.

Frank Kornet is also Luke's high school coach and probably understands very well what it's like to pass on the legacy of something you love, such as the game of basketball, to your own children.

I think we have a member of our own Vanderbilt Centennial Class of 1973 who may, in a way, understand that concept even better.

I think everyone in our class will recognize and remember Ray Maddux, a 6' 8'' post player, who played a major role in both scoring and rebounding for the Commodores during his three varsity seasons from 1971 to 1973. Ray is today a longtime successful Nashville businessman. He is also part of the most extensive basketball legacy in VU history. First, his father Ed played for the Black & Gold in 1943. And then so did Ray's son, Drew Maddux, from 1995-1998.

Drew Maddux was also an All-SEC performer during his career at Vanderbilt and he is still 6th all-time in scoring at the school. Today, like Frank Kornet, Drew is a very succesful high school basketball coach here in Nashville, passing on the love for the game to another generation.

I guess that's what being a legacy player at Vanderbilt is all about.