Tim Corbin shares importance of getting freshmen SEC Tournament experience

The SEC Tournament has concluded, with Tennessee taking home the title after a 4-3 win over LSU on Sunday. But plenty of other teams will take home valuable things from the week’s experience.

Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin opened up on what the entire ordeal can mean for young players just ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

“Good for them. Especially in this tournament, I think just to get inside this tournament and play well,” Corbin said. “I think a lot of times, and I’ve seen this a long period of time, you can manage their nerves for them, they have to experience that.”

For the Commodores, the SEC Tournament run was a highly successful one. The team opened up with a 6-3 win over Florida on Tuesday, followed that up with a 13-4 win over No. 1 Tennessee on Wednesday, then beat No. 15 Mississippi State 4-3 on Thursday.

A Saturday showdown with Tennessee in the semifinals resulted in a 6-4 loss, ending the run.

Still, Corbin extolled the value of simply getting the experience at the SEC Tournament.

“Even the bus ride over, for them to see a police escort, yeah, we talk about it, but then when it happens you go, ‘Whoa, this is a big deal,'” Corbin said. “Then you pull up and see all the campers and you see the notoriety that goes along with this tournament, that’s certainly part of it. To contain your adrenaline and your emotions and play the game is a big part of it. So this tournament does a good job of that.”

Vanderbilt will head to the posteason likely hitting the road, so there’s also value gained from playing at a neutral site in Hoover. The pressure and anticipation that build up won’t be new for the Commodores.

In his latest Field of 64 projections, On3’s Jonathan Wagner had Vanderbilt heading out to Stillwater, Okla., as a No. 2 seed.

For his part, Corbin was just grateful for the experience of the last week at the SEC Tournament.

“I will say this, I can’t thank the SEC and Hoover enough for putting this on,” he said. “I mean, this, it’s a thrill to be here. I never will take this for granted, nor will our kids. I mean, it’s such a big deal. The effort that everyone goes to make these kids feel special, it doesn’t get lost on us, I’ll tell you that. Our kids recognize it, and we recognize the brand of baseball and it makes you better, so we’re very appreciative to be here.”