Vanderbilt center Lee Dort plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal

Vanderbilt center Lee Dort plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to The Athletic’s Tobias Bass. Dort is a former four star recruit.

The Commodores fired men’s head basketball coach Jerry Stackhouse, who recruited and signed Dort, earlier in the week. He’s the first Vanderbilt player to enter the transfer portal since Stackhouse was let go.

And despite his recruiting pedigree, Dort struggled to see consistent playing time during two seasons at Vanderbilt.

He played in 17 games as a true freshman, averaging 1.7 points per game and 2.1 rebounds a contest. Dort appeared in only one game during the 2023-24 season, as he missed time due to injury and was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and strangulation in November 2023.

Vanderbilt moved quickly to fire Stackhouse after the season

News of Vanderbilt’s decision on Stackhouse’s future broke Thursday morning. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported the expectation was the school would move on from him after blowing a lead Wednesday night against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament to finish 9-23 on the season.

Thursday evening, Vanderbilt officially announced the move.

“I want to thank Coach Stackhouse for his competitive spirit and service to this University for the last five years,” athletics director Candice Storey Lee said in a statement. “I appreciate his care for and attention to our student-athletes as they grew on and off the court. Commodore Nation will always remember the ‘Memorial Magic’ moments we experienced under Coach Stackhouse’s leadership. Given his pedigree, experience, and love of the game, I look forward to seeing what’s next for him. I wish him, Ramirra and his family nothing but the best in the future.”

Jerry Stackhouse spent five years at Vanderbilt and amassed a 70-92 overall record, including a 28-60 mark in SEC play. Although the Commodores appeared in the NIT twice during his tenure, they never made the NCAA Tournament.

“I appreciate the opportunity that Vanderbilt gave me to broaden my experience with the sport that I love, and one that has blessed me in more ways than I can count,” Stackhouse said in a statement. “It’s been a privilege to serve as the head men’s basketball coach for the last 5 years. My staff and I depart here extremely thankful for every opportunity we’ve had to help our players grow and develop on and off the floor.”

After Wednesday night’s game, Stackhouse said he had not receive any assurances he’d be back in 2024-25. However, he confirmed he planned to have a conversation with Vanderbilt officials to discuss his future.

“We’re going to sit down and talk after the season, like we always do,” Stackhouse said. “I think, obviously, it’s been a long season, not the season that we hoped for. Again, I’m so proud of my guys, so proud of how they competed and how they’ve grown.

“But we understand it’s a results business. The results haven’t been there. Obviously there’s some context behind those results. At the end of the day, I understand that. I mean, we have to take accountability for that. We’ll sit down and we’ll discuss that, we’ll figure out the best way going forward.”