How 'gold squad' has helped Vanderbilt women's basketball in NCAA Tournament
Vanderbilt women's basketball coach Shea Ralph has pushed for a men's practice squad, which has helped the Commodores in their March Madness goals.
Behind the scenes, there's a group of people who have helped Vanderbilt basketball to its best season in more than a decade and a No. 2 seed in the Women's NCAA Tournament. The "gold squad" is a group of men's practice players the Commodores added this year.
They are all Vanderbilt students who aren't on athletic scholarships and don't get paid. But they show up every day to serve as the scout team. The Commodores (28-4) have had a handful of practice players in the past, but this is the first time they've had a full team to work out against.
And they consider the practice players part of the team in March Madness, where the women will face No. 7 seed Illinois (21-11) in the second round on March 23 (6 p. m.
CT, ESPN2) at Memorial Gymnasium. In the past, it was the coaches who were often on the court leading the drills. That resulted in situations like what happened in 2025, when assistant coach Kevin DeMille tore his Achilles shortly before March Madness.