Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings had some uncalled for words for one of his players, Wade Baldwin, in the handshake line following the team’s 73-65 win over Tennessee. Baldwin, who apparently had some pregame words about Tennessee, also can be seen in the video above clapping in the faces of several of his opponents as they walk off the court. Stallings issued this statement following the game:
“I handled it completely inappropriately and I apologized to Wade — and I need to apologize to our fans and the Vanderbilt administration,” the longtime coach told ESPN. “Having said that, and it may seem as though I’m trying to rationalize my behavior, sportsmanship will continue to be a high priority. I did not mean it in the literal sense and I’ve never touched a player in all my years as a coach. That’s not me. I will learn from this and handle this situation differently in the future.”
Baldwin tweeted this following the game:
Coach Stallings is the best coach in America. I felt no offense to anything. We are both fiery people and that's why I chose Vandy ⚓️👇
— Wade Baldwin IV (@The_Fourth_Wade) February 27, 2015