New Vanderbilt basketball coach Jerry Stackhouse reminisced about hard lessons from Dean Smith, said he took advice from Penny Hardaway and divulged that he turned down possible NBA head coaching opportunities to come to the Commodores.

It was a loaded introductory press conference Monday for Stackhouse, a first-time college coach.

“I’m ready to anchor down,” Stackhouse said. “… As a head coach, I want to teach. It doesn’t matter at what level that I got in. People felt like I was on a trajectory in the NBA. But when I had an opportunity to come here and meet with (athletics director Malcolm Turner), it was an opportunity that I couldn’t resist.”

Stackhouse was an All-American player at North Carolina, 18-year NBA veteran and All-Star, NBA G League Coach of the Year and, most recently, a Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach.

He reportedly was a candidate for head coaching vacancies in the NBA this offseason. Without referencing specific teams, Stackhouse said he turned down interview opportunities with two NBA franchises to take the Vanderbilt job.

“I can’t say there are too many college situations that I was looking to go to with my trajectory being what it was in the NBA,” Stackhouse said. “I was on pace to sit down and talk about a head coaching job in the NBA this offseason already with a couple of teams. I had those interviews lined up.

“But when (Turner) approached me about the possibility of this job and being here with this university, it was hard for me to say no to him. I am super excited that they feel like I’m the guy to bring the magic back into Memorial (Gym).”

Turner, a 1993 North Carolina graduate, has a long relationship with Stackhouse, who played for the Tar Heels from 1993-95. Turner also was the G League president when Stackhouse was a rising star as the league’s most successful coach.

Stackhouse takes over for Bryce Drew, who was fired after Vanderbilt went 0-18 in SEC play and finished the season on a 20-game losing streak.

Influences from Dean Smith to Bible study

Most recently, Stackhouse swapped text messages with Hardaway, a former NBA star player who became a first-time college coach at Memphis this season. They will talk in more depth in about two weeks.

But Stackhouse's lasting influences came long before his NBA career, which was apparent in an emotional moment from his opening statement. Stackhouse introduced his wife, son and other friends and family members in attendance and then choked up when talking about his parents, who were unable to attend for health reasons.

“I want to thank them for rolling me out of bed every morning at 5 a.m. to get on my knees and say my prayers, for waking me up every Sunday morning for church and for Bible study,” said Stackhouse, who grew up in Kinston, N.C., as the youngest of 11 children. “That’s why I’m here. I’ve had success in basketball, but (the combination of) those two people are what Vanderbilt is getting.

“They taught me integrity, how to treat people right and how to teach.”

Stackhouse also mentioned coaching mentors from Smith, his Hall of Fame coach at North Carolina, to his junior high coach and long-time NBA coach Rick Carlisle. He said they taught him humility and a team dynamic that he will instill at Vanderbilt.

“I was averaging about 30 points a game, but (Carlisle) came in and said, ‘If you could average about 23 points (then it would help the team),” Stackhouse recalled. “We went from a 32-50 team the year before to a 50-32 team. Sometimes less is more.”

Stackhouse arrived at North Carolina as a McDonald’s All-American, but he said Smith taught him the value of unselfish play.

“Those are the lessons that you couldn’t see as an 18-year-old,” said Stackhouse, who led the Tar Heels to the 1995 Final Four. “Those are the stories I can share with young student-athletes that will resonate. You hear a lot about one-and-dones, and I was in those situations.”

Stackhouse meets team, gets to work

Stackhouse steps into a difficult situation. Vanderbilt is coming off its worst season in history. Freshman forward Simi Shittu declared for the NBA draft, but he still can return to Vanderbilt. Shooter Matt Ryan and forward Yanni Wetzell have entered the NCAA transfer portal to consider other schools. And Austin Crowley, a four-star signee, requested a release from his national letter of intent.

“After this press conference, we’ll try to figure out the scholarships,” Stackhouse said. “We have some guys in the portal that hopefully we’ll be able to get back. For the most part, I'm just focused on the guys that we have right now.”

Stackhouse met with returning players Sunday. It was supposed to be a casual meet-and-greet, but Stackhouse’s coaching instincts kicked in.

“It was just exciting to see the excitement in their eyes about getting going,” Stackhouse said. “I couldn't help myself. I saw that big whiteboard. I started drawing up plays, started talking about our defensive schemes, things we're going to do offensively. Everyone was engaged and excited.”

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Reach Adam Sparks at asparks@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.