Vandy 7-footer Luke Kornet reloads 3-point shot

Vanderbilt basketball’s tallest player has shortened his shot.

Seven-foot sophomore forward Luke Kornet spent the offseason trying to regain the soft 3-point shooting touch he had in high school. Of course, that’s when he was 9 inches shorter and playing on the wing.

“I got shooting from when I was younger and shorter, and shooting was the main thing I did back then,” said Kornet, who grew from 6-foot-3 in his junior year of high school to 7 feet when he joined the Commodores a year ago. “The mechanics didn’t change with my shot just because I grew. The only thing that changed was the angle. But I was already adjusted to that (before arriving at Vanderbilt).

“Last year, I just shot the ball poorly, and I’m not looking to repeat that this year.”

The coaching staff’s reboot of Kornet’s shot has included a shorter stroke, so that he shoots without dipping the ball to his hips. Coach Kevin Stallings said last season Kornet wasted motion in swinging the ball low before setting to shoot, and by then defenders were in his face to force a hurried, uncomfortable release.

“After (dipping the ball before shooting), I think the speed of the game caught up to him and made him rush it,” Stallings said. “But Luke is a skilled big guy, and he has made tremendous progress since the beginning of the summer and particularly the last two or three weeks of practice. He had what we thought was an impressive freshman year in a season when we wanted to redshirt him, but couldn’t because of our numbers.”

Kornet made 21 of 89 3-point shots (23.6 percent) last season. He struggled early, but found a groove a few times late in the year.

“I was just rushing it and never really comfortable in the speed of the game,” Kornet said. “But now I’m a lot more relaxed, and I just play basketball.”

Kornet has also worked to develop a more polished low-post game — even adding a traditional hook shot — per Stallings’ advice. Luke’s father, Frank Kornet, was an All-SEC post player at Vanderbilt in the 1980s and also spent two seasons in the NBA.

Luke has already outgrown his 6-foot-9 father, but he’s still working to mimic his presence around the rim.

“I’m a post player, a big man, but offensively I’m more comfortable on the outside,” Kornet said. “I’m developing inside and learning how to do some new things there. I want to be a dual-threat on offense.”

Stallings said Kornet is among the brightest spots in preseason practice for the Commodores, who open exhibition play at home versus Illinois-Springfield on Nov. 6. Stallings believes Kornet could be an asset if his all-around game continues to improve.

“He has developed a low-post game. He’s getting some offensive rebounds,” Stallings said. “He’s playing more physically and having more of a presence around the goal defensively. He is doing some things other than just shooting the ball, and it is making him a much better player.”

Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

EXHIBITION GAME

ILLINOIS-SPRINGFIELD atVANDERBILT

When: 7 p.m., Thursday (Nov. 6)

Radio: 1510-AM, 95.9-FM, 560-AM