Christina Foggie on Vanderbilt’s Past, Present, and Future: “We’re Back… and Here to Stay”
If you see Vanderbilt legend and 2026 Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Christina Foggie out and about, she’s buzzing about the Commodore Women’s Basketball program.
It may be at Memorial Gymnasium, an alumni watch party in her new home city of Boston, or at the Women’s Final Four she plans to attend next weekend. Wherever she is, Foggie is all about the Dores and is singing the praises of Head Coach Shea Ralph and the 2025-2026 team.
I caught up with Foggie earlier this week and got her perspective on several topics. You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone as passionate and as knowledgeable about the program as Foggie, who truly bleeds black and gold and is closely following the Commodores NCAA Tournament run. Many thanks to Christina for taking the time to talk some hoops with me.
A special legacy of her own
Christina Foggie is one of the best players to ever put on a Vanderbilt uniform.
She is a two-time First-Team All-SEC player in 2012 and 2014. A three-point sniper, she averaged 37.6% from three in her Commodores career and 15.6 points per game over her four years. Foggie currently holds the Vanderbilt WBB record for career three-pointers made with 276. During her senior year in the 2013-2014 season, Foggie led the SEC in scoring with an average of 19 points per game. Her decorated career led to her selection by the Minnesota Lynx with the 24th pick of the 2014 WNBA Draft. To date, Foggie is the last Commodore player to be drafted in the WNBA.
One of Foggie’s biggest accomplishments at Vanderbilt came against Vanderbilt’s most hated rival, Tennessee. Foggie was part of a legendary class of players who defeated the legendary Pat Summit-led Volunteers twice, once during Foggie’s sophomore year in 2011-2012 and once during her senior year in 2013-2014. Both victories came at home in front of loud Memorial Gymnasium crowds.
“Fortunately, I was able to actually beat Tennessee twice during my tenure during the 2011 to 2014 years” said Foggie. “And Memorial was rocking. Memorial Magic was alive and well back then.”
Those memories of beating the Volunteers in Memorial Gym still resonate with her.
“I mean, it was electric. Any time you are playing Tennessee in an in-state rivalry, you want to play your best. And at that point, historically, we had still not beaten Tennessee ever on the road. And so we knew Memorial Magic was going to play a big part in us being able to do that.” she said. “That was huge because you know that is a legendary coach, legendary program. Plenty of WNBA players.”
And that team’s attitude is one Vanderbilt fans will easily recognize and love, especially those who love Diego Pavia.
“I think it just speaks to our Vanderbilt mindset of not being afraid to play the best. And it was electric.”
Foggie grew up in New Jersey and watched some of the legendary battles between UCONN and Tennessee as a child. As she narrowed down her list of programs, Foggie was motivated to take on Pat Summit, one of the greatest coaches in the history of College Basketball, and elected to commit to Vanderbilt, a rival school.
“I’m originally from the Northeast. But what got me down South was I had grown up watching the Tennessee and UCONN era. And knowing I could play Tennessee during the Pat Summit era also helped me kind of decide as a competitor. If you’re going to be the best, you have to be able to play the best.”
For Foggie, there was always extra motivation in SEC-play as Vanderbilt was her only SEC offer.
“I was actually not recruited by any other SEC schools,” she said. “I was recruited heavily at the time, ACC, so Duke, Maryland.”
And then a school on the West End showed interest in her, and the rest is history.
“But, Vanderbilt, which is a part of my story, is the only SEC school that really took a chance on me and saw my potential.”
At the time of Foggie’s recruitment, the Commodores were making some history of their own.
“Vanderbilt was a high-caliber team in themselves when I signed my NLI. They had won the SEC Championship in 2009. I was very happy with the teams that did believe in me because I felt like it would allow me to go to the right fit, and Vanderbilt was always going to be the right fit at the end of the day for me.”
An early part of the turnaround
After her retirement from the WNBA, Foggie was part of the early years of Shea Ralph’s program. Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball was at a crossroads prior to Ralph’s hire, with the Stephanie White era ending in multiple losing seasons. What struck Foggie was how Ralph, a new coach, wanted to build Vanderbilt’s future with help from people who helped past Commodore teams thrive.
“I remember the first FaceTime I had with Shea. She wanted to bring people back on staff who knew what it was like when Vanderbilt was great. You look at Ashley Earley, who’s on staff. Ashley coached me, along with her being an alumna of the program and winning championships at Vanderbilt. I had always looked up to Ashley when I was a student-athlete,just because those were the alumni who came before me and really paved the way. And then Tom Garrick, her husband, coached me in his first stint at Vanderbilt.” According to Foggie, Garrick was an indispensable part of her experience at Vanderbilt. “Tom was very instrumental in my development and in getting to the WNBA.”
When Ralph contacted Foggie, Foggie was a bit surprised, as she had been away from basketball for multiple years.
“So Shea called me and said ‘Listen I know you’re in administration right now at St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia, but we need someone who can stay connected with alumni (and) handle the external side of things with the program.’ And so I came back as chief of staff for 3 years. And I knew in my heart of hearts that we would get this thing turned around. When you work for Shea Ralph and Shea’s hired, all you can think about is her ability to win, her ability to be a champion, her ability to develop the best talent, to recruit the best talent. She had a hand in some of the most iconic players at UCONN coming there as a recruiter.”
For Foggie, it was an easy sell.
“And so when I knew she was taking over our program, I kind of felt like, “How could I not be a part of getting our alma mater back to what moved me so much when I was a recruit? And so I am very thankful for the three years that I’ve had under her.”
And the connection between Foggie and the program still remains strong. After three years on staff, Foggie currently works at Boston College, where she is an Associate Director of Athletics Leadership giving.
“I’ve been back this season already twice. I spent a total of 11 days down there during the season, so we’re still family. I enjoy going back, and she (Ralph) treats everyone who was a part of the program, alumni, former staff, current players, and former players as part of her family down there at Vanderbilt.
A different breed of coach
When asked about what makes Shea Ralph special as a coach, Foggie had this to say.
“I think it’s two parts. I think it’s her competitive drive. She’s a fantastic coach. I think she’s assembled a fantastic staff. And they’ve been there largely throughout her time at Vanderbilt. But Shea, you see her as a player at UCONN, and she was one of the most intense players to ever come through UCONN. She loves to win. And I think her mentality alone has shifted our program forever. You look at Mikayla, you look at Aubrey Galvan, you look at Sacha. You look at all down the line of our players. They want to win. They’re competitive, and they play as Shea coaches,” Foggie said.
“I think the second piece Coach Ralph has embraced is the uniqueness of our Vanderbilt community. She has really embraced alumni who have come through from the past. I remember she had Coach Jim Foster back. He was getting inducted into the Hall of Fame at Vanderbilt, one of our first seasons, but she had him at practice. She had him talk to the players. The history is so important. And she’s really embraced all of us alumni. And then she’s gotten out in the community with fans, and our families are able to come back and be a part of this. And I think all of those things have made us turn around the program so quickly.”
Foggie has the utmost faith in Ralph as a leader.
“I just trust everything that she (Ralph) and the staff put in front of the team. Any challenge that they do, whether it’s recruiting the next generation or backfilling a team with the roster coming back,”
A unique team in the NIL era
This season, Foggie has been particularly impressed with the way this Vanderbilt team has played together, especially in an era where NCAA Athletics are so transactional.
“What I see in them which makes for them being so great is that they are a true team. I think a lot of people get caught up on Mikayla Blakes leading the nation in scoring, which is a feat in itself. She is generational. She is already one of the best players to come through Vandy Women’s Basketball, and she’s only a sophomore. But also the Aubrey Galvans of the world, the Justine Pissotts, the Sacha Washingtons. Down the line, we are a complete team. And I think that’s something that it takes to win a championship. And so I am very proud of them for playing as a team and not relying too much on the nation’s leading scorer” she said.
“It’s hard to do both, to be competitive and to love what you do every day. And you can see it in them.”
The team’s mentality and buy-in really made an impression on Foggie, particularly after an off-season when one of the program’s Khamil Pierre left for NC State via the transfer portal.
“In this era, you have to go and be all-in with the people that you have on day one” said Foggie. “The team in general is one of the most together teams I’ve seen in Vanderbilt history. From start to finish. If you watch Vanderbilt play, look at the bench. People are up and celebrating, and they didn’t play one minute in a game. That’s not always the case.”
Multiple full-circle moments
Since her playing days, Foggie has had the time to reflect on several full-circle moments. One of which is her connection with Mikayla Blakes.
“Mikayla’s another Jersey girl. I was able to meet her when she was younger, and we were recruiting her. As a former Jersey girl myself, she’s breaking several records that I hold,” said Foggie. “Personally, it feels so cool to pass the torch to someone I see so much of my former self in. Now she’s much better at basketball, don’t get me wrong. Our journeys are so similar, and I think back on the chance I took to go 13 hours from home to Vanderbilt, and it has paid off in so many ways. It makes me so proud to see someone of a similar background take so much advantage of her opportunity and just blast through so many records.”
Foggie is particularly proud of Blakes because she knows first-hand all of the factors that go into choosing a school like Vanderbilt.
“This is the next generation’s moment. It is. But you feel proud like a proud big sister. Because you know all the conversations and the visits that it took for Mikayla to come. And she is just writing a chapter individually that we’ve just never seen before in Women’s Basketball. Chantelle Anderson, of course. The GOAT. The legendary player, but Mikayla has the opportunity to even be the all-time leading scorer here at Vanderbilt and break those records. So, very proud of her trajectory,” Foggie said. “(The) Jersey girl in me is extremely proud of that Jersey girl as well.”
This week, Foggie had another full circle moment as a cutout photo of Mikayla Blakes in a Nashville’s Raising Canes location went viral on social media.
“To me its representation. Of course, we want every great player to be represented, whether it’s Diego Pavia, Tyler Tanner, or whoever. But to have a Women’s Basketball player, that’s representation for a young girl who goes in to get her chicken fingers. She sees Mikayla and says, ‘You know what? I want to go see her play.’ She’ll forever remember that,” said Foggie.
“I’ve had my own examples of times where I’ve had times where I’ve interacted with people who play at the next level and I said ‘Man I really want to be them one day.’ And then I was. I think of Jordyn Cambridge, who’s a Nashville native, as we know. One of the Vanderbilt greats, legends. She grew up watching me and Jasmine (Lister) play. One time, we ran into her at an IHOP, and we took a photo with her when I was in college. And so when I came back on staff, she (Cambridge) had the photo of us from when I was in college, and she was a young kid growing up, watching me play. I didn’t know those interactions meant the world to someone like that or that Jordyn Cambridge would end up being a legend at Vanderbilt. But that stuff means something. And so, for players to be able to see Mikayla, come to a game, and maybe get an autograph from her. They’ll take that with them forever.”
A call to Commodores fans
Vanderbilt has the smallest fanbase in the SEC as a baseline. And that small number of fans has been noticeable particularly during the women’s games, despite the team’s overall success. It’s only recently that attendance has started to improve. And there’s still plenty of room for growth. Foggie would like to see Commodores fans show more support for the team.
“Our fans, I want to call them to show up more. As fantastic as it is that people support us online, there’s nothing like Memorial being packed more than just the bottom tier of the arena. When I mentioned Memorial Magic, we had three tiers of fans in the arena, and it made a difference when we beat teams like Tennessee. And so I call on the community to get behind them not just digitally, verbally, socially, but also in person because we’re on a trajectory that our program has not seen in a long long time,” Foggie said.
“Specifically to the fans who traditionally haven’t been to Women’s Basketball games, go to Men’s Basketball games, or football and baseball games but don’t come to women’s games. Step outside your comfort zone. Try your hand at coming, bringing a friend, family member, a young woman in your life, a daughter or a nierce that you are trying to find representation for and you’ll be surprised at how much fun you’ll have. You’ll be surprised at the genuine experiences that they’ll have meeting a Mikayla, an Aubrey, a Justine Pissott.”
Foggie, in particular, wants the Vanderbilt fan base to grow so that it can enjoy a special era that hasn’t been seen in several years.
“Our community deserves to take part in an era that is so monumental to our Women’s Basketball program.”
Excitement for the future WNBA Dores
As Vanderbilt continues to build its national profile, its WNBA presence will also follow. While Mikayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan appear destined for the pros in future years, there’s also Justine Pissott, a sharpshooter who will graduate at the end of the season and pursue her dreams of professional basketball. As a fellow shooter, Foggie believes Pissott can succeed at the next level.
“Anytime you have a 6’4 wing, you can help a team,” said Foggie. “Her sharpshooting. She’s fantastic. She has size. She has length. It looks like her defense has improved.”
If Pissott is indeed selected, Pissott would be the first Commodore selected in the draft since Foggie.
“My hope is that she hears her name called. She would be the first draft pick for the Dores since I was drafted in 2014. It’s been a long time since we’ve had someone represent Vanderbilt on that day.”
Foggie is also encouraged by the recent WNBA labor agreement, which could benefit several Commodores players in the future. Back when Foggie was drafted in 2014, the average salary for players was substantially lower and nearly impossible to live on, even for early-round draft picks.
“Any time that we further the women’s game, I am a fan of it. What I think is the most impressive to me is the player’s willingness to use their voice and fight for what they’re looking for,” said Foggie. “At the end of the day, it’s nice to know that you can make a decent living and pursue your dream at the next level if you so choose.”
A bright and possibly unprecedented future
When asked about the program’s future, Foggie could not be more optimistic. “These last three seasons, we’ve been on a trajectory that we haven’t seen in a long time. As an alumna, it’s no surprise having been so close to the program,” she said. “If this team won a National Championship this year, it wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
During the course of the season, Foggie has remained in close touch with several former teammates in a group chat. And watching their team succeed at an elite level has brought Foggie and her teammates immense joy and pride in the program.
“It feels like we’re back. We’re really, truly back,” said Foggie. “We’re Vanderbilt. And we’re here to stay. And that’s what’s so exciting.”
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