Shan Donte Foster (born August 20, 1986) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

for the

Commodores Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American funk and Soul music, soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as m ...

college basketball team at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

. He is the school's all-time leader in both points and three-point baskets made, and is also among the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

's all-time leaders with consecutive games with a made three-pointer. Foster was selected as an

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

second team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

for the 2007–2008 college basketball season. He was announced as the winner of the 2008

Lowe's Senior CLASS Award The Senior CLASS Award is awarded to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in 10 National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I (NCAA), Division I sports. An acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School," ...

at the 2008 Final Four. Foster graduated from Vanderbilt on May 9, 2008, with a degree in human and organizational development. On June 26, 2008, Foster was drafted into the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

by the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

with the 51st overall pick.

High school career

Shan Foster was born in

Laurel, Mississippi Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161. Laurel is northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county ...

, and attended Bonnabel High School in

Kenner, Louisiana Kenner is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the most populous city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Jefferson Parish, and is the largest incorporated suburban city of New Orleans. The population was 66,448 at the 2020 United States cen ...

. He served as the basketball team's captain his sophomore through senior years. While playing at Bonnabel his senior year, Foster garnered First Team All-State, All-Metro Most Valuable Player, All-City and All-District honors while averaging a

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

(23.4 points and 10 rebounds). Under Foster's leadership the Bonnabel Bruins finished an impressive 21–9 and claimed their district's title. Foster's success was not limited to the basketball court, as he also made his school's academic

honor roll An honors student or honor student is a student recognized for achieving high grades or high marks in their coursework at school. United States In the United States, honors students may refer to: # Students recognized for their academic achievem ...

. Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Foster was listed as the No. 18 small forward and the No. 82 player in the nation in 2004.

College career

After picking Vanderbilt over

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, Notre Dame,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, and

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, Foster was immediately placed in the Commodores starting line-up. During his freshman year, Foster shot a blistering 44.5% from behind the three-point line and averaged 9.2 points a game. Foster improved his game for his sophomore year, averaging 15.9 points a game, and then 15.6 points per game as a junior. It was during his junior year that the Commodores, led by SEC Player of the Year Derrick Byars, finished the regular season a surprisingly strong 20–11 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before being eliminated by the

Georgetown University Hoyas The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University, located at Washington, D.C. The Georgetown's athletics department fields 24 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the Natio ...

. Going into his senior year, Foster was regarded as one of the deadliest long-range shooters in the NCAA and named an All-American candidate. Foster, with the help of freshman phenom A. J. Ogilvy, led the Commodores to their best start in school history at 16–0 before falling to the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...

in double overtime at

Rupp Arena Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Central Bank Center (formerly Lexington Center), a convention and shopping facility ...

on January 12, 2008. Foster would ensure that the loss was avenged, however, when, a month later, he scored 20 points against the Wildcats during their visit to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

en route to a crushing 93–52 victory that was Kentucky's worst loss since 1989, and their worst conference loss ever. Also that season, Foster would score a game-high 32 points to lead the Commodores to a 72–69 victory over the then top-ranked

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

at Memorial Gymnasium. This marked the second time in Foster's career that Vanderbilt had knocked off the top-ranked team in the nation, the other instance occurring a year earlier when Vanderbilt defeated the eventual NCAA Tournament Champion

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

83–70, also at Memorial Gym. Foster hit nine consecutive three-pointers (including a 22-footer and a 25-footer), all of which were contested, and unleashed a career-high 42 points on the visiting 25th-ranked

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the college athletics, athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA D ...

, including the game-winning basket, to push then 16th-ranked Vanderbilt to an 86–85 overtime victory which gave the Commodores their first undefeated season at Memorial since the 1992–1993 season. The point total tied for second-highest single-game performance in Vanderbilt men's basketball history. At the conclusion of the regular season, Foster was named the 2008 SEC Player of the Year by both the SEC coaches and the Associated Press.

College career highs

Foster's career highs while with the Vanderbilt Commodores are as follows: *Points- 42 vs.

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

on March 5, 2008 *Assists- 7 at

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

on January 20, 2007 *Rebounds- 10 on 2 occasions *Steals- 4 vs. University of Kentucky on February 25, 2007 *Blocks- 3 at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

on January 3, 2007 *Field Goals Made- 13 on 2 occasions *3-Point Field Goals Made- 9 vs. Mississippi State University on March 5, 2008 *Free Throws Made- 8 vs.

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

on February 26, 2008 *Minutes Played- 44 at

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

on February 28, 2007

Professional career

Foster was drafted by

with the 51st overall pick in the

2008 NBA draft The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008, at the The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this NBA draft, draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took t ...

. He joined the Mavericks for the 2008 NBA Summer League. He subsequently didn't sign with the Mavericks as he later joined

Juvecaserta Basket Sporting Club JuveCaserta (sometimes spelled Juve Caserta), also known as Decò Caserta after its title sponsor, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Caserta, Campania. The team currently plays in the Serie B1, the third tier of Ita ...

of Italy for the 2008–09 season. He re-joined the Mavericks for the 2009 NBA Summer League. In August 2009, he signed with Kepez of Turkey for the 2009–10 season. He again re-joined the Mavericks for the 2010 NBA Summer League. In July 2010, he signed with Dexia Mons-Hainaut of Belgium for the 2010–11 season. In 2011, he re-signed with Mons-Hainaut for the 2011–12 season. Following the conclusion of the Belgian season, he joined Caneros de La Romana of the Dominican Republic. On June 29, 2012, Foster's rights were traded to the Utah Jazz. In November 2012, he was acquired by the

Bakersfield Jam Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...

. He announced his retirement from the sport in 2013.

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 34 , , 24 , , 22.8 , , .441 , , .445 , , .814 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .2 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 30 , , 30 , , 32.2 , , .451 , , .415 , , .759 , , 3.0 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .2 , , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 34 , , 34 , , 32.4 , , .449 , , .346 , , .843 , , 4.6 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 34 , , 34 , , 33.7 , , .523 , , .469 , , .760 , , 4.9 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 20.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 132 , , 122 , , 30.2 , , .471 , , .421 , , .791 , , 3.9 , , 1.7 , , .8 , , .3 , , 15.2

Awards and recognition

*2008 SEC Player of the Year (Consensus) *2008 Rivals.com First Team All America *2008 CBS Second Team All America *2008 Dickie V All Solid Gold Third Team *2008 Sports Illustrated Third Team All America *2008 Associated Press Second Team All-American *2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Winner *2022 No. 32 retired by the

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's teams), 14 of which compete at the National ...

References

External links

Eurobasket.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Shan 1986 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in the Dominican Republic American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Bakersfield Jam players Basketball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Basketball players from Louisiana Basketball players from Mississippi Belfius Mons-Hainaut players Dallas Mavericks draft picks Juvecaserta Basket players Kepez Belediyesi S.K. players Sportspeople from Laurel, Mississippi Shooting guards Small forwards Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball players Pan American Games basketball players for the United States Cañeros del Este players