Born in Chicago,[1] the Bolingbrook, Illinois native[2][3] was selected 25th overall in the 1991 NBA draft, from Hutchinson Community College and the University of Colorado Boulder.

A 6'10" (2.08 m) and 240 lb (109 kg) power forward[1] was also an outstanding basketball player in the European leagues in Italy (for Mangiaebevi Bologna in 1991–92 and Pfizer Reggio Calabria in 1994–95) and Spain (Caja Bilbao in 1995–96).

Vandiver played one season for the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons, before transferring to the University of Colorado Boulder.

Previously in the 2010–11 season, Vandiver was an assistant to head coach Leon Rice at Boise State.

Prior to that he served as an assistant to Steve McClain (under whom he played at Hutchinson CC[3]) at the University of Wyoming, a position he held since 2005.