Vanderbilt has reportedly found its next basketball coach after parting ways with Jerry Stackhouse.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel, the Commodores are hiring Mark Byington to be the next head coach. Byington recently led James Madison to a historic season and marquee upset in the NCAA Tournament.

This season, Byington led the Dukes to a 32-4 overall record while knocking off 5-seed Wisconsin in the first round of March Madness. James Madison went 82-36 overall under Byington as the program made the transition from the CAA to the Sun Belt in strong fashion.

Even with the Dukes making a jump in competition, the program went 54-15 in its first two seasons in the Sun Belt. Byington also spent 7 seasons leading Georgia Southern while compiling a 131-97 record.

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Impact of the hire

In 5 seasons, Stackhouse went 70-92 overall with the Commodores. Vanderbilt appeared to turn a corner with a winning record from 2021-23, but the Commodores regressed this year with a 9-23 overall record.

A former NBA star with NBA assistant coaching experience, Stackhouse disappointed with a sub-.500 record at Vanderbilt. The reported hiring of Byington also comes across as the exact opposite kind of move, and one that looks solid on paper.

Byington played for UNC Wilmington in the late 1990s but quickly began his assistant coaching career after his playing days ended. His coaching career came entirely at the college level, and he has time on the coaching staffs at Virginia and James Johnson’s Virginia Tech staff.

As for James Madison’s style of play, the Dukes delivered a strong 3-point shooting defense, holding the opposition to 30% shooting from 3-point range. Byington’s team also averaged 83.2 points per game this season as a top-15 offense in the country.

That type of makeup create some fun games, and the 3-point defense should especially serve Byington and the Commodores well in the current landscape of the SEC.