He may not be getting the recognition of some of the nation's best coaches, but in terms of wins and losses, it's hard to find someone as successful as Vanderbilt's Mark Byington. Since 2022, he has gone 74-28 at James Madison and Vanderbilt. In his final season at James Madison, Byington went 32-4, including a first-round upset of Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. He catapulted that team to success in the Vanderbilt job, where he went 20-13, leading to another trip to the tournament. He has had a moderately successful career both at Georgia Southern and James Madison, but over the last three seasons, something changed.
He has had a moderately successful career at Georgia Southern and James Madison, but over the last three seasons, something changed. Two major changes for Byington began in 2023, which coincided with the run his teams have been on over the last three seasons. First, his teams were more experienced, and second, his rosters began to have more length than his teams in the past. First, his teams were more experienced, and second, his rosters began to have more length than they had in the past.
His 2023 James Madison team was nearly two years older on average than in 2022, and the 76.9 inches on the roster was the tallest team Byington had as a head coach up to that point. That team went 22-11 and prepared them for a 2024 season that would be the best in school history. The 2024 team set numerous records, and it was the 12th-oldest in the country, with just over three years of experience. The roster was also long, averaging 6’5, making it the longest roster in Byington’s career. In his first season at Vanderbilt, those metrics would dip somewhat but still be higher than at any time before 2023. Vanderbilt went 20-13 and nearly knocked off No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s in the NCAA Tournament, losing 59-56. The 20 wins were just the third time the school had reached that mark since the 2014-15 season and the tournament bid, the first since 2016-17.
Expect this season to continue the trends of experience and length for Byington’s team. The Vanderbilt roster has 16 players, but one of their biggest transfers, point guard George Kimble III, will miss the season after averaging 18 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists for Eastern Kentucky. Of the remaining 15 players, there are three first-year players and eight are seniors, five of whom are transfers. Of the 12 players on the roster that will play this season and have previous Division I experience, the Commodores will average about 2.8 years of experience. While that is younger than the previous two seasons, it is older than the rosters Byington fielded before 2023.
When it comes to the length of the roster, at first glance, only four of the 15 (non-redshirting) players check in shorter than 6’4. The tallest roster in Byington’s coaching career came unsurprisingly in 2024 when James Madison won 32 games. That roster averaged 77.3 inches or just over 6’4. The Commodores clearly had a goal when looking at transfer portal targets, players with length, five of the seven transfers that should see the floor measure in at 6’5 or taller. On the whole, the 2025-26 Commodores will be the longest team Byington has ever had, inching ahead of that 2024 team. Vanderbilt comes in at 77.4 inches or slightly taller than 6’5.
Of course, tall players who have played a lot of basketball don’t guarantee success on the floor, but whether it has been a philosophical change in roster building or something completely coincidental, the results have been striking for Byington over the last few seasons. This isn’t to say that Vanderbilt will go on some deep run to the Final Four, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the Commodores take the floor this season.