Vanderbilt hopes 3rd time is a charm for twice-commit offseason transfer pickup

One of the biggest storylines this offseason in the transfer portal is Duke Miles, a 6’2 "guard who played five years of college basketball. In his lone season at Oklahoma, Miles produced 9.4 ppg on 51% shooting from the field and 43% from three-point range. Miles received plenty of interest as one of the top high-major shooters in the portal.

In fact, Miles has already committed twice to both Virginia and Texas A&M, only to de-commit since. Again, a free agent, the senior sharpshooter has set up a few visits, with some schools reportedly in the mix again. Teams that were in the mix included Baylor, Tennessee, Georgetown, and others but after a visit this past weekend, Miles picked his 3rd team of the offseason.

In the first year of the Coach Mark Byington era, Vanderbilt went 20-13 and made the NCAA Tournament. All of the perimeter players on the roster either ran out of eligibility or transferred out, including AJ Hoggard and Jason Edwards. Yes, Miles wasn’t a very potent scoring threat in the SEC, but he’s a proven shooter at this level, something many transfers in the portal can’t say.

The current backcourt situation with Vanderbilt now includes Miles as a likely starting two-guard. Former TCU guard Frankie Collins is likely starting at point guard, while NC State transfer Mike James will be the 6th Man. Washington transfer Tyler Harris will be on the wings, while Devin McGlockton, the lone returning starter, is back at the four-spot. 

The Commodores will need incoming four-star guard prospect Jaylon Dean-Vines to have an impact out of the gate for there to be enough depth to win next season. Plus, while Miles’ efficiency is a nice selling point, they’ll likely need him to have more volume in his scoring outputs for them to remain a contender.

More importantly, Vandy must ensure Miles remains committed to the program for the next few months.