Vanderbilt certainly took a measured step in the right direction in Mark Byington’s first season as head coach. While the Commodores finished just 9th in the SEC, that was certainly enough from that historic conference to get them into the NCAA Tournament, the program’s first trip in eight years. A busy first offseason put Vanderbilt in that position with a rebuilt roster and now Byington and his staff have had to repeat matters before year two.
Half the roster entered the transfer portal while a few other pieces were lost to graduation. Vanderbilt’s leading scorer Jason Edwards and his 17 points a game are gone as are players like Jaylen Carey and MJ Collins. There are certainly holes to fill all over this roster, though the return of junior forwards Devin McGlockton and Tyler Nickel was good news at least and the Commodores certainly are building around them with this new-look roster.
The frontcourt gets a major talent influx, starting with power forward Jalen Washington who didn’t quite get opportunities at North Carolina, and former Jacksonville State center Mason Nicholson. Mike James is coming off a significant injury but was productive at Louisville while Tyler Harris (Washington) and AK Okereke (Cornell) add depth at small forward. Many eyes should be on George Kimble III after his work at Eastern Kentucky but there’s another guard we’re focusing in on today.
What should be the final collegiate campaign for Frankie Collins could be a special season for him and the Commodores. The 6-1 point guard out of Nevada was a Top 50 prospect four years ago before bouncing to Michigan, Arizona State, and TCU. His most recent full season saw him average 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game for the Sun Devils before an injury kept him to just 9 games last season at TCU.
Before he broke his foot last season, Collins was off to a nice start with the Horned Frogs, with 40 assists in those nine games. While his shotmaking is still a work in progress he’s a highly regarded player who can be a major asset for the Commodores. Collins likely steps into a major role orchestrating the offense while he’s also put up decent steals numbers and can be impactful defensively as well. There’s a plethora of new talent in Nashville, though it may just be Collins who needs to have the healthiest and most consistent season for this team’s success.
Everything has to come together just right but it’s easy to look at the new pieces in place and be excited for another season of Vanderbilt basketball. The Commodores have the talent to get back to the Big Dance and perhaps be even more of a factor in the SEC. It’s not just down to one or two of these new faces playing at their best, but it is clear that the veteran leadership Collins provides from the point could just be the lift they need moving forward.