Mark Byington explains decision to list every Vanderbilt player as point guard on roster

First-year Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington turned heads when he released the team’s official roster, which listed every player as a point guard. On Thursday, Byington explained his unusual decision.

“To me, there’s only two positions: you’re either a player or not a player,” Byington said, per Vandy Hustler Sports. “For us, point guard skills, point guard abilities, it fits us, it fits our style.”

Vanderbilt wanted its men’s basketball program to receive a makeover and Byington is delivering. This offseason, the Commodores parted ways with coach Jerry Stackhouse, who led the program for five years.

In the 2023-24 season, Vanderbilt finished with a 9-23 overall record and a 4-14 mark in conference play. In five years under Stackhouse’s guidance, Vanderbilt failed to make an NCAA Tournament appearance.

The program was ready for a fresh face to take over, and Mark Byington was that fresh face. Before coming to Vanderbilt, Byington spent four seasons as James Madison‘s head coach. Similar to his situation at Vanderbilt, Byington didn’t inherit a winning program.

In the year before Byington became head coach, James Madison went 9-21. In comparison, Byington led the team to a 13-7 record in his debut season at the helm. He didn’t stop there, finishing his time at the program with an 82-36 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2023-24 season.

Now, Byington hopes to find similar success with the Commodores. Nonetheless, he isn’t concerned with proving the doubters wrong.

“It’s not something that we were going to get caught up in,” Byington said. “Whatever number somebody else thinks we are, that’s going to be a weakness, so we’re going to try to focus on who we are and the best we can be.”

Vanderbilt added 10 players via the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason, including Michigan State guard AJ Hoggard and USC center Kijani Wright. With two incoming freshmen as well, Mark Byington boasts a solid cast of talent for his first season leading the Commodores.

He’s excited for the challenge ahead.

“It’s an honor to not only coach at Vanderbilt but to be in the SEC,” Byington said. “People talk all the time about, ‘Are you worried about the teams, the Top 25 teams, everything else?’ The reason I’m at Vanderbilt and in this league is because it’s the best.

“There’s challenges, and it’s the best coaches, environments, and I want to be a part of that. Right now we’re trying to build Vanderbilt to be one of the better teams in the SEC and also the country.”

The Commodores will kick off the Mark Byington era when they square off against Maryland Eastern at 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 4. The game will air live on ESPN+.