Vanderbilt Commodores

Vanderbilt Adds Two Players from Transfer Portal

Commodores' coach Mark Byington has his work cutout for him this offseason with just six players left on the roster, but is beginning to add to it.

Taylor Hodges

North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jalen Washington (13) and Mississippi Rebels guard Matthew Murrell (11) chase a loose ball during the first half of a first round NCAA men’s tournament game at Fiserv Forum.
North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jalen Washington (13) and Mississippi Rebels guard Matthew Murrell (11) chase a loose ball during the first half of a first round NCAA men’s tournament game at Fiserv Forum. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington has a lot of work to do to fill out the men’s basketball team roster that was left with just six players after players ran out of eligibility or entered the transfer portal.

Byington received his first commitments in this transfer portal cycle Friday night when former North Carolina forward Jalen Washington picked Vanderbilt over schools like Mississippi State, Missouri and Ohio State, according to On3. The Commodores also received a commitment from Jacksonville State center Mason Nicholson.

Washington spent the last three seasons with the Tar Heels, playing in 93 games with 16 starts (all during this past season) and averaged 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game as a junior.

Nicholson, who is listed at 6-foot-10, 280-pounds, can provide the Commodores a dominant presence in the paint. As a junior, he averaged 7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game for the Gamecocks, but also made just 51.5 percent of his free throws. Vanderbilt had just two players average five rebounds a game or more. Jaylen Carey was one of those two, but entered the transfer portal two weeks ago, and Devin McGlockton led the team with 7.9 rpg.

Players Leaving

  • Karris Bilal
  • Jaylen Carey
  • MJ Collins
  • Jason Edwards
  • Alex Hemenway
  • JaQualon Roberts\
  • Jordan Williams

Incoming Players

  • Jalen Washington
  • Mason Nicholson

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Taylor Hodges is a staff writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI covering all-things Vanderbilt. Taylor brings more than a decade’s worth of award-winning sports writing, photography and video experience covering every level of sports — from Little League baseball to professional sports and other sports like hunting and fishing. Taylor is fueled by his lifelong passion for sports that began the same day Kirk Gibson hit his legendary World Series walk-off home run, Arkansas beat Texas in Austin and No. 4 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami in the Catholics vs. Convicts game.

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