Mark Byington doesn’t spend much time worrying about recruiting labels. The Vanderbilt coach is more interested in whether a player fits, what he can do in real time, and how he can help the group around him. With freshman Ant Brown, though, Byington saw something that went beyond the usual evaluation.
When he watched Brown as a high school player, the first thing that stood out was the way he could light up a gym.
“He's got a flashiness, he’s got a pizzazz to him,” Byington told Vandy on SI. “Our fans are going to love him.”
That kind of appeal was already obvious before Brown ever got to campus. He arrived at Vanderbilt as the program’s most recognizable newcomer, with 26,900 Instagram followers and a pile of highlight clips that have made the rounds online.
One of the most eye-catching was a fadeaway from 3-point range at Washington Wizards’ Capital One Arena, where Brown had his back to a defender and drifted out of bounds after the shot. Another was his 52-point game, which set his school record for points in a game.
Brown’s resume was loaded, too. MaxPreps, the DC Coaches’ Association and The District of Columbia State Athletic Association all named him Washington DC’s high school Player of the Year. He also won DC Gatorade Player of The Year honors and passed 2,000 career high school points.
Byington believed Brown’s game could carry over quickly when he signed him, and the early signs from Vanderbilt’s summer program have only reinforced that view.
“He's gonna get on the court,” Byington said in regard to Brown's freshman-year outlook. “He might be our best player in ball screens right now.
He is really passing the ball at a high level right now, too. He's known for his scoring, but he's making reads, he’s making plays.
We want guys to make perimeter shots. He can do that.”
Brown, for his part, has already said the fit makes sense. Sitting on the baseline ahead of Vanderbilt’s January win over Alabama, he told Vandy on SI that Byington’s offense felt like the right setting for him and would let him be himself. He also sees the vision starting to take shape.
“It’s really showing,” he told @VandyOnSI.
The freshman’s role may not be simple, though it does look increasingly certain that he’ll be involved right away. Brown is more of a score-first guard than a traditional point guard, and he’ll take some difficult shots.
Still, Vanderbilt has been encouraged by how often he has made the players around him better during the summer. The expectation entering the offseason was that he’d have a chance to earn minutes quickly, even with Tyler Tanner, Washington State transfer Ace Glass and Missouri transfer TO Barrett already in the backcourt.
Now Byington sounds convinced Brown has done enough to force the issue. The coach is even open to using him alongside Tanner rather than behind him.
“I've told him that he doesn't have to think he's going to play behind Tyler Tanner. He might be playing beside Tyler Tanner,” Byington said.
“There's no reason why I can't play Tyler Tanner, Ace Glass and Ant Brown on the court together. Last year, we did that in a good portion of December, where I played Tyler Tanner, Duke Miles, and Frankie Collins together.
We went big later on, but, like right now, we don't quite know. We'll know, of course, know more in November, and it still might change then, but Ant Brown will be on the court.”
Byington’s belief in Brown goes beyond shot-making. He sees a player who can create for others, provide a steady voice in practice and grow into one of the team’s natural leaders even as a freshman.
“My favorite thing right now is he makes other guys better around him,” Byington said. “If you're on his team right now, he's gonna find you shots, find you looks.
He's been a great voice in practice and as far as a natural leader, like, he's got probably as many qualities as anybody we have on our team about being a natural leader. It's just in him.
So, I'm gonna keep pushing him to do that, even though he's a freshman.”
For Vanderbilt, Brown looks like more than a high-scoring newcomer. The early read from summer is that he can be part of the rotation, part of the playmaking, and part of the team’s identity from the start.
In Other News...
Jared Curtis Just Raised Vanderbilt's Biggest Quarterback Question
Jared Curtis did more than survive his first start at Vanderbilt. The five-star freshman quarterback helped engineer a 17-point comeback against NC State, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors in the process and giving the Commodores a glimpse of what their future might look like under center. He finished 20 of 34 for 277 yards with three touchdown passes and two interceptions, a line that reflected both the promise and the occasional rough edges that come with a young quarterback making his first real statement.
Clark Lea said Curtis showed growth throughout the game, and that may be the part Vanderbilt will watch most closely moving forward. The performance gave the staff evidence that Curtis can handle big moments, but it also sharpened the bigger question now hanging over the position: how quickly can Vanderbilt turn one impressive debut into something more stable as the season goes on? [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Gets An Early Reality Check Before SEC Pressure Hits
The Commodores are about to get an early test on the road, with Vanderbilt set to face Miami in a preseason exhibition Friday, Oct. 23, at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables. It is the kind of matchup that can tell a team plenty before the games count, especially with both programs coming off strong seasons and carrying spots in ESPNs Way-Too-Early Top 25.
For Vanderbilt, the timing makes the trip even more interesting because the SEC grind is still ahead, and early games like this can help reveal what needs tightening before the pressure ramps up. Miami coach Jai Lucas has already pointed to the value of tough preparation and the need for challenging games before his team opens the season against Florida, which gives this exhibition a little more edge than the usual fall tune-up. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Had Several Performances SEC Teams Should Notice After This Win
Vanderbilts win over NC State offered more than just a good result for the resume, because several players gave SEC opponents something to file away. The defense made one of the biggest early statements when EDGE Miles Capers forced a fumble that cornerback Cayden Daniels recovered, and Capers added three tackles and a tackle for loss to a disruptive outing.
On the other side of the ball, Sherrill kept building his case as a reliable target by leading the Commodores with six catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns, a sign that his timing with quarterback Jared Curtis is starting to look more natural. Freshman Mason Lewis also turned heads in his first start at STAR, tying for the team lead with eight tackles and giving Vanderbilt another young defender worth watching as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]