JMU’s Byington called brand-new Vanderbilt head coach

• Jeff Borzello Close Jeff Borzello ESPN Personnel Writer Basketball recruiting expert. Joined ESPN in 2014. Graduate of University of Delaware.Pete Thamel Mar 25, 2024, 01:00

• PM ET Vanderbilt has actually called James Madison’s Mark Byington as its next head coach, the

on Monday.Byington is coming off a historic season at James Madison, leading the Dukes to a program-record 32 wins and the program’s first

NCAA competition win because 1983. James Madison opened the season with a roadway win over No. 4 Michigan State and started 14-0 before suffering its very first loss in early January. James Madison beat Arkansas State by 20 points in the Sun Belt Conference competition title game and earned a 12-seed in the NCAA competition. “From our very first discussions, Coach Byington impressed me with his competitiveness, his intensity, his passion for establishing boys on

and off the court, his love for the game, and his strategy to elevate Vanderbilt men’s basketball to brand-new levels of success,”Vanderbilt AD Candice Storey Lee said.”I was struck by the shared passion that we have for what this basketball program can be and for all that is possible at this excellent institution. “Editor’s Picks

Against 5-seed Wisconsin in the preliminary, James Madison never tracked and came away with a thorough 72-61 win over the Badgers. The Dukes’ 32-4 season pertained to an end with a 93-55 loss to Duke on Sunday.Byington has been

the coach at James Madison for 4 seasons, winning a share of the CAA regular-season title in 2021 and leading the Dukes from the CAA to the Sun Belt in 2023. In his four seasons with the Dukes, he went 82-36 overall.Prior to James Madison, Byington was the head coach at Georgia Southern for 7 seasons, winning 20 or more games in each of his final three seasons with the Eagles.He has assistant coach experience at Virginia Tech, Charleston and Virginia.” I understand Commodore fans are eager for success and we will get

there together,”Byington stated.”I was blown away by the enthusiasm and interest of Vice Chancellor and Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee and Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. We share the exact same vision that Vanderbilt basketball belongs as one of the nation’s elite programs.”At Vanderbilt, Byington will change Jerry Stackhouse, who was fired previously this season after five seasons with the Commodores. Stackhouse led them to 22 wins in the 2022-23 season, but failed to reach the NCAA tournament.