Derrick Byars won Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors for Vanderbilt's 2006-07 basketball team. He's 23rd on our VandySports 100; you can follow the entire countdown here.
Honors and awards: 2005-06 Southeastern Conference Player of the Week (Nov. 28-Dec. 4)
2006-07 SEC Player of the Year
2006-07 first team All-SEC
2006-07 second-team All-American (Rivals; honorable mention AP)
2006-07 SEC Player of the Week (twice)
In the VU record book: Byars does not appear on any significant lists
Before VU: Was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee as a senior at Memphis's Ridgeway High, averaging 23.2 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 2001-02. Was first-team all-state and a Tennessee Mr. Basketball finalist. Chosen the District 15-AA regular season Player of the Year, Tournament MVP, MVP in the Region 8-AA Tournament and was the TSSAA Class AA State Tournament MVP as Ridgeway won the state title. Shot 37 percent from 3-point range and 77 percent from the free throw line. Earned honorable mention all-state honors and was named to the Region 8-AA All-Tournament Team, the District 15-AA Tournament’s MVP and a first team all-district selection during the regular season.
Freshman (2002-03, VIrginia): Played 31 games and started 16, averaging 20.9 minutes, 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds. Shot 37.8 percent rom the field and the same from 3.
Sophomore (2004-04, Virginia): Played 31 games, starting 18 while averaging 20.9 minutes, 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds. Shot 46.7 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from 3.
Junior (2005-06): Started all 30 games for a 17-13 (7-9 SEC) team that lost in the first round of the NIT. Byars averaged 31.5 minutes, 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists (which led the team), shot 48.3 percent from the field, 44.1 percent from 3 (second in the SEC) and 71.6 percent at the foul line. Averaged 11.9 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor in league games. Scored in double figures 20 times. Led VU in steals 12 times, assists eight times and scoring seven times. Shot 62.5 percent from 3-point range (10-of-16) and 56.5 percent from the field (12-of-23) while averaging 19.0 points in two games at the SEC Tournament. Named SEC Player of the Week after scoring season-high 25 points with five 3-pointers against Cincinnati and 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting against Oregon. Handed out a season-best eight assists at Ole Miss.
Senior (2006-07): Named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year by the league’s coaches after leading VU to a 22-12 (10-6) mark and a berth in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. Started all 34 games, averaging 17.0 points and 31.4 minutes. Named All-District 7 as a senior by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and All-District 4 as a senior by the United States Basketball Writer’s Association. In league play, averaged 19.1 points (second-best in the SEC), 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists, shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from 3 and 69.2 percent from the foul line. Ranked among the SEC leaders in nine statistical categories for the season, more than any other player in the league. Led VU in scoring 17 times, including 14 of the final 20 games. Led VU in scoring seven of 10 games vs. ranked opponents, posting averages of 20.2 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 51.4 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from 3. Had 19 of his game high 27 points after halftime in Vanderbilt’s 78-74 double-overtime win against Washington State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Had 24 points, eight assists and five steals in Vanderbilt’s 83-70 over No. 1 Florida in Nashville. Added 25 in Vanderbilt’s 82-81 victory against then-No. 16 Tennessee. Scored a career-high 32 points against South Carolina and pulled seven rebounds in a win in Nashville. Scored 26 points and had six rebounds in a victory over Kentucky in Nashville, and added 23 and eight in a win over UK in Lexington. Had 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a win at LSU. Scored 28 points, with four assists and four rebounds, in a victory over Toledo.
Post-VU: Five years after finishing at Vanderbilt, Byars finally earned a two-game stint in the NBA with the Spurs. He'd been drafted by Portland in Round 2 (42nd overall) post-VU, but didn't make the roster. Otherwise, Byars has spent much of his time post-VU playing professionally all over the globe.
Final thoughts, and why I ranked him where I did: There are two types of basketball players who are generally underrated: 1) Those who contribute significantly in a lot of areas, without maybe standing out in any one, and 2) Efficient players. Byars was both, though if you want to pick a flaw, he also turned it over a good bit (152 times in his two seasons at Vandy). Fortunately for Byars, he did the one thing that voters usually notice--score in volume--which was a main reason he earned SEC Player of the Year as a senior.
The other thing Byars did was show up huge in big games. He was great in both wins over Kentucky, brilliant in a win over top-ranked Florida (the eventual national champion), excellent in the early-January home win over Tennessee that changed the fortunes of that season, and, of course, tremendous in the NCAA Tournament win over Washington State, when he blocked Taylor Rochestie's shot in overtime to help send the game to a second OT, where the Commodores eventually won. (Here's a great recap of his performance that day.)
Of course, Byars only spent two years at Vanderbilt after transferring from Virginia. I had forgotten how solid that other season was, also. Check out the per-40-minute numbers below, as well as his shooting percentages; Byars had a better year than I'm guessing most readers remembered.
Byars' junior year was interesting for other reasons, though ones beyond his control. VU finished 49th in KenPom despite being just four games over .500, with a talented roster that significantly underachieved (Byars, Shan Foster, DeMarre Carroll, Julian Terrell, Mario Moore, Alex Gordon, Dan Cage and Ted Skuchas, among others, were on that team.). That was the season that Moore and coach Kevin Stallings were at private war with each other, wrecking team chemistry and spoiling what should have been an NCAA Tournament-bound season.
With Moore gone the next season, VU then struggled through the first two months of that season, finally finding its identity with a smaller lineup that featured the 6-foot-4 Cage at the four after starting post Alan Metcalfe was hurt. Starting with Foster's tip-in of Byars's missed shot to beat the Vols in January, that season turned around entirely and ended in New Jersey in the infamous "Jeff Green traveled!" game against Georgetown. And had the whistle blown when it should have, who knows when and where that season may have ended.
Byars didn't have enough volume of a career at VU where I felt comfortable ranking him higher. But that senior year was so outstanding, I anticipate some blow-back for not slotting him higher.
