Vanderbilt fires Bryce Drew: What is next for Commodores?

RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2019 Team rankings | 2019 Position rankings

2020 Rivals150 | 2020 Position rankings

Top 75 of 2021

A year after enrolling the best class in school history, Vanderbilt parted ways with Bryce Drew after a miserable season that saw the Commodores lose their final 20 games. The third-year head coach failed to reach the type of success that he had achieved at Valparaiso, losing every game SEC game this winter and finishing under .500 for the second straight season.

Entering the season with major optimism, the Commodores welcomed three Rivals150 prospects to campus, two coming with the five-star rating attached to their names. However, the season failed to get off of the ground thanks to the season ending injury to Darius Garland, as he logged just 139 minutes in all. Placed in a very competitive SEC and leaning on a stable full of underclassmen and also upperclassmen that were not prepared to step into roles that they were expected to, things fell out from under their feet. Vanderbilt finished 9-23 and 0-18 in the SEC.

Despite the swift downturn on the floor, recruiting has never been better. Vanderbilt, even before its tremendous 2018 class, found success in the mold of Saben Lee, Ejike Obinna, and on the transfer market, with Matt Ryan and Matt Moyer. Their current 2019 class sits 10th overall in the SEC, though it does boast the signatures of two four-star prospects and that of Scottie Pippen Jr.

The new coaching staff will walk into a situation that will not lack for talent throughout its roster. Garland is gone, that we know, and the return of freshman five-star Simi Shittu remains up in the air, but Lee, Ryan, Moyer, Clevon Brown and budding star wing Aaron Nesmith would create for a core that, with a few more pieces added to it and the proper playing structure afforded, compete for a postseason bid.

Finding the right coaching staff will be the first daunting task that newly hired athletic director Malcolm Turner will make at Vanderbilt. Turner came to Nashville as the president of the G-League, so his background with coaching candidates is rather depleted compared to other athletic directors that have spent time within college athletics. However, that does not mean that quality coaching candidates will be difficult to come by.

Tommy Amaker has worked wonders at Harvard, winning at least a share of the league title seven times in 12 years. He has single-handedly made the Ivy League a much more competitive league. By all accounts, he is totally satisfied riding off into the sunset once he feels as if he has done all that he could as the head coach of the program.

However, might the idea of returning to a power conference program, one that, like Harvard, prides itself on academics and its basketball program, pique his interest? Sure, Amaker has something special at Harvard but maybe he would like to find out one last time if he has the abilities to take a team past the Sweet 16, something that he has never done despite winning over 400 games as a head coach.

Turner is a Harvard alum and in his first major move in Nashville, could put together a package too great for the head coach of his alma mater to turn down.

Rick Byrd’s name was kicked around the last time that a coaching change was made at Vanderbilt and he decided to remain at Belmont. Byrd has led Belmont to the NCAA tournament eight times and won a game for the first time this year before bowing out Thursday.

He has put together one of the more impressive college coaching resumes that the game has seen in recent memory. He has won over 700 college games and has taken the Belmont program from the NAIA ranks and into the category of one of the most consistently successful mid-major programs nationally. He has beaten the sport’s best, constantly has his program involved for a league title and produced NBA pros. His Nashville residency only helps the cause and while he is 65 years old, Byrd seems to be one of the surer bets to be looked at.

Is the time now for Marshall to leave Wichita State? Despite earning over $2 million at Wichita State thanks to recent deep NCAA tournament runs, things turned sour for the first time this winter as the Shockers are nowhere near sniffing a tournament bid and could face a more difficult task of ascending the AAC pecking order in years ahead thanks to the likely renaissances at Memphis and UConn.

There has been whispers that Marshall would take the right job if it was presented and while Vanderbilt will never be the king of the SEC, it does have its unique selling points thanks to its locale and academic prestige. Marshall would bring his gritty playing style and nearly 500 career college wins to Nashville. He may not be known for winning recruiting battles, but his demeanor on the sideline and energy he presents are clear signs that he would not be afraid to jump up a weight level and compete against the game’s best in every manner possible.

A native of Tennessee, Matt McMahon has a lot going for him right now and while he could remain at Murray State and wait out the process until the right job is offered, Vanderbilt could ultimately be the one that is the ideal fit.

Taking his team to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the past three years and winning the regular season title three of the past four years that he has been the coach at Murray State, the Racers have the chance to make a run in the coming weeks which would enhance his stock even further.

The number of past coaches of the program only help his case further thanks to the work completed by Billy Kennedy, Steve Prohm and Mick Cronin. Just 40 years old and someone that was a graduate-assistant at Tennessee before beginning his coaching career, McMahon has shown that he can both recruit as an assistant and head coach, but also out maneuver others in the coach’s box.