June 28, 2007
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NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – Former Vanderbilt swingman Derrick Byars was taken by the Portland Trailblazers as the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday. Byars was immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Petteri Koponen, the 30th pick.
Byars, a 6-7, 230-pound native of Memphis, is the 32nd player in Vanderbilt history to be chosen in the Draft and the first since forward Matt Freije was picked by the Miami Heat in the second round (53rd overall selection) of the 2004 Draft.
“Philadelphia needed a player with his skill set,” said Byars’ agent Robert Fayne. “Derrick is a player who can defend on the wing, a player who can shoot from 3-point range, and a player who is a leader.
“I think Derrick Byars is an NBA player who will enjoy a long and productive career,” Fayne added.
Byars becomes the third Commodore chosen in the Draft since 2000 that has played for current Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings. Byars joins Freije and Dan Langhi, who was taken by Dallas in the second round (31st pick overall) of the 2000 Draft. Langhi’s pick was then traded to Houston.
“I’m very surprised and disappointed that Derrick slipped to the second round,” Stallings said. “However, I don’t think that will impact his chances to have a terrific NBA career.”
Byars earned Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors from the league’s coaches and was tabbed a unanimous First Team All-SEC selection and honorable mention All-American as a senior at Vanderbilt. He averaged 17.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists while helping the Commodores compile a 22-12 overall record, second-place finish in the SEC Eastern Division and a berth in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Byars was the only player in the league to rank among the SEC leaders in nine statistical categories. He finished second in the league in scoring with 19.1 points during conference play.
“He can do so many things on the basketball court and was by far the most complete player in our league (last year),” said rising senior swingman Shan Foster who coupled with Byars last season to give the Commodores one of the most talented wing tandems in the SEC.
“Derrick was a very hard worker, a great player and great teammate,” Foster said. “He’s more than a friend, he’s a brother and it’s great to see someone in the family reach their dream.”
Twice named the SEC Player of the Week, Byars led the Commodores in scoring in 17 games during the 2006-07 season, including 14 of the team’s final 20 contests. He often performed well against nationally ranked foes, averaging 20.2 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from 3-point range in 10 such games.
Byars earned his degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Vanderbilt in May.
