December 19, 2005

Byars Wakes up to Commodore Faithful

12/19/2005

By Jennifer O’Neill

Many Black and Gold faithful refer to him as “the transfer,” but the more he steps on the floor at Memorial Gymnasium, the more Commodore fans are waking up and joining the cheers for “DeeBee.”

After sitting out the 2004-05 campaign following a transfer from the University of Virginia, junior guard/forward Derrick Byars is making an immediate impact on the Vanderbilt basketball squad.

“Vanderbilt recruited me coming out of high school,” said the Memphis native. “When I left Virginia, I thought [Vanderbilt] would be a good fit for all parties. I felt the coaches would make me better, and I could help the program out.”

The fit between Byars and Coach Kevin Stallings’ Commodore squad has been remarkably smooth. A year ago, while practicing with the Commodores, Byars showed a versatile game, offering the ability to push the ball up the court, hit 3-pointers, drive the lane and play strong perimeter defense. This season, he has prospered bringing those talents to the Commodore attack, ranking among the team leaders in scoring average, rebounds and assists.
However, Byars’ on-court skills did not help him pick up on one of Stallings’ unwritten rules when he first arrived on campus.

“The first practice of the year last year I wasn’t used to the time we had to be on the court,” Byars said. “I was a little late. We have to be here 15 minutes prior to the time Coach says we have to be on the court, so he made me run the entire practice. It was quite a nice welcome.”

Last season, most Commodore fans were aware there was a transfer student practicing with the team, but little more was known about Byars. When the 2004-05 season ended with an invitation to the

NIT rather than the Big Dance, fans began asking questions about the transfer and whether he would be the difference for the Commodores this year and propel them back to the NCAA tournament.

His coaches and teammates knew far more about him, regarding Byars as a sleeper — both literally and figuratively.
“He brings a lot of energy to the team,” said sophomore swingman Shan Foster, who also doubles as Byars’ roommate. “He is a great defender. He does a lot of things offensively. He can take you off the dribble or pull up and shoot. There is not much he can’t do.

“[But] the guy sleeps a lot more than normal people. He can sleep forever. He’ll come in the room, go to bed for hours, get up, do some work, and go back to sleep for even longer,” Foster added.

Despite enjoying a quiet existence, where he could sleep as much as he wants, walk around campus with few people recognizing him and only have his coaches know his true skill, Byars is waking up to a different reality.
“I’m laid back, I’m not outgoing,” Byars said. “If people want to know anything about me, they’ll just have to find out.”
If Byars continues turning out performances like he has so far, few people will not know him. Byars has started every game for the Commodores since being eligible to play. He made his first regular season appearance in a black and gold jersey in Memorial Gym Nov. 16 against Jacksonville State and scored 10 points.

His point production has increased almost every game since then. Byars netted 20 points against Oregon to earn Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honors. He followed up that performance with a career-high 25-point effort against Cincinnati.

But while his point production certainly catches the eye of Vanderbilt fans, Stallings says Byars brings other things to the table as well.

“Derrick has played well for us on both ends of the floor,” Coach Stallings said. “I think the average person sees him score 20 or 25 points and says wow he is playing better. Derrick has been our best defender in addition to being our best or one of our best offensive players.”

When he is not sleeping or working on his basketball skills, Byars is an artist. According to Foster, he drew a pair of basketball sneakers that adorns the wall in their dorm room. Byars also drew the tattoo senior forward Julian Terrell received to remember his mother.

Even though Byars enjoys sleeping, it may not be quite so peaceful anymore as he is causing a loud noise amongst Vanderbilt fans and is creating a lot of talk in opposing locker rooms. Byars does not mind as long as the disruption of his sleep helps the Commodores play late into March.