Exclusive: Duke Miles' Injury Took Him To A Dark Place. Now, He's Looking to Go Places Vanderbilt Hasn't Been – Sports Illustrated

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OXFORD, MS—-The upbeat spirit was all but radiating off of Duke Miles as he stood near the Vanderbilt cheerleaders on the Memorial Gymnasium baseline and asked for a pom pom. By the time Vanderbilt’s active players emerged from the tunnel, Miles–who was being propped up by a crutch at the time–had gotten his wish and was waving around the pom pom alongside the cheerleaders. 
The celebration of his teammates was an indicator of Miles general unselfishness. It was a facade to cover up the scathing pain of knowing that he couldn’t do anything to affect the outcome when Vanderbilt took the floor against Ole Miss when things got going in 20 minutes, though. 
Miles would later get his crack at Ole Miss in Vanderbilt’s Tuesday win in Oxford–where he had 16 points–but for now, he was subjected to wondering if that would ever happen. 
The Vanderbilt guard had just hit a breaking point with his health and had undergone a minor knee surgery a few days before and was missing his second consecutive game. The Vanderbilt guard says he was “skeptical” of getting through the surgery rather than just playing through the injury, but he opted to make that move without knowing how many more absences were in his future. 
“I would up playing on it for a month and a half until I couldn’t really do it anymore,” Miles told Vandy on SI in regard to his knee. “It kind of put me in a dark place then. But, when I saw the guys telling me ‘do what’s best for you and motivate for your health,’ it made me want to push to come back even harder for them.” 
For what ended up being nearly a month of game action, Miles was often sitting on the Memorial Gymnasium bench in his patented gray Vanderbilt sweatsuit. From that angle, Miles had to watch as his teammates dropped a stunning game to Oklahoma, which is his former team. When Vanderbilt traveled to Auburn and picked up a crucial road win, Miles was back in Nashville watching from afar so that he could more effectively rehab. 
Miles admits that the process was often frustrating because of what it demanded of him and what he had to miss out on. The Vanderbilt guard wanted to be a full part of this team, but he had to act independently of it if he was going to get back. It had to do the same. 
Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington had to find a way to manipulate his lineups to accommodate for the loss of Miles and had to lean on Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner to account for unrealistic usage without Miles complementing him. Miles admits that Vanderbilt has had to endure a “big adjustment” while adding him back into the lineup. 
Through the physical pain, mental battle and the idea that re-acclimation would be part of the equation, Miles always knew that he was coming back. This is his last college basketball ride–and he doesn’t intend to waste it. 
“Being my last year, being the most memorable one and the most fun one, it’s going to be sad [when it ends],” Miles said. “I've been around college basketball for some time now and I want to say that this is one of the best group of guys I've been around, even the coaching staff too.”
Miles' 2025-26 season hasn’t only been his most memorable, it’s been his best. The Vanderbilt guard is averaging 16.0 points, 4.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. His scoring output is the second-best of his college career and has indicated that Oklahoma was wrong in its assumptions that he was merely a role player at the power-five level. Miles is decidedly a go-to guy at Vanderbilt and has carved out that role on a team that will be the highest seed in the NCAA Tournament of any that Miles has been on. 
Despite his stretch of missed games and the process of working back in, Miles is nationally ranked in seven of KenPom’s efficiency metrics. Miles’ most impressive metrics are his steal percentage, which is No. 6 in the country, and his offensive rating–which is No. 295 in the country.
Vanderbilt is 2-2 since Miles’ return, shooting 44% from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range. Miles is averaging 13.5 points per game since his return, but is shooting just 34.7% from the field. The Vanderbilt guard is making 37.5% of his shots from 3-point range since his return. Miles intends to do significantly more with his return than those numbers indicate, though. 
If he were to settle for what he’s done thus far, that wouldn’t be all that on brand. 
“I'm just grateful to just be here, and just fight for every game,” Miles said. “But as far the team goes we're gonna try to win the SEC tournament after we win Saturday, and try to make a strong Final Four to championship appearance. And I want to go there, too, as well.”
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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