Vanderbilt basketball extends Mark Byington after North Carolina interest – tennessean.com

Vanderbilt basketball has signed coach Mark Byington to a contract extension, the program announced March 28.
The terms of the extension are not public because Vanderbilt is a private school. Byington’s previous contract terms and salary also are not known.
Byington led the Commodores to back-to-back NCAA tournaments after previously not qualifying since 2017. The 2024-25 season ended 27-9 and in the second round of the NCAA Tournament as Vanderbilt had a last-minute Tyler Tanner shot rim out.
Byington is the first coach in program history to win 20 games in each of his first two seasons.
“Enduring excellence starts with the right people, and Mark Byington is integral to what we’re building for the long haul at Vanderbilt,” athletic director Candice Lee said in a news release. “Basketball in Memorial Gymnasium is an important part of Vanderbilt’s story as a university. Mark understood that relationship from the beginning and won over Commodore Nation with his selfless spirit and an entertaining style of play that honors our commitment to aim higher and be bolder than ever before.
“Across athletics, our new era is just getting started, and I look forward to Mark and our men’s basketball team helping to lead the way.”  
North Carolina recently parted ways with coach Hubert Davis, leaving an opening in Chapel Hill. Byington was thought of as a potential candidate for that job due to his success at previous stops (Georgia Southern and James Madison), as well as the fact that he played at UNC-Wilmington. However, the Tar Heels will need to go a different direction after Byington’s contract extension.
Byington was hired as Vanderbilt’s coach in 2024 after the Commodores fired Jerry Stackhouse.
“From the start, we shared a vision for what Vanderbilt men’s basketball could be as one of the nation’s elite programs and a plan for how to get there, including amazing facilities like the Huber Center,” Byington said in the news release. “And from making me feel welcome in Nashville to stepping up to support this program in meaningful ways at a time in our game when that has never been more important, Commodore Nation has made it clear they believe in what we’re building. I can’t thank them enough for making Vanderbilt home.” 
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.

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