Exclusive: Jayden Leverett Evaluates his Freshman Year And Why he Plans to Stay – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the third locker to the right of the bathroom of Vanderbilt’s home seed locker room at Bridgestone Arena sat Vanderbilt freshman center Jayden Leverett. He was smiling from ear to ear as he was unwinding from Vanderbilt’s 75-68 SEC Quarterfinal win over No. 5 seed Tennessee.
It has been a season of finding his role and his spot in the rotation in his first year in Nashville. Leverett knew coming in that he was going to be a role player in head coach Mark Byington’s system this season.
Upon arriving in Nashville, Leverett did not exactly know what to expect. He knew the role that he was going to have his first year, but never did he think that he was going to have the season he has had both development-wise and social-wise.
“It feels great. Coaches are always on me to be great and I love everyone like family to me. Our bond is great. But I’ve had an amazing first year here and I’m looking forward to more great seasons with these guys,” Leverett told Vandy On SI. 
When asked about whether this season has met his expectations or surpassed them, Leverett is not shy to give his thoughts with a simple, but emphatic response.
“Way, way, way better,” Leverett said on how this season has gone compared to his expectations going into the season. “I thought I could be quiet and shy, but these guys brought me in. They’re like family to me. They feel like my brothers and these coaches are always on me. I’ve created a bunch of bonds with them. I just love everyone on this team. It makes me feel like home.”
In terms of Leverett’s personal development as a player this season, he and the coaches have continued to make it a point throughout the season to be more physical in the game. Again, understanding his part as a role player in the lineup, Leverett knew that if he listened to the coaching staff and improved on his game, the opportunities would come. 
Sure enough, over the course of the season, opportunities of playing time with upwards of six, seven and even 13 minutes of playing time have come around.
“I think I’ve improved on the physicality part. That’s a big deal for me. They want me to be physical and just do my job. I know my job is to be a role player, and when I go in there, my job is I try to get rebounds and just be physical so I can give my other guys a break. I just make sure to do that as best as I can,” Leverett told Vandy On SI.
Yet, the one thing that Leverett talks about the most in terms of why he considers this season such a big success has always gone back to the relationships and bonds that he has built. Leverett may only be in his first collegiate year, but he has learned the value of bonding and friendship with his teammates seemingly quickly.
One of those connections that he cherishes is the one that he has with his head coach in Mark Byington. Leverett knows that just like every other coach, Byington will get on his guys and help coach and correct their mistakes. But it is exactly that as well as Byington’s character that Leverett is drawn to Byington so much.
Moreover, it is also why Leverett is planning to stay at Vanderbilt and be coached by Byington for “all four years,” as he told Vandy On SI.
“He’s a very good inspiration. He always motivates everyone and motivates me to get better. He always is on me, but I know he’s on me because he sees the potential in me. I love my coach. I think he’s an amazing coach. I look forward to being with him all four years here.”
But it is more than just Byington that has made Leverett’s first season in Nashville surpass expectations. It has also been the bond he shares with his teammates. Leverett said that the bond between all the players started from the first day he joined the team as teammates hung out together by playing video games or hanging out at each other’s places.
Because of that, it has created a bond so strong that Leverett credits it to the run Vanderbilt has made to the NCAA Tournament this season.
“We’ve had a great bond from the beginning. Now it feels like we’ve been together for multiple years. We go to each other’s houses and we’re super close. And I think that has helped us a lot with our run to March Madness and it’ll continue to help us because we know each other well and we bond,” Leverett said.
One of the guys Leverett has especially built a bond with is Vanderbilt big man Devin McGlockton. The two often play the video game Arc Raiders together. As McGlockton agrees with Leverett, it is a family-like atmosphere inside the Commodores’ locker room. And that bond translates to success on the floor
“Oh definitely, this is a family environment. This is one of the most connected teams I’ve ever been a part of. These are my brothers and I know if I need anything, they can talk to anybody on the team. It shows on the court when we play together just the trust we have in each other,” McGlockton told Vandy On SI.
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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