Tyler Tanner Talks Earning All-Conference Honors – Sports Illustrated

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When Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner arrived on campus as a Commodore in 2024, he had a bucket list of things he wanted to accomplish. Of course, the hometown player wants to bring Vanderbilt’s program to the next level in the national landscape of college basketball, but he also had individual things he wanted to accomplish.
One of those individual bucket list items was earned earlier this week, when Tanner was one of the five players to be named to All-SEC First Team and one of five players in the conference to earn SEC All-Defensive Team. The vote was based on the coaches in the conference, which speaks volumes to the impact and the job Tanner has done this season.
For Tanner, earning the honors he won this week is something he not only has thought about, but it was something he believed that he could win.
“I will say I did have confidence. It was a bucket list item for me. I haven’t been thinking about it a lot, I really didn’t know when they were going to come out with the teams. But coach [head coach Mark Byington] told me the other day and I’m just super blessed,” Tanner said. “It’s a lot of credit to the people around me with my teammates and my coaches.”
Tanner has been the captain of the ship for Vanderbilt throughout this season, averaging 19.2 points, 5.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. When Tanner has been on this season, the Commodores are usually at their best. Tanner has the capability to take matters into his hands and will his team to victory.
Another one of his capabilities is his defense that got him on All-SEC Defensive Team. Tanner is averaging 2.4 steals per game this season and is just two steals shy of setting a new program record for most steals in a season. James Strong currently holds the record at 77, but Tanner is likely going to break it more than likely at this week’s SEC Tournament regardless of how long Vanderbilt’s stay at Bridgestone Arena lasts.
Tanner’s defensive skills are the more underappreciated and underrated aspect of his game to those who have not watched Vanderbilt often this season. Tanner’s knack and anticipation of jumping passing lanes that turns into transition opportunities for the Commodores is what helps Vanderbilt win games.
Tanner takes a lot of pride in his defense and he has worked hard at becoming the all-conference defender he is today. But it is not just his ability to take the ball away, but he feels his guarding in general also has helped him take a jump defensively this season.
"I think this year especially I’ve locked in a lot on defense, guarding the best perimeter players most games and trying to jump passing lanes for steals. A lot of people focus on the steals part, but I think I’ve gotten better at on-ball and off-ball for defense,” Tanner said.
The jump Tanner has made from his freshman to sophomore year has been one of the best stories in the SEC this season. Tanner averaged just 5.7 points per game in year one, but in year two Tanner has been a breakout player that has surprised plenty of people looking back on preseason expectations.
Coming into this season, Tanner knew he was going to have a bigger role offensively and defensively and he has responded to the call in a way that has lifted Vanderbilt to the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament.
Though the season is not over yet, Tanner’s performance has already been justified. Another thing on Tanner’s bucket list? Winning a SEC Tournament Championship this week.
“That would be huge. The SEC I think is the best conference in the country and winning that would be really cool for us because it’s something we’ve worked for the whole year. It’s not the end goal, but it’s definitely a stepping stone to get to where we want to be,” Tanner said.
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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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