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NASHVILLE—The decision looms over Vanderbilt basketball these days.
Will Tyler Tanner stay and work to cement a legacy as one of Vanderbilt basketball’s greatest players of all time while working to boost his stock? Or will he stay in the draft and make his NBA dream come true right now?
Most of the offseason word has been that Tanner is more likely to return for a third season at Vanderbilt than to keep his name in the draft, but Tanner has been intent on going through the process and has kept the door open to everything as a result. He declared for the draft on deadline day and is likely to ride out his decision until the deadline to drop out.
“When you step back and look at it, it's like ‘wow, like, I get to decide on an agency and I get to think about the future a little bit,’” Tanner told Vandy on SI during the NCAA Tournament. “I'm very thankful that I can make those decisions.”
The indication is that Vanderbilt has incentivized Tanner heavily to return, though. Multiple sources have told Vandy on SI that Tanner would be the highest-paid basketball player–by a somewhat significant amount–in Vanderbilt basketball history, one of college basketball’s highest-paid players and could be the most highly-compensated athlete in Vanderbilt athletics history if he returns–the other one of note is Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis, if he stays for multiple seasons.
If Tanner doesn’t return, it won’t be for a lack of funding and it won’t be on a long-shot hope that he can find his way into the back end of the first round. Tanner is a polarizing prospect to evaluators because of his lack of size, but compelling athleticism and off the bounce scoring ability. There is a possibility that a team falls in love with him, though.
Tanner is going through the NBA Draft Combine in mid May and will have to decide on his future by May 27.
Still work to be done in the portal?
Vanderbilt has five scholarships filled via the transfer portal and has nothing available if Tanner and Vanderbilt forward AK Okereke both return to school, but it hasn’t heard definitively yet in regard to Tanner or Okereke at this stage.
A source with direct knowledge of the situation told Vandy on SI that Vanderbilt’s staff isn’t yet sure if it’s done adding in the transfer portal or not. Vanderbilt’s staff is presumably still evaluating options as to how it can fill its roster if Okereke and Tanner don’t return.
The options have all but dried up at this point, but perhaps Vanderbilt could look to the overseas route if it doesn’t get both Okereke and Tanner back.
Chad Myers’ role
Vanderbilt has added former Link Academy head coach Chad Myers to its staff. Myers coached Vanderbilt guard TO Barrett while Barrett was a high schooler.
It’s been reported previously that Myers is a replacement for Vanderbilt assistant Jon Cremins, but multiple sources have told Vandy on SI that Myers is not the Cremins replacement. That, instead, is Vanderbilt assistant Rodney Terry.
Myers is in a role that may be termed director of recruiting or player personnel–which isn’t exactly a general manager role, but is closer to that than a conventional assistant coach role.
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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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