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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt basketball freshman Gabe Nesmith emerged from the tunnel with his right ankle wrapped up, rolling around on a scooter prior to Vanderbilt’s season opener against Bellarmine.
Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington ruled Nesmith out for a few months on Monday after declaring that he'd be out ahead of Monday's game. Byington didn't know the severity then–and the indication is that Vanderbilt thought it was less severe than it is when the injury initially popped up, but now he doesn't appear to be all that encouraged.
"Gabe had successful surgery," Byington said . "It was a couple days ago and he'll be out a couple months. It could be season ending. We don't know quite yet. But, I really enjoy coaching him. I think he's going to be a heck of a player for us. I'm excited by his future. Just a setback for him. He can overcome this. He's got a great mindset."
Nesmith posted on Instagram with the caption "be right back" on Friday.
Nesmith warmed up prior to Vanderbilt’s exhibition matchup with Miami and appeared to be on track for the opener, but that was prior to this injury popping up. He may not be ready anytime soon.
Nesmith committed to Vanderbilt in late June and became the program’s highest-rated commit under Byington as well as the first five-star that the program landed since 2018. Vanderbilt and Nesmith mutually agreed at the time that a reclassification made sense for both sides, but they pushed it down the line so that he could participate in Peach Jam and a number of other high school summer events. But, Nesmith–the cousin of former Vanderbilt wing Aaron Nesmith–joined the team in the late summer and is expected to be a rotation piece this season, if healthy.
He finished Vanderbilt’s exhibition win over Virginia with nine points on 4-for-5 shooting and made a few highlight plays in the process.
Byington labels Nesmith as a dynamic all-around scorer and one of the few that can get a bucket at the beginning and end of the shot clock whenever he wants to. He appears to agree with the sentiment that he was among the best scorers in the 2027 class. He’d likely agree that Nesmith was one of the best players in the class, too.
“Him telling me that and trusting me with saying that I could play a pretty big role in what it takes to win a championship,” Nesmith told Vandy on SI over the summer, “I would say if you're any player that knows yourself, you would you would hear that and be like ‘yeah, maybe maybe this guy should be at the top of my recruiting [list].’”
Now, Vanderbilt awaits Nesmith’s fate.
This story will be updated.
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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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