FORT WORTH, TX ― Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Lee was publicly tight-lipped when asked about the status of a contract extension for men’s basketball coach Mark Byington at Dickies Arena on March 27.
“What I’ll say is that it’s our hope that Mark is our coach for a long time,” Lee told The Tennessean.
She declined to offer anything else on the status of a potential extension on the record.
The Commodores are working to lock down Byington after a successful season that saw them put up a 27-9 record and make it to the finals of the SEC Tournament.
Vanderbilt was one Tyler Tanner half-court heave away from the Sweet 16 but the Commodores instead fell to Nebraska. Under Byington, hired in 2024, Vanderbilt has now gone to back-to-back NCAA tournaments and Tanner has developed into an All-American.
The North Carolina job opened on March 24 after the Tar Heels parted ways with Hubert Davis.
Byington has been seen by some as a potential candidate for that job.
Lee previously got an extension done for football coach Clark Lea after he received some interest for other jobs amid the Commodores’ 10-2 season.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
