On Monday, the world of college basketball saw a flurry of coaching changes. Firstly, Kyle Smith announced his move to Stanford, followed by Danny Sprinkle heading to Washington. Then, James Madison coach Mark Byington was hired by Vanderbilt. Sources close to the situation confirmed the news to CBS Sports. This hire came quickly, just 18 hours after Byington’s team lost in the NCAA Tournament to Duke. Despite their loss, Duke had an impressive season, finishing with a 32-4 record and being ranked 62nd on KenPom.com. Their tournament run began with a notable victory over Wisconsin, marking their first NCAA tournament win since 1983.
Byington played a key role in transforming JMU into a strong mid-major program over the past four years, posting an impressive record of 82-36 and guiding them through a conference transition. With this hire, Vanderbilt is signaling the end of the coaching carousel for high-major programs, as only Louisville, Oklahoma State, and SMU still have vacant head coaching positions.
