Overview

A versatile swingman with good size and strength for the small forward position, Byars also shows the quickness and range to play shooting guard.

One of the most coveted prep guards in the nation, he found a home at Vanderbilt after playing his first two collegiate seasons at Virginia. The 2002 Gatorade Player of the Year would cap off his career in 2007 as the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.

At Ridgeway High School, Byars was a fourth-team Parade All-American, adding state Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee honors as a senior, averaging 23.2 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in 2002. He earned first-team All-State accolades and was a Tennessee Mr. Basketball finalist as a senior. He was chosen the District 15-AA regular season Player of the Year, Tournament Most Valuable Player, Most Valuable Player in the Region 8-AA Tournament and was the Tennessee Secondary SchoolAthletic Association (TSSAA) Class AA State Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Byars helped lead Ridgeway to the District 15-AA Tournament championship, the Region 8-AA Tournament title, the West Tennessee Substate title and the TSSAA Class AA State Championship in 2002. He was named the Memphis Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Class AA Best of Preps Player of the Year. He shot 37 percent from 3-point range and 77 percent from the free-throw line. He earned All-State honorable mention and was named to the Region 8-AA All-Tournament Team, the District 15-AA Tournament's Most Valuable Player and a first-team All-District selection during the regular season as a junior.

As a freshman at Virginia in 2002-03, Byars started 16 of 31 games for the Cavaliers. He averaged 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, scoring 202 points with 89 rebounds, 26 assists and 23 steals while averaging 20.9 minutes of playing time per game. He scored in double figures ten times and shot 42.4 percent (14 of 33) from 3-point range in the last 14 games in which he played.

In 2003-04, he started 18 times in 31 games at Virginia. Byars shot 46.7 percent from the field (85 of 182) and 40.3 percent from 3-point range (25 of 62), tallying 232 points for a 7.5-point average. He snared 105 rebounds, with 38 coming off the offensive glass. He added 37 assists, 19 steals and six blocked shots, but was charged with 84 fouls and 43 turnovers, but scored in double figures 11 times.

Byars sat out the 2004-05 season under NCAA transfer rules. As a junior at Vanderbilt, he started all 30 games for the Commodores, averaging 31.5 minutes. He ranked second in the Southeastern Conference in 3-point shooting percentage (.441), making 63 of 143 attempts. He ranked seventh in the league, averaging 2.10 3-pointers per contest and finished second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game.

He led the Commodores in assists with 3.2 per game and shot 62.5 percent from 3-point range (10 of 16) and 56.5 percent from the field (12 of 23) while averaging 19 points in two SEC Tournament games. He was named SEC Player of the Week (Nov. 28-Dec. 4) after netting a season-high 25 points with five 3-pointers vs. Cincinnati and 20 points on 7 of 8 shooting vs. Oregon.

Byars handed out a season-best eight assists at Ole Miss and scored in double figures in 20 games. He also led the Commodores in steals 12 times, assists eight times and scoring seven times.

Prior to his senior season, Byars was part of the team formed by the Sports Reach ministries that played five games during a trip to Brazil. The team consisted of six other players from the SEC. He averaged 22.6 points and 12.7 rebounds.

In 2006-07, Byars started all 34 games he played for the Commodores, averaging 17 points in 31.4 minutes of action. He was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year by the league's coaches and was a unanimous first-team All-SEC selection. He added Associated Press All-American honorable mention and was chosen to the All-District VII squad by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was also chosen All-District IV by the United States Basketball Writer's Association.

Byars ranked second in the SEC, averaging 19.1 points during league play. He ranked among the SEC leaders in nine statistical categories for the season and led Vanderbilt in scoring 17 times during the season, including 14 of the last 20 games and in seven of its 10 games against ranked opponents, averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from 3-point range.

Byars tallied 19 of his game-high 27 points after halftime in Vanderbilt's 78-74 double-overtime win vs. Washington State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He was twice named SEC Player of the Week and netted 24 points in Vanderbilt's 83-70 win over national champion Florida. He accounted for 25 points in Vanderbilt's 82-81 victory vs. Tennessee and poured in a career-high 32 points vs. South Carolina.

In 126 games during his collegiate career, Byars started 98 contests. He logged 3,311 minutes of action, an average of 26.3 minutes per game. He amassed 1,384 points on 496 of 1,071 field goals (46.3 percent) and 194 of 278 free throws (71.2 percent). He shot 39.7 percent from 3-point range (198 of 499) and averaged 11.0 points per game. He also averaged 3.7 rebounds per game, as 148 of his 466 boards came on the offensive end. Byars registered 275 assists (2.2 apg) and accounted for 119 steals and 22 blocked shots. He totaled 285 fouls and had 236 turnovers.

Scouting Report

Positives: Very athletic for a small forward, showing the lateral quickness to earn playing time at shooting guard...Tenacious defender with the length and speed to stay in front of perimeter shooters and the leaping ability to alter shots...Aggressive attacking the glass and is a deft ball handler with good passing ability and the court vision to play the point...Slippery enough to get under the power forwards to secure the ball on the offensive boards...Keeps the opponent honest, as they have to constantly put a man on him when he begins firing from long range...Is very consistent with his mid-range jumpers...Creates his own shot off the dribble and also shows good hands to field the ball off the screens, pull up and uncork a nice jumper...Can absorb contact well and is a solid finisher in transition...Is quick to read defensive schemes and scans the court well to dish the ball off to a teammate rather than take an off-balance shot off the dribble...Uses his left hand well on the reverse layups, getting most of his scoring when attacking from the weak-side...Likes to play his man tight, utilizing his strength well in pressure-defense situations...Delivers an array of fakes to get his man off-balance prior to shooting...Shows good strength coming off screens, using a jab-step to gain separation...Also uses his power well to drive to the basket and go all the way to the hoop, drawing contact along the way.

Negatives: Has good quickness to run up and down the court, but lacks the explosion to simply fly past defenders on the way to the basket...Quicker guards can contain him from shooting off the dribble (does a better job vs. slower forwards)...Shows good tenacity attacking the glass, but when he gets pushed out of the lane, he will retreat to the perimeter too much, where he will force his shot more often than find the open outlet to pass the ball to...Has a bad hitch in his free-throw shooting release and, for a player that likes to get the ball in his hands, he doesn't do a great job of drawing contact in order to get to the charity stripe...Needs to drill the ball quicker when firing from mid-range, where he takes time to get his shot off, giving a good leaper a chance to alter his shot...Needs to improve his outside shooting mechanics...When forced, he does become turnover-prone, as he tends to dribble high and lacks great arc when firing from mid-range (generates too much motion, causing him to have an erratic release point that can be too slow and deliberate at times).

Compares To: QUENTIN RICHARDSON, New York. Byars is a nice combination player who has the strength but lacks the size of a power forward, shows good mid-range shooting skills to play small forward and creates good mismatches due to his muscular physique when lining up at shooting guard. He has enough functional ball-handling ability to also play several minutes at the point. He is aggressive going to the basket, but needs to improve his release point on his free throws. He compensates for a lack of blazing speed with his array of fakes to gain separation, but with his strength, you'd like to see him drive to the basket more often. He favors his weak-side attacking the hoop and is good at getting physical with perimeter shooters to generate solid pressure defense.

High School

Attended Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.) High School, playing basketball for head coach Wesley Henning...Fourth-team Parade All-American, adding Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee honors as a senior...Averaged 23.2 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in 2002...Earned first-team All-State accolades and was a Tennessee Mr. Basketball finalist as a senior...Chosen the District 15-AA regular season Player of the Year, Tournament Most Valuable Player, Most Valuable Player in the Region 8-AA Tournament and was the Tennessee Secondary SchoolAthletic Association (TSSAA) Class AA State Tournament Most Valuable Player...Led Ridgeway to the District 15-AA Tournament championship, the Region 8-AA Tournament title, the West Tennessee Substate title and the TSSAA Class AA State Championship in 2002...Named the Memphis Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Class AA Best of Preps Player of the Year. He shot 37 percent from 3-point range and 77 percent from the free-throw line...Earned All-State honor-able mention and was named to the Region 8-AA All-Tournament Team, the District 15-AA Tournament's Most Valuable Player and a first-team All-District selection during the regular season as a junior.

Personal

Sociology major...Nicknamed "DB"...Son of Barbara and David Byars...Born Derrick JaVaughn Byars on 4/25/84 in Memphis, Tennessee.

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