How Tyler Tanner Demonstrated Leap in Vanderbilt's Two Exhibition Games

NASHVILLE—Don’t call Tyler Tanner a liar.

The Vanderbilt sophomore guard said all along that he’d have a more prevalent role in Vanderbilt’s offense than he did as a freshman. He said that he’d put it on the floor and finish it around the bucket like he did as the man at Brentwood Academy. He said he’d be a better all around player.

If the last two Thursday nights were any indication, he is.

Tanner bookended the first half of Vanderbilt’s scrimmage against Virginia with an off the dribble pull up that demonstrated his improvement as a scorer and a catch-and-shoot layup at the buzzer that was orchestrated as a result of a Devin McGlockton rebound. Between the two plays, Tanner looked to be unleashed in a way that he wasn’t last season as he worked to find any way he could help alongside two senior point guards.

It was almost as if it’s not the same player as Vanderbilt had on the floor last season. It appeared as if it was a more confident version of him, at the very least. The days of Tanner sitting on the wing waiting for someone to make something happen for him are over, this version of the Vanderbilt point guard isn’t afraid to do it himself.

“I think I’m more confident everywhere,” Tanner told Vandy on SI at SEC Media Days. “From my defense to my playmaking, to my shooting, I’ve worked really hard this summer and I can’t wait to showcase that.”

Tanner led Vanderbilt in scoring in its first scrimmage with 20 points and followed it up with a 13-point performance–in which he shot 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range–in Vanderbilt’s win over UAB. For the first time in his Vanderbilt career, Tanner has been running the show.

The sophomore point guard’s ballscreen handling usage has been heavy throughout the Commodores’ first few appearances on the floor at this point. That’s not just an exhibition outlier. That’s the plan.

“He’s stronger, he’s put on weight, his intelligence is better, he’s super fast,” Byington said after Vanderbilt’s first exhibition against Virginia. “I naturally think it’s going to be a year two jump for him and there’s more responsibilities will be put on him now.”

A non-program source in the building for Vanderbilt’s Thursday-night win over UAB described Tanner as a “stud” that was “impressive all around” and indicated that his increased comfortability was something to note.

The story two weeks ago at SEC Media Days was Tanner’s improvement, now it appears as if he’s backing it up each time he takes the floor. Byington trusted Tanner with a significant workload in the final four minutes of close games last season, now he appears to be trusting his sophomore guard–who he played alongside TCU transfer point guard Frankie Collins on Tuesday–to run the show for it in all circumstances. The indication is that those two guards played off of each other nicely on Thursday night.

Tanner averaged 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season, but appears to be heading toward a season in which he’s closer to being Vanderbilt’s leading scorer than he is a season in which he posts similar numbers to what he did last season.

“We all knew he was super talented,” Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel told Vandy on SI at SEC Media Day. “This year, the ball being in his hands more, a lot more making decisions, his athleticism has always been apparent, but now it’s just going to be on display even more.”