Scouting Report: Vanderbilt Commit Anthony Brown

Breaking down Vanderbilt basketball's newest commit.
Ant Brown has committed to Vanderbilt.
Ant Brown has committed to Vanderbilt. | Ant Brown

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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt has landed a commitment from four-star point guard Anthony Brown, he announced on Wednesday afternoon. 

Brown is ranked as the No. 70 player in the 2026 class by 247 Sports and chose Vanderbilt over offers from Maryland, Indiana, Oregon and nine additional power-five schools. His final list of three schools included Vanderbilt, Maryland and Indiana–which he visited on Tuesday. The 6-foot-1 guard took six visits in addition to his visit to Vanderbilt.

He was in Nashville over the weekend and on the sideline alongside Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington and Vanderbilt assistant coach Xavier Joyner ahead of Vanderbilt football’s 70-21 win over Georgia State. Brown was also seen alongside former Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland on that visit. 

Here's a breakdown of Brown's game.

Breaking Down Brown’s game: 

The word that comes to mind regarding Brown; dynamic. 

The 6-foot-1 guard has as much scoring upside as any guard that has joined Vanderbilt’s program in recent memory. He’s fearless, twitchy and has tough shotmaking ability reminiscent of Jason Edwards’. 

Brown will take some tough ones and is more of a score-first guard than he is a traditional point guard, he’s a pure scorer that can take over a game–and did this summer with a 37-point outing on the EYBL circuit–when he’s got it going. He’s a higher-volume guy by trade, but can make his shots count from all three levels and with a range that is unique for a lead guard. Brown’s handle also appears to be an asset of his, he’s difficult to stay in front of and has a quick release to finish plays. 

The question surrounding Brown will be his ability to channel his confidence and competitiveness into a college offense. His tough shotmaking ability has gotten him this far and will be encouraged by Vanderbilt’s coaching staff at times, but he’ll have to hone in on making the right decision after a summer in which he turned it over 3.4 times a game. 

That’s the difference in Brown’s current ranking and him becoming a top of the class player. If the natural scoring and lead-guard ability can be packaged into a more efficient game that is predicated on better decision making. 

Brown does have some passing instinct and vision, particularly out of ballscreens and appears to have a level of instinct that allows him to be a lead guard at the college level. He appears to be a fit for Byington’s two-point guard system as a result of his ability to make decisions in the pick and roll, but also hunt his shot when needed. 

The scoring ability of the top 100 recruit is so loud that his nearly five assists per game on the EYBL circuit appear to be forgotten. He's got a chance to be a real, modern point guard rather than just a scorer.

It appears as if the four-star guard hasn’t neglected the importance of defense and is capable on that end, although he’s not a steal machine or lockdown defender at this stage. He’s good enough to where his defense likely won’t be a hindrance to him getting on the floor, though.

Who knows how it starts and ends for Brown, but all the upside appears to be there at this stage.


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Joey Dwyer
JOEY DWYER

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, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.

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