Why Mark Byington believes Mike James Was Biggest Summer "surprise"

Mark Byington was innately familiar with Mike James and what he could do, yet he was still impressed by what he saw from James upon his arrival on campus.

The Vanderbilt head coach recruited James in his first few days on the job at Vanderbilt before ultimately missing out on him to NC State, where James missed the entirety of the 2024-25 season due to MRSA in his knee. When James went back in the transfer portal in March, Byington did some digging in conversations wirh the former NC State staff–which he says he knows well–to get “good intel” from them on James intel. From there he put on the full-court press.

Byington ultimately landed James and expected him to make an impact right away. He’s been better than he thought, though.

“Mike’s probably been the biggest surprise for us,” Byington told Vandy on SI in a late June interview. “We’ve only been on campus for a couple of weeks, but he’s been really impressive. His body looks good. He’s healthy. He gives us a guy that we can kind of play at that two spot if we want to.”

Feb 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Mike James (0) shoots a free throw against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

James played two seasons at Louisville and averaged 12.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 2023-24 before entering the transfer portal and ultimately missing the 2024-25 season at NC State.

Byington has seen as much of James’ film from his two seasons at Louisville as anyone and was convinced enough to take a shot on the 6-foot-5 guard. He believes that the shot he took will pay off.

“He’s making shots consistently, he’s shown that he can dribble better than I think he’s shown in the past and uses ball screens better,” Byington said. “He’s been a really good surprise and he needs to stay, but every day we’re around him he kind of surprises us in a good way.”

Byington was sold on James as a result of his Louisville film, but was as impressed in a conversation with the former Louisville guard–who has won just 12 games in his college basketball career.

James’ message to Byington was likely similar to what it was after his commitment in the spring.

"That's the only thing I can say I haven't done is win," James told me this spring in an exclusive interview. "I don't want to be labeled as somebody who doesn't win because I know that I'm a good payer and I don't play to lose. I just want to surround myself with good guys, a good team and a good staff that's used to winning and does win. So, I just feel like this was the perfect situation."

Byington was drawn to James’ demeanor and words throughout the recruiting process. He identified with the struggles that he’s had and believes that he can give him what he’s been looking for as a result of the way he’s bought in.

“He has that certain factor to him that really excites you,” Byington said. “He’s desperate to win. He’s kind of been through the bottom parts of college basketball and I think he’s a guy that’s gonna have that infectious hunger that kind of just wants to win, wanted to do the right thing and wants to do whatever he can to help the team.”