"You Got To Show You Got That Dog," Duke Miles Stands Out With Energy in Exhibition Win

NASHVILLE—In a line of feet along the Vanderbilt baseline, Duke Miles’ pinkish-red shoes stuck out the furthest. It was an embodiment of Miles’ night as a whole. His frame wouldn’t indicate that his flashy shoes would be the ones to stick out, but there they were.

It was fitting that Miles was the one sitting there with his legs kicked out as if he was admiring the performance he had just put together. If anyone on Vanderbilt’s roster deserved to do it, it was him.

Miles was Vanderbilt’s MVP of the night as he accumulated 20 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist. Every positive thing said over the summer regarding Miles and his skillset appeared to have some validity on Thursday night.

He put it on the floor and got his own shot. He got after it defensively and made an impact on the game that way. He shot it confidently enough to pull up in transition and make one before celebrating in a way that mimicked a grenade throw.

Who knows if Miles ends up as Vanderbilt’s best player, but at the very least he was its most demonstrative and confident. When it was all said and done, the Vanderbilt guard walked around midcourt at Memorial Gymnasium soaking it all in and throwing his arms in the air.

“I try to show energy,” Miles said. “Any win is a big win to me, and then for the team as well. So I was, just soaking it in and having the fans and everybody in the crowd just in tune with us and us and as a team just means a lot.”

This one didn’t mean a whole lot for Miles and his Vanderbilt teammates in the grand scheme of things, it’s not as if it counts on their record, but it was a coming out party of sorts for its veteran guard.

Vanderbilt sophomore Tyler Tanner had a night in which he scored 20 points and demonstrated an improved skillset, Tyler Harris had 19. It was Miles’ show, though.

It was his night.

“Coaching him now for a couple months, the energy doesn’t surprise me,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said, “And he plays hard, he is extremely smart, and so it just makes things easier for me. Makes me sleep better at night.”

Those who know Miles only from a 30,000 foot view likely think of him in the context of him transferring three times and failing to make up his mind on a school. Vanderbilt chooses to embrace the Oklahoma transfer for the intensity that showed up last season when he went back into a game after chipping a few teeth, though.

Miles was the enforcer on that Oklahoma team, but his opportunity at Vanderbilt allows him to wear a more visually appealing smile and use his God-given ability rather than just his gritty nature.

“Just having Coach B and the whole staff, and my teammates behind me pushing me every day,” Miles said, “whether this, you know, to get better with dribbling, putting it on the floor, cutting, whatever that may be expanding my role. I'm gonna give them guys my all every night.”

Vanderbilt wants Miles to get his own shot more often now that he’s out of the shadow of lottery pick Jeremiah Fears, but it got him for who he is rather than who he can be.

Byington doesn’t want Miles to lose his edge or his toughness. The veteran guard had that years ago when he played for current Vanderbilt assistant Kenneth Mangrum at Troy and still has it now. He’s still not backing down from anything or anyone.

Duke Miles' toughness and energy was on display on Thursday night. | Vanderbilt Basketball

“People say basketball is not a physical game, but I think basketball is very physical,” Miles said.” I think everybody just realized, like, stuff gonna happen, no matter good or bad, that you just go out there and compete and just show that you have that dog. You show you got that dog.”

Byington says Miles being on the floor with the ball in his hands eases his mind as Vanderbilt enters Byington’s second season as head coach. It’s early, but Thursday night evidenced that Vanderbilt has to have Miles at his best in order to be a winner, it has to have him be a consistent mind easer.

It appears as if he is.

"This is a good team that I can go out there and compete with," Miles said. "With coach having me expand my role, and trusting me, and trusting the other guys as well, we're going to make a deep run for sure."