DERRICK BYARS

'Derrick JaVaughn Byars' (born April 25, 1984 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers. He played for Vanderbilt in college and was drafted 42nd overall in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Contents

High school career

Collegiate career

Virginia

Vanderbilt

NBA career

Notes

External links

High school career

Byars attended Ridgeway High School in Memphis, where he played for head coach Wesley Henning and won two Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Class AA State Championships.
As a (1999-2000), Byars was an honorable-mention All-State selection and led the Roadrunners to the Class AA State Championship. He averaged 16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.
As a junior, he again earned honorable mention All-State honors and was named Ridgeway's Most Valuable Player. He averaged 20.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5 assists.
As a senior (2001-02), he averaged 23.2 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists and led Ridgeway to its second TSSAA Class AA State Championship in three years. He was a fourth-team Parade All-America selection, the Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennesseee, the TSSAA Class AA Tournament Most Valuable Player and first-team All-State.^[1]
As impressive as he was on the court, Byars also excelled in the classroom, finishing high school with a 3.9 GPA.^[2]

Collegiate career

Virginia

Byars played for two seasons under then-Head Coach Pete Gillen at Virginia. He started 16 of Virginia's 31 games his freshman season (2002-03) and averaged 6.5 points per game. In his sophomore season (2003-04), he started 18 of Virginia's 31 games and averaged 7.5 points per game. Derrick Byars Profile (Vanderbilt)
After falling out with Gillen, Byars decided to transfer from Virginia. Vanderbilt, fresh off a run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, was his first choice, but the Commodores had no scholarship positions available. Days before Byars was due to announce his transfer to Mississippi, Vanderbilt reserve guard Adam Payton decided to transfer to William & Mary, freeing up a scholarship for Byars.^[3]
He sat out the 2004-05 season as mandated by NCAA rules.

Vanderbilt

In his junior season (2005-06), Byars started all 30 games and finished second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game. He led the team with 3.2 assists per game. He was named SEC Player of the Week (28 November-4 December) after scoring 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting against Oregon on November 30, 2005. A week later, he scored a season-high 25 points (including five 3-pointers) against Cincinnati on December 10, 2005. Derrick Byars Profile 2006-07
In his senior season (2006-07), Byars was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year by the league's coaches, who also unanimously selected him to their All-SEC first team. He led Vanderbilt to a 22-12 record (SEC East: 10-6, 2nd) and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. He led the Commodores in scoring with 17.0 points per game and was ranked among the SEC's top 10 in four other statistical categories. During SEC play, Byars averaged 19.1 points per game, second-best in the SEC. He scored 20 points or more eight different times, including a career-high 32 points against South Carolina on February 14, 2007. He followed that performance with 24 points in Vanderbilt's 83-70 victory over then-No. 1 Florida, which earned him SEC player of the week honors for the second time that season. ^[4]
Byars graduated from Vanderbilt on May 11, 2007 with a degree in sociology.

NBA career

Byars was chosen 42nd overall in the 2007 NBA Draft in the second round by the Portland Trail Blazers. His rights were then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.^[5]

Notes

1. Derrick Byars Profile (Virginia)
2. Derrick Byars Inside Out
3. Commodores' Success Is Built on Two Players Who Never Met
4. Coaches say Byars SEC's best
5. Byars may go late in first round

External links

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