Duke Miles, a 6’2″ guard who played five years of collegiate basketball, is one of the most prominent stories in the transfer portal this offseason. Miles scored 9.4 points per game on 51% field goal and 43% three-point shooting in his one season at Oklahoma. Being one of the best high-major shooters in the portal, Miles attracted a lot of attention.
In reality, Miles has previously pledged twice to both Virginia and Texas A&M, only to de-commit afterward. The senior shooter, a free agent once more, has scheduled a few visits, with some schools reportedly being considered once more. Following a visit this past weekend, Miles selected his third team of the offseason out of the teams that were in the running, including Georgetown, Tennessee, Baylor, and others.
Vanderbilt finished 20-13 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in the inaugural season of Coach Mark Byington’s tenure. Every perimeter player on the team, including Jason Edwards and AJ Hoggard, either transferred out or reached the end of their eligibility. Miles is a proven shooter at this level, which is something that many transfers in the portal cannot claim. Yes, he wasn’t a very strong scoring threat in the SEC.
Miles is currently a potential starting two-guard in Vanderbilt’s present backcourt position. Mike James, a transfer from NC State, will be the sixth man, while former TCU guard Frankie Collins is probably going to start at point guard. Devin McGlockton, the only returning starter, is back at the four-spot, while Tyler Harris, a Washington transfer, will play on the wings.
The Commodores will need incoming four-star guard prospect Jaylon Dean-Vines to have an impact out of the gate for there to be enough depth to win next season. Plus, while Miles’ efficiency is a wonderful selling point, they’ll likely need him to have more volume in his scoring outputs for them to be a contender.
More crucially, Vandy has to make sure Miles stays dedicated to the program over the upcoming months.
