Vanderbilt lands commitment from Auburn transfer forward Sebastian Williams-Adams

Sebastian Williams-Adams (Photo by Auburn Athletics)

Mark Byington and Vanderbilt have secured another impact transfer out of the portal, landing a commitment from former Auburn forward Sebastian Williams-Adams.

The 6’8 freshman was originally set to return to the Tigers for his second season, but hit the portal on April 20. Miami quickly emerged as one of the schools to watch, but the Commodores were able to overtake them and get one of the SEC’s most promising young players last year.

He played in all 38 games and averaged 7.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, starting 21 of the team’s 38 contests. He joined the starting lineup midway through December before coming off the bench in the team’s final 10 games — including the SEC Tournament and NIT.

However, some of his best basketball came during Auburn’s NIT title run. He scored 15 points against Seattle in the team’s second-round matchup and added 13 points against Tulsa in the championship game, helping the Tigers finish the season on a strong note.

Williams-Adams scored in double-figures on 10 different occasions, including five separate games in SEC play. He also showed off his rebounding and defensive ability in league play, pulling down 3.7 boards per contest and finishing top-20 in the SEC in both steals and blocks this season.

Vanderbilt continues to add frontcourt talent, depth

With nearly all of its big men departing from last year’s team, which nearly reached the Sweet 16, the ‘Dores have been stockpiling additions there.

Along with Williams-Adams, Byington and his staff have grabbed former Colorado forward Bangot Dak and ex-Nebraska big Berke Buyuktuncel. Dak averaged 11.5 points per game for the Buffaloes this past season, starting 30 of 32 games. He also logged 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 25.7 minutes per game while He shot 49.2% from the field and 25.9% from 3-point range.