NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt basketball tipped off its first of two exhibition games Thursday night against Virginia before the start of the season on Nov. 3. The Commodores come into the new season with a hefty amount of transfers added to the roster.

Vanderbilt and Virginia played two 24-minute games and Vanderbilt came out victorious in both of them. While the goal of the night was more so for both coaching staffs to see how each other’s teams would match up against another power conference roster, the two teams both played with a competitive edge and brought energy on the floor Thursday night.

But one of the more notable storyline coming out of the exhibition was the way in which the transfer players performed. Not all of them had stellar outings, but each transfer had opportunities to see minutes and contribute. Notably, there were a couple transfers in former Oklahoma guard Duke Miles and former Washington guard Tyler Harris who were among the standouts in the game.

After a night of exhibition, here is how each of the transfers performed against Virginia.

AK Okereke

AK Okereke, a Cornell transfer, did not do anything that was incredibly special, but he did show off his versatility as a player. Okereke showed his ability and flexibility to play whichever position Byington wanted him to play. He finished with six points and a rebound, but he did play as a guard and forward throughout the night. Okereke even ended up bringing the ball up the floor a couple different times.

Okereke showed that he is able to play with other bigs on the floor together through that capability.

Duke Miles

The former Sooner has to be the standout of the night. In Norman last season, Miles was overshadowed by point guard Jeremiah Fears, who ended up being a NBA lottery draft pick over the summer. Now as a Commodore, Miles could easily end up being one of the leaders on this team in terms of production and energy.

Miles put up 20 points combined between the two games while grabbing a couple rebounds. Defensively, Miles showed off his ability to close up passing lanes as he came up with a couple of steals. Of course, there is caution to not overreact. It is one exhibition game in the preseason. There is a long way to go. But based on what Miles showed, there is a ton of promise for him and what he could bring to the roster in terms of production this season.

“One thing I think I show is I try to show energy. One thing I try to bring to the team is I just want to be a leader. I just want to bring energy, whether that’s picking the teammate up, going to get a rebound, whatever the case may be, I just want to bring that,” Miles said on what he feels he can bring to the team.

Frankie Collins

Frankie Collins was not a big factor in the games. He put up three points and grabbed a rebound, but he was playing on a minute restriction due to injuries he had dealt with in the offseason.

“Frankie was on a minute restriction tonight, and he missed practices last week, missed a lot of practices and just getting back. So we did not want to overplay him, so we protected him in minutes,” Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington said.

Byington did note, however, that one of the lineups he liked the most was Collins on the floor with Tyler Tanner. Again, no reason to overreact from Collins’ performance. Byington is simply easing him back into the swing of things for now.

Jalen Washington 

Jalen Washington had a good end to the night. He put up seven points and three rebounds in the second after not scoring in the first game of the night. Washington did, however, grab five rebounds in the first half.

“I thought Jalen was a little worn out in the first half. I didn’t think he had his wind or maybe a second win, and then I thought he did a much better job in the second half. He’s better than what he did today. He’s been very impressive in practice, and I thought he was in the second half, and I think he’ll keep on going and building it more and more,” Byington said of Washington’s performance.

The North Carolina transfer certainly showed that he can bring length and serve as a versatility piece on this team.

Mike James

Mike James had a quiet night, putting just one point on the scoreboard. James is combing off a knee injury that kept him out all last season his junior year at NC State. However, Byington has expressed in the past that James could be a meaningful contributor for the Commodores this season, as he told Joey Dwyer of Vanderbilt Commodores On SI.

Mason Nicholson

The Jacksonville State transfer also had a quiet night, getting just one rebound. Again, this is not something to overreact on in a negative way. Nicholson absolutely could be a piece that helps the length of the depth of this team. He will more than likely have his chances to contribute in the not too distant future.

Tyler Harris

Tyler Harris, the former Washington Husky, played outstanding. Harris had 20 points combined between the two games and got three rebounds as well. Harris also came up with a steal to his credit.

“Really, just defense. Guarding smaller guards, even power forwards. Remember, like the first possession I got switched on, and forced a miss. And showing that I’m physical,” Harris said on what he thought he brought to the team Thursday night.

Harris is another piece Byington could use to help that team in a big way this year. Whether it be defense turning into offense or finding ways to score on his own, Harris looked good in the exhibition.