Guard Tyrin Lawrence returning to Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt guard Tyrin Lawrence announced on social media Thursday that he will withdraw from the NCAA transfer portal and continue to play for the Commodores.

Lawrence averaged 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists as a junior last season, and he improved his shooting touch with 50.2 percent from the floor and 36.0 percent from 3-point range.

That included a buzzer-beating 3-pointer as time expired to give the Commodores a 66-65 upset of then-No. 6 Tennessee on Feb. 8. Vanderbilt had lost 11 straight games to their in-state rivals.

Lawrence had shot 41.0 percent from the field and 20.4 percent from long range as a sophomore in 2021-22, when he averaged 3.8 points per game.

The 6-foot-4 guard declared for the NBA draft in March while keeping his college eligibility, then entered the transfer portal a month later.

Overall, he averaged 8.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in 77 games (52 starts) for Vanderbilt. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He is projected to start at shooting guard next season.

Also Thursday, Vanderbilt's NIL collective, the Anchor Impact Fund, announced it had signed Lawrence to a deal.