Can Darius Garland be big man on Vanderbilt campus as a freshman?

Darius Garland is a favorite of autograph-seekers at Vanderbilt’s youth basketball summer camps.

He stood on top of the Commodores’ dugout at their Super Regional baseball game to lead fans in a “Black-Gold” cheer.

And Garland’s likeness has already appeared on a billboard at the split of Broadway and West End through the heart of Nashville.

Garland is already one of the most recognizable faces in Vanderbilt athletics. Yet he graduated from Brentwood Academy only a month ago, and he won’t play his first Commodores basketball game until November.

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So how can a new guy be the big man on campus?

For Garland, it all comes down to his five-star rating, his Middle Tennessee roots and his infectious smile.

“Darius has that grand slam effect,” Vanderbilt basketball coach Bryce Drew said. “He’s local. He’s a great player. He’s a great young man. And other players want to play with him.

“That’s why we are so thrilled that he’s here.”

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Garland enrolled at Vanderbilt in June as part of the best recruiting class in program history, which also includes five-star forward Simi Shittu, four-star wing Aaron Nesmith and Syracuse transfer Matthew Moyer.

They carry high expectations, but no game experience as Vanderbilt players. That makes summer practices important, especially for team chemistry in blending highly-touted newcomers with returning players.

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Garland admits that he needs to strike a delicate balance.

“I am learning a lot from the older guys right now, but I am going to be me, too,” Garland said. “There is a balance there. First, I am trying to communicate well on the floor, and these guys know how important that is because they’ve played in SEC games.

“But I am going to have fun on the court like I always have.”

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Garland said Saben Lee, Vanderbilt’s freshman standout from last season, has built a rapport with him. That’s both natural and by design.

Lee, a 6-2 sophomore combo guard, is Vanderbilt’s best returning player after averaging 10.6 points and 3.1 assists last season. His drives into the paint often ended with late-game clutch layups and highlight-reel dunks.

Garland, a 6-2 point guard, can knock down a 3-pointer or slice into the lane to dish to an open teammate. Drew wants to pair his play-making guards together this season.

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“If you’re not a point guard, you want to play with the best point guard because he’s going to make the team a lot better,” Drew said. “Our new guys wanted to play with Darius, and our current players are super excited because they know if they’re open they’re going to get the ball.”

Darius Garland still gets chicken noodle soup from home

Darius, son of former NBA player Winston Garland, won four state championships and three Mr. Basketball awards at Brentwood Academy. That proximity had its benefits in recruiting, as he often attended Vanderbilt basketball games during high school.

As a Vanderbilt player, his local address has paid off, as teammates have visited his home. And last week, even though he lives in a dorm, Garland got to recover at home when an illness kept him out of practice.

“My mom babied me for a little bit,” said Garland, grinning outside Vanderbilt’s practice gym. “I needed some chicken noodle soup, some medicine."

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And did his newest teammates give Garland any good-natured flak for recovering under his mother’s care?

“Naw, they actually didn’t say anything to me about it,” Garland said.

Perhaps that’s the best sign that Garland isn’t seen as a typical freshman.

Reach Adam Sparks at asparks@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks