Virginia Tech retools roster after 1st season under Mike Young, picked 12th in ACC race
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Virginia Tech (13-19, 8-12 ACC)
The Hokies are coming off their first losing season under seventh-year coach Mike Young, who won the program’s lone ACC Tournament title in 2022. They avoided a full reboot with multiple returning starters, and Young has talked about being able to go 10 deep in his rotation for a team picked to finish 12th in the 18-team ACC race.
Players to watch
Tobi Lawal (senior, F, 6-8, 215, 12.4 ppg). Lawal transferred from VCU to become the Hokies’ leading scorer, rebounder (7.0) and shot blocker (0.7).
Izaiah Pasha (sophomore, G, 6-5, 205, 11.9 ppg). Pasha was the Coastal Athletic Association’s rookie of the year at Delaware. Young talked in preseason about being able to play Pasha on or off the ball in a backcourt that also returns sophomore point guard Ben Hammond (17 starts in 2024-25).
Jaden Schutt (redshirt junior, G, 6-5, 200, 7.7 ppg). The Duke transfer averaged 9.2 points and shot 36.8% on 3-pointers in the first 23 games, but faded to 4.0 and 29.2% in the last nine.
Departures and arrivals
The Hokies lost fifth-year forward Mylyjael Poteat (9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds), and guards Jaydon Young (transferred to North Carolina) and Brandon Rechsteiner (Colorado State) among players 10+ starts.
Virginia Tech added graduate transfer Jailen Bedford from UNLV to bolster the backcourt. The 6-foot-4 Bedford averaged 10.2 points last year and Young said he is the team’s best on-ball defender. The Hokies found help up front with 6-8, 240-pound junior Amani Hansberry, who averaged 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds at West Virginia last year.
Virginia Tech also landed versatile 6-9 guard Neoklis Avdalas, who had played in Greece’s top pro league and withdrew his name from the NBA draft over the summer.
Top games
The Hokies open at home against Charleston Southern on Nov. 3 and have a nonconference schedule that includes the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas and visiting South Carolina (Dec. 2). Virginia Tech hosts instate rival Virginia (Dec. 31) to open an ACC slate that includes a trip to No. 11 Louisville (Jan. 24), a visit from No. 6 Duke (Jan. 31) and a trip to No. 25 North Carolina (Feb. 28).
Facts and figures
Virginia Tech ranked 336th of 364 Division I programs in turnover percentage (20.1% of possessions) according to KenPom, explaining Young’s emphasis on adding playmaking help. … Before last year, Virginia Tech had won at least 15 games in each of Young’s first six seasons. … The Hokies ranked 185th nationally in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency (106.5 points per 100 possessions) after ranking 59th or better in each of the previous four years.
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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball