On Tuesday, Virginia Tech and Mike Young picked up a commitment out of the transfer portal from Old Dominion’s Mekhi Long. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1640749259929575428?s=20
A 6-7, 200-pound product of Bryans Road, Md., Long spent three seasons in Norfolk with the Monarchs. He’s a multifaceted player who can handle the ball, spot up from the perimeter, get to the rim, rebound and play solid defense. As a senior in 2022-23, he averaged 10.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
He started 29 of ODU’s 30 games this season, finishing with 11 double-doubles. In late January and early February, he had a stretch of five straight Sun Belt outings with a double-double. Long crossed paths with Virginia Tech this season, too, back in Charleston, S.C. in November. He had 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Hokies edged out the Monarchs, 75-71.
Long is a solid addition on the glass. He ranked 158th in D-I in defensive rebounding percentage (21.4%) and seventh in the Sun Belt (21.6%), per KenPom.
With his versatile build, he got to the foul line often this year, finishing with a free throw rate of 51.5%, which ranked 109th nationally. His rate in Sun Belt play (50.7%) was seventh-best in the league. For comparison, Mylyjael Poteat and Justyn Mutts were the only Virginia Tech players above 30% in 2022-23.
Long scored 770 points, grabbed 613 rebounds and dished out 100 assists in his first four years of college, and he shot the ball better as he gained more experience.
As a freshman, he hit a 33% clip from the floor. That jumped to 40% as a sophomore, 43% as a junior and 44% in his senior season with ODU. His 3-point shooting took a jump in 2022-23, too. After making 24 of his 86 attempts (27.9%) in his first three years, he was 28-of-78 (35.9%) from distance as a senior.
Long started his career at Rhode Island. He has some in-state ties, though — he spent some time at Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va., just north of Harrisonburg off I-81. According to 247Sports, he was a top-15 player in the Commonwealth out of high school.
With Long’s addition, Virginia Tech has three open scholarships for the 2023-24 season. That does not include Grant Basile and Hunter Cattoor, who have the option to use their COVID years and return to Blacksburg.
