CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sean Pedulla’s role on the court last season increased massively from his freshman year. After coming off the bench as the secondary point guard for the Hokies in 2021, he started every single game in 2022, replacing Storm Murphy’s spot in the starting lineup from a year before.
The Edmund, Okla., native averaged 15 points per game, second-best on the team behind Grant Basile (16.4), who graduated in the spring.
Pedulla’s role on the court will be similar to what it was going into last season; however, he’ll be in relatively new territory as he’s tasked with being a mentor.
Following the departure of Rodney Rice, Tech is left with two point guards: Pedulla and freshman Brandon Rechsteiner.
Rechsteiner’s role will be similar to the one Pedulla held in his freshman year, allowing the young guard to have an immediate resource to learn from. Pedulla sat behind Murphy his first year and learned how to play point guard at the collegiate level.
“Some of the things that Storm taught me, like what type of things coach [Mike] Young wants and what he’s looking for in certain situations and also just bring a competitive nature every day in practice,” Pedulla said. “That’s something that I’ve kind of told Brandon, like, ‘It’s okay if you’re down at times.’ There were games freshman year where I feel like I should have played more and it’s just things aren’t given to you, really.
“I told him, ‘Just stay with it. It’s a long season. Things happen every year where [that are] not expected.’ [He’s] just gotta stay ready, and his time will come. I think he’s going to have a really good year.”
Pedulla’s tutelage of the young guard is increasingly important with Rice’s abrupt exit. In 2021, Pedulla averaged 13 minutes off the bench per game. Expect Rechsteiner to contribute at least that much or more as Pedulla’s primary backup.
The pair could be on the court together a lot throughout the season, too. In the past, Young has been comfortable with playing with multiple ballhandlers at the same time.
“I thought when we recruited [Rechsteiner] that he would have the opportunity to play a significant amount as a freshman,” Young said. “Considered playing Brandon and Sean together. I’ve played two point guards, three point guards together a lot in my career. Have experimented with that lineup some here in the early going and I think we’ll continue to do so.”
Playing simultaneously allows the relationship between Pedulla and Rechsteiner to be symbiotic, allowing both guards to feed off each other and grow throughout the year. Rechsteiner’s effort in practice has already been helping the older guards prepare for the start of the season.
“He’s a competitor,” Hunter Cattoor said of Rechsteiner. “He comes to practice and fights every single day. Whether he’s getting beat defensively [or] offensively, he’s always going to fight and give 100 percent. It’s only made him better. It’s made our other players, me and Sean better, just with him guarding us.”
Cattoor helped Murphy advise Pedulla two years ago. Now in their third season together, Cattoor is getting to watch Pedulla take the reins as one of the veteran players on the roster. After Cattoor leaves this season, Pedulla will be the only guard with two full years of starting experience.
“I was a junior when he came in as a freshman [and] to kind of see the growth that he’s taken and the little things that he’s taken from each veteran that he’s had above him, it’s been cool to see him grow into his own way and his own kind of leadership qualities,” Cattoor said of Pedulla. “Things like that have not only benefited him, but benefited the team.”
Cattoor learned from Wabissa Bede his freshman year. Two years later, he and Murphy both helped show Pedulla the ropes when he first arrived in Blacksburg. This year, the baton has been passed once again.
And after the guard group shrunk this week, Pedulla’s ability to be that veteran mentor for Rechsteiner will be that much more important this upcoming season.
“He’s earned it, he’s put the work in,” Young said of Pedulla. “He’s a good basketball player, he’s sharp, he’s tough. He’s been a part of a lot of winning in the two years he’s been with us.”