Virginia Tech and Mike Young picked up a commitment Friday in VCU forward Toibu “Tobi” Lawal.
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He’s the fifth transfer portal commitment of the offseason, joining UTSA guard Jordan Ivy-Curry, Charleston forward Ben Burnham, Cal guard Rodney Brown Jr. and Temple guard Hysier Miller.
The 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward averaged 7.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game this year while shooting 66.7 percent from the field. He played in 63 games over two seasons with the Rams and has two years of eligibility remaining.
A native of London, England, Lawal is an athletic freak who can jump out of the gym. He recorded a 49.5-inch vertical jump in 2023 at preseason combine testing. For context, the NBA record for vertical leap is Michael Jordan’s 48 inches, which he set in 1984.
His conference-only numbers with VCU in the Atlantic 10 last season were impressive. According to Ken Pomeroy, he ranked second in the league in offensive rebounding percentage (13.1%) and fourth in defensive rebounding percentage (23.4%). His 63.9 percent clip from 2-point range was fifth, too.
Lawal also had an offensive rating of 117.3 in A-10 play last season, good for 18th in the league. Some of his other ranks:
- Block percentage: 6.1% — 12th in A-10
- Steal percentage: 2.7% — 16th
- Fouls drawn per 40 minutes: 4.5 — 16th
In 16 games against Tier A and B opponents last season —top-50 and top-100 foes, as defined by Ken Pomeroy — he shot 66.1 percent from the field (39-of-59) and made 31 of his 47 free throws (71.7%).
Lawal left England to play his senior year of high school basketball at Lee Academy in Maine, where he averaged 14.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.
With the addition of Lawal, the Hokies have 11 scholarship players for the 2024-25 season, which leaves two open scholarship spots. Here’s a breakdown:
