Virginia Tech men’s basketball head coach Mike Young and guard Ben Hammond joined Zach Mackey and Mike Burnop on Wednesday’s edition of Tech Talk Live. The Hokies are 7-2 after bouncing back from two losses in the Bahamas with an overtime victory at South Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Tuesday night.
Mike Young
Coach, how are you?
I’m doing well. I’m rested, ready to go.
Heck of a win, how was that?
Great. First nine games, two overtime wins on the road. I told our team that it was our second road win. That thing in Uncasville, that was a road game. That place was full of Providence fans. To gut that one out and win last night — I’ve been there a lot. I coached in the old Frank McGuire Arena and then probably four or five times in Colonial Life. That was the loudest I’ve heard that building. It got ramped up there a little bit. They got up three late in regulation, I think they went up one or two in overtime. The noise level rises and you’ve got to make a play. Our team did that. I’m really proud of our boys.
What if I told you before the game that you would not have Tobi Lawal and that Neo Avdalas and Tyler Johnson would foul out, and that they would have made as many free throws as you took?
I would’ve told you that the head coach exited stage left and was out in the parking lot crying to his wife. It’s the game. What if I told you that No. 2 [Christ Essandoko], 7-foot-0 and 208 pounds, was going to step out there and make two threes? It’s the game. It’s the ups and downs of a season. Every game is different. They’ve got good players. Meechie Johnson is a really good player. You’ve got some balls in the air. Neo is saddled with some fouls. Tyler Johnson, who is hard for us to play without, was in foul trouble. Amani Hansberry played the overtime period with four fouls. Christian Gurdak gave us a good lift. Antonio Dorn played his best game as a Hokie, played 30 minutes. Sin’Cere Jones played in the first half, he gave us a lift with six minutes there. We’re trying to piece it together. Adhesive tape here, adhesive tape there to try to make sense of it all. We certainly did that again. I’m really proud of our team.
What have you seen out of Amani Hansberry?
He’s a heck of a player. That’s pretty obvious. The average fan could recognize his contributions. Until you’re with him every day and you see the subtle screening and ball handling and the things that we can do with him offensively, it’s unique and hard for others to guard. He is a really smart man, smart basketball player. He’s not shooting worth a nickel, and he’s capable. He was 85 percent from the foul line going into the game and he missed six. Missed one with a chance to end the game. He’s a really good player and I am so thankful. He is the finest young man to coach, he’s about the right stuff, great mom and dad. He’s doing great for our team.
Neo had a great game with 13, eight and eight. Amani benefited from a lot of those assists with the pick-and-roll.
We thought we could pick on South Carolina with their ball screen coverages. Amani more so than Dorn. Tobi’s elite when you talk about getting out of a ball screen. You set the ball screen and you’ve got to get out of there and space away from that hedge or however they’re going to guard the ball. [Hansberry] does a really nice job of short rolling into the foul line area. Now you’re playing three on two over here, you’ve got a guy cutting over to the basket and you’ve got [Jaden] Schutt or [Jailen] Bedford spotted up for three. Neo does a magnificent job of finding all of that, and he’s got a nifty mid-range jump shot that he’s getting down with regularity.
What can you tell us about Tobi’s status?
It’s involved. I’m not sure what to tell you. He’s not going to be back any time soon. I don’t have enough information and it’s also going to be a part of Tobi, he’s going to be awfully limited in what he can do. Keeping him sharp is going to be very difficult. Conditioning, coming back, we’ll figure all of that out. We all hope that it’s sooner rather than later. We don’t know a time frame. Early January, I don’t know. It’s going to be a little bit more before we do know.
It seems like a lot of teams are trapping Neo to make him uncomfortable, but he gets rid of the ball well. That’s been a plus.
He’s unbelievable. He had eight assists and one turnover last night. We have to get more shots for him. He took a couple tough ones last night. He’s such a willing passer and a great playmaker. That combination with he and Amani is quite formidable for us. His playmaking is the best part of his game. I’d do the same thing, but you’ve got to pick your poison. You double him and get it out of his hands, we’re going to play four-on-three behind you. You’re going to have to get a big post player in front of the ball, that’s easier said than done. We’d much prefer to see a different coverage so that he can get downhill a little bit, but the scouting report is out. We’ve played nine games. There’s plenty of film out there on the Hokies against different coverages. He’s going to see a steady diet of it, we’ve got to continue making the right plan.
What was going through your head in the last seconds of the game? Up three and they’re inbounding.
Everybody’s thinking has changed. Some of these kids are really smart players, and they see you approaching to foul them, they’re going to sling that thing at the basket. Now you fouled that kid shooting 88 feet from the basket. That should be a three-shot foul, you don’t want that to happen. There’s two seconds, we’re up by three. They had a timeout, I could’ve missed that foul shot intentionally, which I’ve done before and it’s worked out great. It’s going to be a catch and a heave, and it was. That kid is turning as the ball is approaching. The only way you lose is to hit him and that ball goes in.
We wanted to knock the ball down. If you foul the guy as the ball is getting there, we’re OK. That’s two shots. They’re going to miss the second, you have to grab that rebound and there’s probably 1.8 seconds left. We wanted to knock the ball down, that didn’t work out. Schutt was close enough to contest it a little bit. I don’t think the thing came very close. If you’re going to foul, and I would, you’ve got to be up in the backcourt and as soon as that kid catches the ball, you’ve got to foul him. In the old days before the continuation, you’d let him get to the front court and as he’s approaching the front court and he steps on the gas, then hit him. This new rule change has disrupted everybody’s thinking.
You had 54 points in the paint. You had the advantage and that worked out.
It did. Dorn had something to do with that. Hansberry was terrific. Tyler Johnson had a quiet night, and he’s not a quiet person. He’s typically loud with his rebounding numbers and how he affects the game in different ways. We had some good fortune. Hansberry, Dorn, Neo — Ben Hammond was exceptional. They gave us a chance to go out there and get a really good win. It was a great night for the ACC. Notre Dame had a really good win over Missouri. Red Autry — who I just called walking in here — had a good win against Tennessee. Duke beat Florida, I believe. Tonight is dicey, we’ve got some tough matchups. To win six of nine last night with nine more tonight, we need to flip that narrative as a league. I got a text from the commissioner last night, and he was happy. Commissioner [Jim Phillips] is happy, Whit Babcock is happy, I’m happy.
It was not an easy trip coming back from the Bahamas, was it?
Oh, no. Oh, no, no. We just talked about it. I will never go out of the country again for an exempt tournament, I can assure you of that. That’s not happening. We were up early Saturday, my days are running together. Long story short, we’re trying to clear customs in Charleston [S.C.], which was a nightmare. The conveyor belt for the luggage — we had to empty the plane and the conveyor belt breaks. We were in Charleston for four or five hours. We can’t get out. It was long. Then you have to come back and play the Gamecocks a couple nights later. I do know that we have an agreement, I don’t know that we’ve signed the documents, to go back to Charleston next year. I’m not playing in a three-game exempt tournament either, I think that’s a lot. Tobi went down in the Colorado State game, so we’re a man down, a really good player down. We’ll go to Charleston next year, that’s two games, and I think there’s a day off in between. We all enjoy the port city a lot.
How about Jailen Bedford?
He did a nice job. He’s playing good basketball for us. He wasn’t great against Saint Mary’s and VCU. He came back last night and had I think five rebounds in the first half. He’s a dependable defender, I think he and Ben Hammond did a nice job on Meechie Johnson. Made him take some tough ones. He got to the rim a couple of times on us, which just burns me up. Jailen Bedford is playing good basketball.
Do you like the ACC/SEC Challenge?
I do, a lot. I think it’s great for our league. They flattened our nose a year ago. I think they went 16-2. Duke beat Auburn I think, I forget who had the other one. Not great for our league. We’ve reversed that a bit this year. Tonight is a big night and a tough night. Clemson is at Alabama. Tough matchups. I look forward to seeing them and the ACC can come out on the upper end.
How about Ben Hammond and the job he did on Meechie Johnson? He was defending him before you went to overtime, they didn’t get a shot off.
I know Coach [Lamont] Paris, a good friend of mine. I know he’s tossed and turned about that possession. Thankfully for us, Ben stoned him, he stopped him. Late in that clock, he pitched the ball over to 55 [Mike Sharavjamts], who didn’t get a shot at the basket to get us to overtime. Great defensive stand and great effort from Ben Hammond. Meechie Johnson is old and he’s big and strong. Really good job from Ben.
Your team is now 2-0 in overtime. Do certain teams just have moxie in overtime or does this team just find a way?
This team has done that to this point. I’ve had years where I’ve lost a couple, I’ve had years where I’ve won four. Getting out of the gates as we did, I think Bedford stole the tap and went in against Providence and scored. Schutt got a big basket for us to kick things off, then they came back and made a three, if I recall correctly. Had a lot on the line. Kids have to make basketball plays and make the right ones. You’re dealing with foul trouble, as you did last night, you’re trying to manage all of that. I’ve seen a lot of different scenarios in 40 years of coaching. Good to see our team play with poise and play team basketball and find a way to get out of there. We did that by three.
Shane Beamer came by practice on Monday night. Talk about that.
It was great to see Shane. I know he and his wife Emily well. His three children are beautiful young people. Shane grew up here and played at Virginia Tech. He loves Virginia Tech and he loves South Carolina. I asked him to come by, he shared with our team and did a remarkable job. Such an impressive person. Being an SEC head football coach, good luck, I’ll tell you that. There’s nothing easy about that, but he’s done it. He’s done a whale of a job there and I’m pulling for him. I enjoy watching Gamecock football play.
You read a name for James Franklin’s signing day event.
I did. T-Ron Richardson from Hopewell High School. Goodness gracious, he’s a big young man. I think he’s a defensive linemen. He flipped from Oklahoma, I believe. What a delightful young person. He had a bunch of his family. Coach Franklin and his staff did a remarkable job. Band members, cheerleaders all there. It’s a big deal and I know they’re excited to add 17 young people to their roster. On paper, it looks like an outstanding group of football players.
It’ll be fun watching those guys. Spring practice should be interesting this year.
I’m looking forward to it, as we all are. I’m so impressed with Coach Franklin. What presence. He’s sharp. I went over and met with him about a couple things in the early afternoon. Just thrilled that he is a Hokie. Really excited to see what he does with our football program. I know he’s going to do special things.
The transfer portal has changed so much in both sports. How has philosophy changed? Has it?
Yeah, a lot. We may not take a high school kid this year. We want to do a great job of retaining what we have. I like our roster. Schutt’s got another year. Hammond and Johnson both have two. Will we take a high school kid? Probably in the spring. There are a lot of really good high school players still available. There’s a lot, like us who aren’t beating the pavement for high school kids in the fall. You need to see how the senior year plays out and what’s available in the portal. We’re in great shape. I think the health of our roster is quite good. Getting Hansberry back will be a big deal. It’s changed dramatically. I don’t even recognize it from five years ago, certainly 10 years ago. It’s the hand we’ve been dealt, we have to make the most of it.
Does it make it harder to schedule games?
I don’t think that process has changed much at all. You get caught in a tough spot. George Mason is a great example. They lost everybody. I think he had to replace his entire roster, but he did a nice job. They’ve got good players. They have a Presbyterian transfer, [Kory] Mincy. He’s really good. Averaging 19 or 20 points per game, small guard that is very talented. Got a kid from Samford. On paper, this should be a rebuilding year. They reloaded. They have a good looking roster and they’ll have to play really well.
George Mason has some weapons, don’t they?
They’ve got a lot of weapons. They didn’t score the ball very well early. I watched the Wofford game a little bit, the first game of the year. That was a tractor pull for both teams. They defend. Tony Skinn is a good coach, he’s doing nice things. They’ve figured some things out offensively. They lost their leading returning scorer — they did have one come back. They lost him in the first game of the year. He’s gone for the year. They’ve got a good basketball team and they’ll have to play a good ball game if they expect to win. They’ll turn you over a bit. Got some kids who can shoot the ball. Pretty good positional size for an A-10 team.
How’s Wofford doing with Kevin Giltner?
Talked to him a long time Monday night. Maybe an hour. Hadn’t talked to him much at all. I followed his scores. I think they’re 5-3, 5-4. He’s got one he should win I think tomorrow. He’s doing well. I knew he would. He’s a good basketball coach. He’s happy as he can be. He’s home, he loves that school. He put a lot into that school as a player and as an assistant coach. Kevin is going to do a really good job for them.
Ben Hammond
Ben, congrats on the win.
Thank you, thank you.
How did that one feel?
It felt great. It was a hard-fought win, second overtime game of the season.
What is the mindset going into overtime?
I feel like we have another five minutes left to play the game we love. Another chance to go out there and fight with our brothers.
Amani said after the game that he wasn’t tired. Were you?
I wasn’t at all. I think the adrenaline took over the whole game. We were out there fighting for each other.
Walk us through that last play of regulation.
It was nerve-racking, the other team having the ball with the chance of a game-winning shot. Coach still trusted me to guard that caliber of a player, and I feel like I did a good job.
Can you feel when the defense has to open up?
For sure, especially that type of player who wants to score every time he has the ball. I felt that most of the game.
Walk us through the layup to win the game.
The ball was in my hands with the clock running down. Had to go make a play and give us the lead. Went to the basket, Dorn was sealing and I got the layup.
Dorn was sealing two dudes.
Yeah, he was.
What allows you to finish around those bigger players?
Getting into his body, first off. Big guys try to stay out of foul trouble. I try to use my body. I work on it a lot in the off-season with Coach [David] Jackson. I try to use my body against him to finish over him.
You lead the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio. How cool is that?
It’s cool. I need to do a better job at taking care of the ball.
What were some areas that you personally worked to cut down turnovers?
Playing slower. I played pretty fast. My mind has to move a little bit slower. I learned and saw more plays, that helped a lot.
What was it like last year against this year?
I learned a lot playing that many minutes as a freshman, playing with new players. Playing against a lot of great players, too. It helped a lot coming into this season.
What was the transition from high school like?
Big change, for sure, but it’s everything I expect. I wanted to play at this level of basketball. Being here is a dream come true.
You guys had a remarkable high school team, number two in the country and went 35-3. Who was No. 1?
Montverde was a great team with Cooper Flagg. They had a few other guys who are in the NBA now. They were a great team.
So many new faces in this group. What are the guys like?
It’s a fun group. Guys from all over the country. Jailen Bedford from Texas, Amani from my area. It’s a great group of guys and a great group of people. Just great guys to be around. I would trust my kids with any guy on the team.
What’s it like playing with Neo?
You learn a lot just watching him play. Seeing him everyday, his mentality and routines. He’s great to be around and great to learn from.
How interesting is it that he has that height from the point guard spot?
Something I’ve definitely dreamed of.
How was the Bahamas and playing against Brandon Rechsteiner?
That island was definitely great. Wanted to take it as a business trip, though, go out and get the job done. We didn’t do as well as we thought we would, but going against B-Roc was definitely fun. We talked before the game and after. That’s a great friend of mine, long-term friend, for sure. It was great.
Any trash talk before the game?
A little bit, maybe a little bit. It was great.
Did you go down the water slide?
I didn’t. I know a couple people did, though. Jaden Schutt did. Jailen Bedford did too, a few coaches as well.
Talk about your parents and your support staff. Father was in the army as a lieutenant colonel? Talk about your family.
I’m blessed to have them, for sure. My mom and my aunt are two of my loudest fans. I try to tune them out. Everybody tells me they can hear them. Blessed to have them, blessed to have my parents. I wouldn’t ask for any other parents.
They get to come to a lot of games, too.
That was a big part of why I chose to come here, family could make it. It’s great having them there.
What made you reopen your recruitment after signing with Rhode Island?
There was a coaching change. My main recruiter at Rhode Island was Kenny Johnson, he’s over at Indiana now. He ended up going to Georgetown last year before that. That made me open up my recruitment. I think I had a pretty good senior year to do that and go to a higher level, which I always dreamed of. Virginia Tech was one of the first schools that reached out to me. I took advantage of that.
How tough was it playing three games in three days?
It was really tough. Turned around after having such a big high against Colorado State and then have to play Saint Mary’s. That was real tough on our body.
Didn’t seem to affect you. You played 36 minutes against St. Mary’s. Seemed like the energizer bunny.
I try to stay in shape. Coach Jackson does a pretty good job of that.
You guys had today off, right?
Yes, that was great. Whole team talked about it. We got some yoga in.
Who do you live with?
Tyler Johnson.
Any good stories on Tyler?
Nothing I can tell. He’s a great guy, I love him.
You were a starter during the second half last year and now you’re coming off the bench. Do you like that?
I don’t really have a preference. Whatever gets the team going. Whatever coach needs me to go out there and do. Coming off the bench isn’t something I’m used to but it doesn’t really impact me in any way. Who ends the game is more important than who starts it.
The bench had 34 points last night. Everybody had to step up without Tobi.
It’s been big. Jaden Schutt’s been playing some great games and shooting the ball well. I’ve been telling him to keep shooting.
Jaden Schutt is quite the interviewer on social media.
They did that a lot at Duke. He’s a communications major so he’s the best that could do it.
What’s your major and how’s it going?
It’s going well. I’m doing sports media. One of my main professors is Bill Roth, who does broadcasting here. I love it. He cancelled class today.
Of course he did. George Mason is from your neck of the woods.
About 10 minutes from my house.
Did they try to get in on your recruitment at all?
Yes, they did. They were one of the teams that recruited me coming out of high school. One of my high school coaches is there now. It was like illegal for me to even go there.
Coach Young talked about how prevalent the portal is and that high school recruiting has a lot fewer spots. How lucky are you to get one of those?
With the transfer portal and everything, they don’t look much at freshmen anymore. Older guys are probably the best. Playing in college basketball, we took a peak at the portal and got some key guys. Amani Hansberry, Jailen Bedford. We got some freshmen, but it’s hard to get some minutes.
How do you like the matchup against George Mason?
I love it. They’re doing great in the A-10 and it’s good for our schedule. It’s going to be a big win when we get it done.
What do you like about playing in Cassell Coliseum?
It’s the best fans in the country. That’s a legendary stadium for sure. I’ve watched it growing up. Justin Robinson is a guy from my area who did pretty well there.
What’s your favorite spot on the road?
From last year, Duke. That was a small arena, believe it or not, but it gets loud. Played a few friends from my high school.
Have you got a favorite overall place that basketball has taken you?
We went to Hawaii in high school. I traveled a lot in high school being the caliber team that we were. We went to Hawaii and to London, where Tobi is from. It was a lot of fun.
How did you like Mohegan Sun?
It was great. We got a good win out there. A lot of heckling fans, but it was fun.
Did you get to the casino?
No, I didn’t touch that.
Coach is gone now, you can tell us.
I didn’t get in there any.
What can fans expect out of this team as we continue in the season?
I feel like that South Carolina game gave us a big leap of faith that we can play well without Tobi. It’s going to be hard, for sure. I feel like we can take that leap and get the job done for our last non-conference games at home and give the fans what they want.
Are you looking forward to Christmas break?
Very, get to see some family. I think it’ll be six days off. Probably no days off, get back in the gym at home. It’ll be great.
What have you heard from Tobi? Where is his head at?
His mind is never sad, his spirits are always high. He’s a great guy, great person if you meet him. He’e one of the best people I’ve met. His spirits are always high, very encouraging. Him being out, he’s not trying to bring anybody low or have us feel sorry for him. It’s been great having him as a teammate, even when he’s off the court.
How frustrated was Tyler?
Getting in foul trouble is always super frustrating. It gets in your head and you have to play a little timid. You have to pick back up next game for sure.
You do well at staying out of foul trouble.
I try not to get into foul trouble so I can stay on the floor. Try and get my hands in there and get some steals.
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