Virginia Tech men’s basketball guard Jailen Bedford and head coach Mike Young joined Thursday’s edition of Tech Talk Live. They chatted with Zach Mackey and Mike Burnop about the Hokies’ 76-66 win at No. 20 Clemson on Wednesday and Saturday’s clash with Florida State (2 p.m. ET).
Jailen Bedford
Congrats on the win, Jailen. How are you feeling today?
I’m feeling great. That was a big win for us last night, so we needed that.
You guys hadn't beaten a top-25 team on the road in seven years. What was different?
Honestly, the preparation that took place beforehand. Those two days before the game were big for us. We took each day and came in and didn’t take it for granted. That’s why it’s important for us.
What about the strong start you had — back-to-back threes to get it going — that really jump-started everything? When you see the first one go in, do you kind of know it’s going to be a good night?
After the first one, the rim looked a little big, so I just kept shooting. My teammates found me, so they made it easier for me.
You took that first one and looked right at that Clemson bench.
I did. I’m off to a good start.
Tell us about your journey to get here, starting out in the JUCO ranks.
It was an unexpected journey. I didn’t expect to even have this year. I got it because I took the JUCO route, and I feel like I was overlooked, and that’s why I went the route that I did. Two years at JUCO, then I ended up at Oral Roberts one year, at UNLV one year, and now I’m here. So, it’s been a crazy journey, but I’m overall just blessed to be here.
You’ve got to have a lot of gear in your closet.
A lot of my family, friends — they all got my gear too.
What was it like in junior college, trying to figure out what you’re going to do, and do you have a chip on your shoulder? Does it make you appreciate what you have now?
Of course. In JUCO, we didn’t even really have a training room. I don’t take any of this for granted. I’m so blessed to have all this stuff, because in JUCO, it’s not much. So, I do have a chip on my shoulder, and I don’t take any of these days for granted. I’m just blessed to be here.
UNLV to Blacksburg is a long way. How did you end up here?
Honestly, I don’t know how I ended up here. I’m traveling across the United States. I’m in Oklahoma at Oral Roberts, I’m in Las Vegas, and now I’m in Blacksburg. I’m used to traveling and experiencing new places. The journey is fun.
You kind of grew up in Austin, Texas. Wow long did you live there?
My entire life, probably 18 years.
Were you a Texas fan?
Oh, yeah, for sure.
Did they ever look at you at all?
Nah. Not at all.
What was the locker room like after Clemson? I know we saw some clips — a lot of excitement.
It was playing one song — “Walk In Your Trap, Took Over Your Trap.” Everybody came in and we were hype. It was a big moment for us.
There was some water too, wasn’t there?
Yeah, I think there was.
Any dancing out of Coach Young?
I don’t know. If you pull back the film, we might see him dancing a little bit, skipping around. I might have to check.
You get into the NCAA Tournament, I bet he gets into it.
Oh, yeah, for sure. He might do the worm, I don’t know.
These last couple of weeks, there’s pressure. People crunching numbers, what it takes to get into the NCAA Tournament. How much do you guys pay attention to that?
We try to stay off social media and just lock in, practice, and get wins. We’re solely focused on the guys in the gym and our circle — the coaches. Everybody else outside doesn’t really matter. It’s the guys on the court with us that are going to matter.
During your journey, what did you take from each place that’s made you what you are today?
Each place has different stuff. I don’t know if I can go into detail too much, but each school, I learned a lot. The journey made me the person and player I am today.
A lot of distractions in Vegas?
Yeah. I had to get out of there. I think a year was enough.
Going on the road, what’s it like when you know you’re at a visiting venue and there’s not a lot of cheering when the Hokies hit a bucket?
Last night, we didn’t have too many fans, so all the energy we had was from our team, our bench, our managers and our coaching staff. It means everything. When we can pull a win like that against a big-time team on the road, it means a lot.
Only three turnovers in the first half. That was big. You’ve got more ball handlers this year.
We do. Our depth on the team is incredible. Each guy can hold their own, and they bring a lot of intangibles.
After that tough game against NC State, how good was it to see Ben Hammond come out and play great last night?
The way he bounced back, he’s very mature for his age, and I’m proud of him. He’s growing, and the ceiling for him is high.
You’re one of the vets, one of the older guys. When Neoklis Avdalas has had tough games, shots not going in, do you say anything to him?
Yeah, for sure. Sometimes I try to stay out of the way a little bit and let them find their own way, but I definitely give advice every now and then, just to make sure they’re okay — in the right headspace and the right mindset coming into these games.
You guys were up seven at the half. What did you talk about at halftime?
Honestly, keeping our foot on the gas, not to let up. We came out, and I think they scored the first seven. It was 7-0, and we had to keep the same mindset we came in with at the beginning: punch first and not let up. Then we got to it.
The team made 11 3-pointers last night. You splashed four of those — 4-for-5 from three. What do you like better: driving it or standing at the 3-point line?
I’m comfortable with whatever the defense gives me. That’s how I’m going to react, and I’m going to score. I’m comfortable anywhere on the floor getting a bucket.
You get to that short corner and it’s like a seven-, eight-foot shot, and it goes in. Is that just practice?
It’s not luck. I practice it almost every day — those hook shots, having a certain touch around the rim, around the paint. I’ve worked on that my entire life, and it makes it easier to come out and make those shots.
You had that huge game against Louisville — 6-for-8 from three, 24 points, your 1,000th point. What was that like?
That was very big for me. Like I said, I didn’t know I was going to have this extra year, and this extra year allowed me to get that 1,000 career milestone points. That was big for me, and it meant a lot — especially to have it against Louisville like that.
This team sits at 17 wins, 6-6 in the ACC, and you’ve been riddled with injuries. How difficult has it been figuring out roles and where you’ll play? And how nice will it be to get everybody healthy?
It’s going to be big once we have everybody back fully healthy, like Tyler Johnson. He’s already back and running, so I can’t wait to get him back out there and start playing with him on the court. That’s going to change things when we have our full pieces, and we’re going to start to show everybody our full potential.
There were five guys out last night — only nine available, all nine played. That’s kind of weird, right?
Yeah, it definitely was. But it’s going to happen. Every team is going to have something like that happen, and guys have to step up. When the name is called, you step up, and they did. Like Izaiah Pasha — he definitely stepped up, and I’m proud of him.
You’re the self-proclaimed dog. Mike Young says you’re the best on-ball defender on the team. You take pride in defense, don’t you?
I’d like to think so. My pops was a great defender, and every coach I played for, they take pride in defending. That’s what’s going to keep you on the floor, and that’s what’s going to win games, ultimately.
What’s your favorite place you’ve ever played?
My favorite place, I’d have to say here, honestly. I can’t be biased, but if I had to say my favorite place on the road, probably Creighton. It’s a good environment.
Did you like the experience at Mohegan Sun and the Bahamas?
I did. That was a great experience. I’ve never been out of the country, so it was great to be out there and just playing basketball again.
How’s your body holding up? You’re playing a lot of minutes and have stayed healthy.
It’s my fifth year, so I understand what goes into it — the preparation to be healthy. I live in the training room getting everything done. Shout out to Hisham [Ziyout].
You got in late last night. What did today look like for you and the team?
It was a calm day. It was a walkthrough, but we came in with the same mindset — we’re not going to let up, and we’re going to get back to the next practice.
When you watch Tobi Lawal play and watch how high he can jump, do you marvel sometimes?
Definitely. I don’t get how he jumps that high. I’ve never seen an athlete like him, and it’s mind-blowing sometimes. The dunks are crazy, but he makes it look effortless because he jumps so high and kind of lays it in there. He could tear the rim down if he wanted to, but he doesn’t.
You can dunk too. You dunked a couple of games ago.
Yeah, a little bit. My knees kind of hurt, so I save them. I save my knees.
You’ve got a degree already. What’s life after basketball going to be?
Hopefully more basketball. I aspire to keep playing maybe 10 more years — pro, whatever that may be. However God allows me to keep playing. Whatever happens, happens.
And after that, what would you like to do?
I don’t even know. That’s a long way down the road.
What’s it like playing for Coach Young? You’ve played for a lot of coaches.
I have played for a lot of coaches, but playing for Coach Young has probably been the best experience so far. He’s one of the best people as well as coaches, and it’s a blessing to play for him.
He’s got all those one-liners, doesn’t he?
He does. He’s got them in his back pocket.
How about the way he calls plays and names plays?
It takes a while to get used to. I’m still forgetting plays. I have to ask Jaden [Schutt] — he helps me on the sideline remember the plays. He definitely has a lot in his bag.
The students have really gotten into it. It’s got to be fun when you walk out there and see that student section filled, isn’t it?
Oh, for sure. The support means a lot to us — it’s like a sixth man out there.
That was pretty cool when you guys were out there and they came out there with the jersey — guys signed them all.
Yeah, that was really cool.
Sometimes you guys come running over and want something challenged. How do you determine when you’re going to tell Coach Young you want to challenge?
You better be right. If I know for sure I touched it, or they touched it, I’m going to come over and let them know what happened.
You guys play with the Nike ball, and last few games it’s been the Adidas ball, right? So much difference?
Yeah — the weight, the feel. Every ball is different. Adidas, Nike — they’re different balls. It takes a little time to get used to.
When did you start playing basketball?
I’m not sure. Elementary school, very young.
Did you play other sports too?
Yeah, baseball, football, soccer.
Did you always know basketball would be the sport that gives you a college education?
I honestly didn’t know. I realized my sophomore year in high school, ‘This might be the sport.’ But I really enjoyed baseball, and if I didn’t play basketball, that would’ve been another sport.
Tell us about your shoes, because you kind of wear different shoes, don’t you?
I do. People don’t know — they’re the same shoe, just different colors. Some people think I mismatch them, but no. Those are my favorite shoes, and I don’t switch up.
I saw in your bio that it says you like to go to restaurants. What’s one of your favorite ones in Blacksburg?
Bottom of the Stairs. They have the best burgers. Another spot has really good fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and desserts — I forgot what it’s called — but Bottom of the Stairs has some really good food. And the banana pudding at Bottom of the Stairs is crazy.
How about Las Vegas. Wow do you choose a restaurant there?
It’s hard. I know some steak spots down at Aria. They have one of the best steaks and best food in general. I go there every time I visit Vegas.
That’ll take a lot of NIL money. They probably take care of you in Vegas, though, don’t they?
Maybe a little. Maybe a little.
How often does your family come out to games?
My pops is very supportive. He’s probably been to like 10 games. I think he actually stayed at a hotel for a month or so and kept coming to home games. He was traveling — he made his way to watch me play. It means a lot when I can see him at the game.
What’s it like playing at Syracuse in that dome?
It was a crazy experience — the atmosphere, playing in half the stadium on the football field. Crazy. I don’t think I’m ever going to play in a place like that again.
That depth perception is hard, huh?
Oh, for sure. That’s probably why I wasn’t on that game.
SMU was tough at the beginning of January, but it had to be nice to be back in your home state, Texas.
Oh, for sure. Dallas is only a couple hours from my hometown, so it meant everything to see my family, friends.
Austin’s really changed.
Oh, yeah, it’s growing. Everybody’s starting to move out there.
What do you like to do for fun when you don’t play basketball?
Playing video games, talking to my friends. I like doing Legos — those are cool. Being outside, swimming, trying new stuff.
Favorite vacation spot?
Colorado. If it’s someplace warm, probably the beach, like Florida or something. But I really like going back to Colorado, the scenery. I like skiing.
You were a skier?
I did dabble in snowboarding and skiing during my time at JUCO.
You better not tell Coach Young.
Oh, no, not this year.
You watch the Olympics?
I did not, but I heard it went well. Some stuff, I can’t imagine doing what they’re doing. Kudos to them.
Who do you room with?
Jaden Schutt, that’s my guy.
How’s that been?
It’s been great. I enjoy having him as a roommate. Hooping with him makes you even better.
You don’t cook much, but Jaden does cook.
He does cook. He’s been learning. Sometimes I catch him on the phone with his girl asking how to cook the rice. He’s getting better. He definitely cooks way better than me.
So, you tried it and you like it?
Oh, yeah. He’s done a great job.
Who’s the best shooter on the team?
You’re putting me on the spot. We’re all great shooters. It’s competitive between Schutt and me. He’s a phenomenal shooter. The ceiling is high for him.
How hard is it for him to come off the bench and then they run a play, bang, the shot goes in, and he’s cold?
For sure. I don’t even have to look at it when he shoots. I know the confidence he has, every shot feels like it’s going in. I have no worry he’s going to make it, especially when Coach draws a play for him. I just know it’s going in.
How about playing with Neo Avdalas. Has that been fun?
Oh, yeah. It’s been fun. People from different backgrounds, he played overseas, how it translates and how he plays. I like learning different stuff from different people. It’s been great playing with these guys and with Neo.
Have you learned anything from the international guys?
Yeah. For Tobi, I learned where to throw the ball because he can catch it anywhere. Throw it close to the rim, behind the backboard, he’ll catch it. With Neo, it’s easy to play with him. Playing off the ball, it’s been a blessing.
Do those guys ever start talking their other language and you’re like, ‘What is he saying?’
Yes. We’ve all been learning some phrases and words from Neo, but sometimes he’s on the phone with his brother and friends, and we just look at him like, ‘What are you saying?’
Jailen, congrats on the big win, man. Keep it rolling here in the final couple of weeks.
I appreciate you. Thanks for coming out.
Mike Young
Coach, way to go. Congratulations. How you doing?
I’m doing really well. Great win for our team last night. Great win for our program. I’m proud of our team. Now, let’s handle it properly. We had a good day today. We didn’t do a whole lot, but we began our preparation for the Seminoles. We’ll have a good practice tomorrow, not a lot of contact, but we’ll have them dialed up and ready to go when the ball goes in the air.That was awesome, you put together two really good halves. Got off to a good start and never looked back.
Got off to a good start. Thank goodness for Bedford. Bedford scored our first eight points, but we were ready to go and geared up defensively. I thought we did a really good job there. We had a couple of breakdowns, but all in all a real 40-minute game on the defensive end. Outrebounded them by one or two. We only had four offensive rebounds. We shot 52 percent — there’s not a lot of caroms — but a great win against a quality opponent. Clemson is very good, very well coached. I like their pieces. And to get out of there with a Quad 1 win on the road is significant.Did it feel like in a couple of those games against NC State and Duke that you kind of waited to get punched first? And you wanted to be the puncher, get the early lead? It felt like the team took that mindset.
Easier said than done. That team on the other side is prepared. They’ve got good players. Clemson was ready to play. But it was just a great couple of days of preparation from our team. We talked about being on edge. You’ve got to be on edge. We’ve got six regular-season games to go, and then into the tournament. You’ve got to live on that edge — through practices, through Saturday’s game with Florida State, who’s playing very good basketball — and squeeze as many wins out of it as you possibly can.How big was it holding RJ Godfrey to six points and Jestin Porter to five?
Godfrey’s had a really good year. As good as they are, I’m not sure they’ve got an all-league player, and if they do, it would be Godfrey. He’s rugged and has been around. He was at Clemson, went to Georgia last year, came back to Clemson. Jestin Porter has added a lot to their team. Nick Davidson from Nevada has had a good year for them. Buckner was good. But other than that, I thought we made them uncomfortable. They felt our defense. We were really aggressive on the ball and limited them, all in all, to one shot. Kept them out of transition. Great night from our team.You said Ben Hammond was going to bounce back — 19 points, 5-for-11. How good was it seeing him back doing his thing?
Part of that was wishful thinking. He better bounce back. We’ve got problems if he doesn’t. But you’ve all seen him. You know what kind of year he’s put together. He handles himself well. He takes care of his body. Got one down the short corner opposite Clemson’s bench. Had a couple really nice dribble moves off a ball screen, stepped away from something and made a three. Hansberry had a beautiful pass down the baseline to him in front of our bench, that was a big shot. He played great. Bedford played great. But it was one of those games that felt like a team win. Izaiah Pasha didn’t score, [but] Izaiah Pasha helped our team win. Antonio Dorn got two down, but was physical, set screens and helped our team win. They all did. Those are the best wins, team wins.What’s Jailen Bedford meant to this program this year?
It’s the new age. The guy’s been to junior college — I’m not sure how long he was in junior college — then Oral Roberts, UNLV, Virginia Tech. Different cultures, different ways of doing things, different terminology. And he’s done great. I really like him and care about him as a person. He’s been great to coach. Took a little bit to adjust — this is how we’re doing it, and we’re going to adhere to that. He’s got a great heart, wants to play the right way, wants to win. I think he’s really embraced what we have here. He has enjoyed Virginia Tech. He loves playing for the Hokies. I’m very proud of Jailen. He’s put together a good year for us.You’re dwindling down the home stretch, the goal is the NCAA Tournament. How much do you tell the players about where you sit and what needs to happen? Or is it just worry about the next game?
I look at it every day. We don’t talk about it in the office much. We don’t talk about it with our team. They know. We talked about it today before film, the only thing that matters is today. Let’s take care of today. You start looking ahead — Miami, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Boston College — you start doing all that. The only thing that matters is beating Florida State. Take care of that, then we’ll turn our attention to Miami. But if we do this, this, and this, and if we did that — you’re wasting time. We’ve got six games, six one-game seasons. That’s how we’ve always dealt with it. We talk about being where your feet are. Our feet are in Blacksburg, and we’ve got a mountain to climb on Saturday. You start looking ahead and you get a baseball bat across the shins, and it hurts like crazy. I’ve done it.The ball movement last night, it was really good. Their defense is stingy, you knew the first look might not be there. Great patience moving the ball.
I said postgame that we tweaked a little. We didn’t tweak anything. But looking at the NC State game and the previous couple games, I thought the ball was stopped. And I also said last night: If the ball stops against Clemson at any point in that possession, they’re like a snake — they’re going to strangle you. They reset. They reshape. It reminds me of the old Tony Bennett defenses. If you mishandle the ball, if they deflect it and it squirts away, and now the shot clock’s at 12, you’ve got a problem. You’re going to have a hard time getting a quality shot.We did a much better job of moving the ball without it stopping. Don’t let the ball stick. We say it all the time, ‘If the ball is sticking, that’s bad offense. It’s got to move side to side, which moves the defense, spreads it out. Now you’ve got better driving lanes, you can get to double gaps, and it’s unselfish basketball.’ We played that part quite well. We had 18 assists — nine at the half, which is great. We only had three in the second half — not great. But let’s not discount the fact that our team played really, really hard and played a lot of portions of that game at a really high level.
Your 3-point defense has been really good, held Clemson to five threes. What have you thought about it overall?
Great. I think we’re top 30 in the country. We’ve been higher than that. It’s a big deal. Two’s hurt you. You don’t want them to score. We’re not shutting anybody out. Twos hurt and threes kill you. You can’t give that up. Florida State is coming and they’re going to shoot close to half of their shots from three. They’re only shooting 31 percent, but the volume — they can touch you up for 10 of them, and it’s a killer. This team has done a great job closing out to shooters and getting to their shoe tops. If I close short, that’s not good enough. You’ve got to get to the body. You’ve got to make them put it on the deck. You can’t let them shoot it where they catch it.
Amani stayed out of foul trouble for the most part. You got 31 minutes out of him, and seven points, seven rebounds.
Yeah. And 31 minutes is very healthy for him. He struggles as hard as he plays to play 36. That’s too much. The conscious decision: we had nine guys dressed and nine guys played. Izaiah Pasha played seven, eight minutes, had two assists, competed defensively. Dorn again. Tyler Johnson is coming back here soon. I don’t know that he’ll be in uniform Saturday. Could be. He’s got the green light. He can practice. We did some with him today. We’re getting whole, and not a minute too soon.
Was it part of the game plan to drive the lane and get looks close to the basket?
Nothing other than what I referenced: ball movement and player movement. You can’t pass and stand and wait for it to come back. You’ve got to get off the top and get into other areas. We screened better last night. What you saw is exactly what occurred, and what I saw and saw again watching the film. It’s good basketball. It’s how you’re supposed to play.
They had a lot of points in the paint in the first half, but fewer in the second half. Did you emphasize that?
It’s hard to do both. It’s hard to keep it out of the paint and take away the three — you’re giving up something. You don’t want them to get to the rim. You don’t want to give up layups. But to guard the ball and get to that guy who can shoot it — Hunter, Porter, Davidson — you’ve also got to catch the first step and not let it get into the paint. We talk about ‘keep it out of the house.’ The house is the paint. If the ball’s in the paint consistently with two feet, that guy’s playing off it, can create havoc. Now you’re in rotation, your rebounding is messed up. I thought, all in all, our team did a very good job in that regard.
Florida State played Virginia close and is playing better basketball.
They are. They got off to a terrible start, 0-5 in the league, then go to Miami and win. They’ve bounced around a little bit. They’ve won four of their last six, and they’re playing well. I watched three or four games today. We’ll watch another one tonight, then more tomorrow. Luke Loucks is a friend. Came from the NBA, a lot of NBA ideas with what they’re doing offensively and defensively.
Robert McCray in the backcourt is a really, really good player, scores. Chauncey Wiggins — who was at Clemson, now at Florida State — is playing very good basketball. It’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to be hard. They were up three with about 10:51 to go in the second half last night and mishandled a couple of things. UVa was lucky as all get out to get out of there with a win. They’re playing well. I’m not trying to embellish what is before us. It’s going to be hard. We’ve got to play a really good ball game if we expect to win.
Good news: it’s at home and sold out.
Yes, I’m very much aware of that. I don’t know of anything in my professional life as exciting as walking into Cassell Coliseum on a night or afternoon such as that, and looking into the far reaches and those four corners and seeing those seats filled, seeing the Hokie faithful there to get revved up and help our team. It’ll be a great afternoon.
Florida State’s taken care of the ball, McCray has 148 assists. He’s a good facilitator, right?
More of a scorer than he is a point guard, but he’s a guard. He’s good. He makes the right plays. He doesn’t take bad shots. He can get a shot anytime he wants, it appears to me. Our matchups are confusing. Their lineups, where we can’t play [Christian] Gurdak and Dorn, they can really only guard one person. That’s No. 25, [Alex] Steen. So, there’ll be a lot going on, a lot of balls in the air that we’ll have to handle.
I talked to Chuck Walsh, he said their coach bought 500 beers for the first 500 people for the UVa game. Biggest crowd they had all year.
They had a lot of beer. Good grief. We hope he got a discount. I love Chuck. I look forward to seeing him. We’ve got a good team in front of us on Saturday. We look forward to it.