delmarva hokie

Starting lineup; 1-5 Wenzel, Wells, Hurst, Latham, Dimaro. Rotation: Primarily Suffren, Trent, Sears and Jenkins. Suffren would be the first off the bench to give instant energy and basically play starter minutes. I suspect Trent would be the first big off the bench unless Harris-Mott comes in developed or develops quickly. Trent would get the minutes Petersen had last season and Jenkins or Harris-Mott gets Trent's minutes from last year. I see Sears as the backup point unless Anderson comes in developed and I think Sears and Anderson could play the wing as well. Goff is likely the three point shooter off the bench in the role Swanson tried to fill last season. I'm curious to see how much Jenkins has developed. Baldissarre looks like a project and maybe a candidate to redshirt. This looks to be potentially a deep team, but much of that depth is young.

...but are good players that better fits the system Duffy wants to run. I'll really miss Carys Baker, but I think her skill set had her playing out of position at Tech and I liked that she was willing to play out of position to develop her skills and to help the team. I think she'll do well at Louisville.

Given that, I'd say the starting lineup will be Wenzel at the point, Suffren and Wells on the wings, Latham at the 4 and Dimaro at the 5 (assuming she's as good as we think she is). My hope is that Sears is ready and will start at the point so Suffren can be the burst of energy coming off the bench and Wenzel can play the wing. I'm also curious to see where Hurst plays (hopefully the wing) and how fast she develops and I'm hoping that Trent and Jenkins can contribute more this year and to see how the incoming freshmen develop. They're young but I like the depth. I'm going to miss Baker and Nelson, but I think Duffy is getting players that better fit her system.

This would mean Wenzel, Suffren, Wells, Hurst, and Latham 1-5. Carleigh seems the best point guard. What I hope for is Sears, Wenzel, Hurst, Latham, and Trent 1-5. This would mean Sears is a star in the making and Trent is ready. Suffren and Wells would then be experienced players off the bench who could provide instant energy. Jenkins would be the main big off the bench and maybe Goff is the 3 point shooter off the bench that we hoped Swanson could be last season. Maybe the two freshman could contribute this year, but we'll see. It's Carleigh's team, but it's almost all Duffy's players now so maybe it's now the right players to fit the system. I'm not sure anything will surprise me next year as I don't know what to expect.

I wasn't bothered by her leaving and following Brooks to Kentucky. If she had stayed, she might have been the difference in getting the team to the tournament that season but I think in the long run, Georgia might have slowed the progression of this becoming Carleigh's team to lead. I have no ill will for Georgia now and I didn't when she left. Carys Baker and Mackie Nelson leaving bothers me more than Georgia.

I remember a walk-on QB/Kicker and (later WR I think) from George Wythe named Lance Goff from the early 2000s. Could Natalee be his daughter or have some sort of other family connection? The time frame seems about right.

...than his older brother. John said that he needed to improve his range coming in while it looks like Will already has the range but is looking to improve his accuracy. Also, it looks like Will can punt and I expect him to be the emergency punter if something happens to Totten, the Marshall transfer. We are blessed with kicking talent.

From what I've seen, maybe a taller and more athletic Matilda Ekh?

...but I think her physical limitations became more clear and Trent's development and the potential of Jenkins (hopefully both stay) leaves Petersen's future role here less clear. I think she was very valuable as a freshman on a team with little depth (and she was a much better front court option off the bench than Ramiya White and Maya Hazleton). I really appreciated Petersen's grit and hustle and she deserves more of an opportunity to display that in a program that needs what she can offer. I wish her well. ** Edited by delmarva hokie at 3/26/2026, 1:12:00 PM

I think she's been practicing but I'm not sure.

It will be interesting to see what Kate Sears brings next year. I think her redshirting may be the best thing for her development as I think it helped Carleigh Wenzel and Mackie Nelson. I really don't know what to expect with Sears since obviously she would be facing better competition than she faced in high school, but if she can find a niche that adds something that the other guards don't do as well (3 point shooting?), then she'll find a role next season. She had a lot of hype coming in and putting that hype on hold with a redshirt may be a blessing in disguise. I like the young players and hope Trent and Jenkins stay (along with Sears) and develop and make a sizeable leap next season.

Sears came with a lot of hype, but also with the unknowns you cite. Having a year to rehab and watch may be just the thing she needed to adjust so that she's not going to be thrown into the fire next season. Carleigh Wenzel redshirted, albeit for different reasons, but I think redshirting benefitted her as a player and the team as a whole especially because she'll be eligible next year and will be the leader of a very experienced group of teammates that have grown up together assuming they all stay. A couple of portal additions plus maturing second year players will make this a deep and experienced team next year. I don't expect a final four team next year, but I see a veteran team that is going to be a tough out for any opponent.

...but as of now there is a guard and a 6-4 post player and I think both are ESPN Top-100 recruits. Also, Kate Sears will be a red-shirt freshman next year.

Could the relative success of the women vs. the men this year be because there is more home-grown continuity on the women's team. The women's team this year is built around Wenzel, Baker, Nelson, and Suffren with support from Wells, Petersen, and Trent while Freelon and Daley are portal players who fill vital roles. Wenzel, Baker, Nelson and Suffren are all at least three years into the program (with Wenzel and Nelson having redshirt years). The men's team seems more reliant on transfers like Hansberry, Lawal, Bedford and Schutt or newcomers like Neo, Gurdak and Dorn but the only homegrown "veterans" are Hammond and Johnson who are only sophomores. Comparatively, I think the men's team is more talented but the women's team seems to have jelled into a more cohesive team with more consistent results. The injuries on the men's team certainly don't help. Could it be that recruiting and developing talent still pays dividends in the transfer portal era?

Could the relative success of the women vs. the men this year be because there is more home-grown continuity on the women's team. The women's team this year is built around Wenzel, Baker, Nelson, and Suffren with support from Wells, Petersen, and Trent while Freelon and Daley are portal players who fill vital roles. Wenzel, Baker, Nelson and Suffren are all at least three years into the program (with Wenzel and Nelson having redshirt years). The men's team seems more reliant on transfers like Hansberry, Lawal, Bedford and Schutt or newcomers like Neo, Gurdak and Dorn but the only homegrown "veterans" are Hammond and Johnson who are only sophomores. Comparatively, I think the men's team is more talented but the women's team seems to have jelled into a more cohesive team with more consistent results. The injuries on the men's team certainly don't help. Could it be that recruiting and developing talent still pays dividends in the transfer portal era? ** Edited by delmarva hokie at 2/24/2026, 12:20:57 PM ** Edited by delmarva hokie at 2/24/2026, 12:46:41 PM

** Edited by delmarva hokie at 1/16/2026, 3:57:23 PM

Tech played 8 players but I don't think the two freshman Dave Sensibaugh and Kyle McKee played many minutes. Their basic rotation was Allen Bristow, Craig Lieder, Ed Frazier, Charlie Thomas and Bobby Stevens with Calvin Wade as the sixth man. We had a 15 player roster but I think only 13 were on the travel roster. Notre Dame under Digger Phelps with, I think with a 15 player roster, only played six players in the game and I don't think the sub played a lot of minutes. They had no non-starter that played in all of their games and the one guy who subbed in for the NIT championship game only played in about 15 games that season. I'm not sure what that means, but it was an interesting stat.

...so I'm rooting for him; but if he has a better chance to play somewhere else than at VT, he should go.

Carleigh is in a shooting slump right now but I feel she must be doing other things well like getting assists, rebounding, and playing defense to keep earning her minutes. Carys Baker was in a shooting slump to start the season but look at how she's playing lately. I think Carleigh will break out of this funk. Also, I wouldn't get too caught up in missing Kate Sears since we simply haven't seen her in a Tech uniform yet. If healthy she might be getting starter minutes or she may be buried on the bench, we just don't know. My gut feeling is that she came in with this injured foot and the best decision for all was to get it fixed and have her 100% healthy next year. ** Edited by delmarva hokie at 12/22/2025, 12:07:45 AM

At work with the live stats and Bryant's starting lineup is listed at 6-2, 6-8, 6-8, 6-9, and 6-11 with a couple of 6-8, 6-9 guys off the bench already. Is this an exaggeration? If not, shouldn't we running these guys ragged?

I think Freelon is an upgrade for the Hokies and Megan Duffy's style of play. There are certain teams where Micheaux would be a better fit. I don't think Micheaux fit Duffy's normal style of play but I give her credit for making the adjustments to get the most out of Rose's talent last season.

I think I understand why, but I wish she was still here.

...but got to keep up with the live stats. I'll always like hitting free throws down the stretch in a tight game.

Not that I think that Freelon is a better player than Micheaux, but I think Freelon is a better fit for Coach Duffy's playing style as she runs the floor really well. I'm guessing that Trent and Jenkins will be able to run the floor something that last year's freshmen bigs apparently couldn't do. As for yesterday's game, I think the goal was to try to play a game on short rest with the basic rotation as a means to test the stamina of the team. Tournament prep, I'd call it.

Very early in my career when I worked in Bassett and Rocky Mount, VA, I trained a bit to do play by play for high school football and basketball as an emergency fill-in. I only announced one game which oddly enough was a Bassett High School basketball game when Maurice DeShazo was the star athlete and I don't remember who they played; Magna Vista maybe. I don't think the broadcast was recorded and if it was, I really don't want to listen to it because I was probably not very good at it but I might have gotten better if I was able to do more than one game. It was a fun experience to also put on my resume. In Liz's case with her experience, doing color commentary would be easier than doing play by play and her podcasting experience from her Tech playing days will help. I bet she'll be pretty good at it and I'm looking forward to listening in when I can. ** Edited by delmarva hokie at 11/10/2025, 2:33:31 PM

I believe what Petersen lacks in size and speed, she makes up for in grit, hustle and intelligence. I also think she's physically stronger than she looks from a distance on the court and I really noticed in the Sons of Saturday podcast she did after last season that she really looks more physically ripped up close than from a distance. Someone on TSL described her as the team's Swiss army knife and I think that description fits.

Since I don't know how good the freshman are, she seems like the best option of the players we know. I expect Peterson to be better than she was as a freshman when she was thrown into a role she may not have been prepared for.

Just my $.02 Starters... 1. Nelson 2. Wenzel 3. Daley 4. Baker 5. Freelon Bench rotation... Suffren 1 or 2 Petersen 5 or 4 Wells 2 (or 1?) Swanson 2 or 3 I think this will be the basic 9 player rotation with Suffren and Petersen the first two off the bench getting starter minutes. I see Wenzel getting some time at the 1 and maybe Baker getting some time at 3 and Freelon getting some time at the 4. I think Petersen is the closest to a 5 (despite her height) and the most underrated player on the roster; she looks like a warrior. I'm hoping that one of the freshmen frontcourt players is ready to contribute this year which would means depth and could allow Baker to play some wing and I think Jenkins may be the closest (or Brecelj with her international play but I'm not clear on what kind of player she is yet but I see her as kind of a stretch 4 since she's listed as a guard/forward). If Sears is ready to contribute this year, that would be wonderful for depth but if she's not, I'd be tempted to redshirt her. Anyway, I think Jenkins and Sears are the freshmen who are most likely hit the regular rotation this season.

"If any one of us gets a DWI and our work finds out we would either face losing our job or being suspended. I think its the same here. Either his actions are detrimental enough to the VT brand (or any brand he endorses) that they drop him altogether, or they dont feel it rises to that level and he can be dealt with internally." My Dad had a DWI not that long after I graduated from Tech and I think he still worked at Virginia Tech at the time, so I don't think he had retired yet. I don't recall him getting suspended, but he was not a high-profile employee nor was this a high-profile DWI. The DWI happened in West Virginia, which means it didn't make the local newspaper crime reports. Obviously, a football player is going to have a much higher profile so you're correct in saying that Woodson's status is going to be related to how it affects the VT brand. If handled internally, then I think Woodson's record, attitude and standing with the program also factors in. Precedence in how this has been handled in the past also factors in. I think getting kicked off the team would be severe. I think a short suspension would be appropriate; but I wouldn't be surprised if he plays based on his record, attitude, and standing within the program with internal penalties being applied.

One of the final questions was something to the effect of her "welcome to Blacksburg moment as a freshman". She said it was the first practice, and she was guarding Rose Micheaux who makes a move to the basket and Rose knocks her to the floor. I think she said something to the effect of "so this is what ACC basketball will be like". I think she'll be good. Anyway, it was nice to see her featured on the podcast because we really didn't get to know much about her during the season. She looks to have some fire.

Kayl Petersen may wind up being my favorite player on the team. I love her grit and toughness and her ability to scrap when playing as an undersized 5 to spell Rose last year. I was impressed with her appearance on the Sons of Saturday podcast and up close, she looked to be more physically ripped than she appeared to be on the floor against bigger players. Her confidence seemed to improve as the season wore on last year. I agree with you about Freelon and I hope she can be a player similar to D'Asia Gregg from the final four team. If Jenkins and Trent can provide some depth this season, I'll be happier having 6-3 players with talent than with 6-4 or 6-5 players who are projects. My predicted starting five 1-5 is Nelson, Wenzel, Daley, Baker and Freelon but I could easily see Suffren or Petersen being starters or at least playing starter minutes in the rotation. Getting Suffren back will be a big upgrade from the end of last season. Maybe Wells or Swanson factor in as well to a larger rotation. This could be a very deep team, especially if a freshman or two are ready to contribute. I'm excited for the upcoming season.

What I really like is that Carys Baker has seemed to embrace playing the 4. I remember in the Sons of Saturday podcast after her freshman season talking about wanting to play the 4 and not just to be thought of as an outside shooter. She was conscious of wanting to expand her game. My observation is that early last season, she embraced the role even to the point that it brought down her potential as a scorer. As the season went on, she started to figure out how to contribute more scoring in this role. Baker is the ultimate Hokie to me as she's willing to do whatever is necessary to best help the team, and her teammates fit that mold as well. I fully expect Baker and Wenzel to be the undisputed team leaders this upcoming season.

Greg Brink was a pretty good basketball player for the Hokies in the 1980s. He was a 6-8 center.

Do you think Nelson or Suffren are ready to take over the prime duties at PG? I do think your projected starting lineup makes sense.

To my eyes watching in person and on TV that the defensive strategy on Dell Curry was to keep pushing him farther from the basket which didn't work because he'd keep hitting the shots no matter how far he got pushed back.

It didn't seem like she left in frustration and that she left for a nice career opportunity after graduating.

I'd rather have some good 6-2, 6-3 players than average 6-5, 6-6 players. Liz Kitley was special, but she's a unicorn and these kinds of players are likely once in a generation for any program except the handful of bluebloods. We need multiple post players, but I'll take 2 or 3 Rose Micheaux-type players over a mediocre 6-6 player. I'm really curious to see how good Amani Jenkins and Aniya Trent are next year. I think we'll be better next year as the young talent will have a year of experience and as we integrate the freshman, but this team may really be really good in two years when Carleigh and Carys are the senior leaders. That's the hope on my end.

His Radford High School team was very good, and I remember Christiansburg playing a junk "box and none" defense against them. I also remember him at Tech (he was a year ahead of me) and I had him in a couple of my classes. I didn't really know him, but I remember him being a good guy.