jtHokie05

We could legitimately hire an athletic Director (Matt Roan, James Madison, A.D.), head of Hokie club and fundraising (Scott Hughes, Director of advancement Alabama) and a football general manager, which I know we don’t currently need, Jeff King from the Chicago Bears. All these guys graduated within about two years of each other from Pulaski. While we are at it will just get Shayne Graham to be the kicking coach. Kind of a crazy talent pipeline from a small southwest Virginia school.

I can’t find that news repeated anywhere. Would love it, though.

We’ve been terrible shooters all year. D usually very solid. Sounds stupid and simplified but we just need shot makers. 28% today. Even games we won usually in the 30s. Tough way to live

Trey Beamer, from Martinsville and now IMG Academy has asked out of BC after they fired their coach. VT was among finalists. Trey is a top 100 recruit and top 12 PG in the 2026 class. A southern Virginia Beamer in Blacksburg? I think it might work.

Promoted from within.

Xavier Perkins from CE Jordan in Durham NC has an OV schedule June 5. His parents are Magna Vista graduates. Chris, you might have even tackled his dad back in 1999. He was at Jr day and based on his what I’ve heard he left with great impression of CJF. https://247sports.com/player/xavier-perkins-46146740/ ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 2/20/2026, 12:42:00 PM ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 2/20/2026, 12:44:17 PM

TLDR: written on Jan 29. Struggled vs more athletic in conference competition, but still potential NBA pick. All comes down to fixing his shot. Not draftable this year without fixing jumper. He has all the tools except what the league values most at the moment, shooting. Let’s hope he gets it fixed soon. Hopefully at VT next season. Neoklis Avdalas, 6-8 freshman wing, Virginia Tech Remember the over-the-moon excitement regarding Avdalas early in the season, when some projected him as a potential top-10 pick based on beating up a Providence defense currently ranked 202nd nationally and dead last in the Big East during conference play? Well, he has officially come back down to earth. In eight conference games for Virginia Tech, Avdalas is averaging 11 points, five assists and three turnovers while shooting 33 percent from the field and 18 percent from 3. Yikes. Against real athleticism and length, he’s struggling to get into advantageous spots. Avdalas is taking just 16.8 percent of his shots at the rim and 20.8 percent of his shots from the midrange outside of the paint. It’s never a good sign when the midrange attempt percentage is higher than the rim attempt percentage, especially when a player is averaging under four free-throw attempts per game. Avdalas has played six games against teams currently ranked outside of the top-200 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric. If you remove those games, Avdalas is averaging just 10.4 points. Simply put, he can’t score effectively or efficiently against athletic defenses. He looks like a player who could use another year to keep ironing out his jumper. The Greek wing has time to turn his season around. Avdalas remains intriguing because of his passing ability at 6-foot-8. He’s a very gifted and skilled player. But until he can consistently knock down 3s, it’s just too difficult for him to bend defenses and take advantage of that skill set. I would bet that he’s an NBA-caliber offensive player if and when the jump shot comes around. Maybe he’ll showcase improvements in the pre-draft process like a player he’s often compared to: Brooklyn Nets rookie Egor Demin. Or maybe it’ll take a couple of years. There’s still plenty of time in this cycle. But for now, I’m not convinced Avdalas is a 2026 prospect. Sam Vecenie By Sam Vecenie Senior Writer, NBA Draft ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 2/14/2026, 9:47:31 AM ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 2/14/2026, 9:48:14 AM

It’s a simple way to normalize stats between teams that play at different pace. Some teams milk every shot clock, while others run and gun. All the stats included in the picture are per/100 possessions, not per game. Team A scores 60 points in a game with 50 possessions they would show up as 120.0 Offensive Rating on this stat Team B score 90 points in 75 possessions would also show up as 120.0 Offensive Rating on this stat It’s not averages of averages or whatever the other guy said. ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 2/6/2026, 10:29:41 PM

The simplest way to think of O Rating without looking at their mathematical formulas is points scored every 100 times you have the ball. The per 100 part is to normalize all teams to adjust for the pace each team plays. (Think of the old super slow paced UVA teams). D Rating is just the same except points given up. O Rating - D Rating is Net Rating. They track all the five man lineups and keep track of net rating for each player for only when he’s on the court.

I know the guys are young, but when they start getting paid a good salary, I think boos are just going to be more normal. Student fees, ticket prices, donations all going way up. I’d prefer we encourage our players but it just seems inevitable after all the new investment. Neo suffers from the Logan Thomas problem. Others hyped him way up and he has to hear about it, even if he never said a word about being a top draft pick.

Whether you look at eFG%, TS%, PER or Win Shares they all point to an obvious problem. Our highest usage player is our worst player. In the short term, if I was the coach, I would want to cut his minutes as much as possible and use him in an off-ball cutting and quick passing role. Unfortunately, for this team to reach its true ceiling (winning a tournament game or two) it probably means Neo breaks his slump rather than benching him. In the meantime, we may miss the tournament altogether hoping the slump will break. (All the NBA Draft experts I read had shooting and defense as his major question marks coming into the season, so I’m afraid it’s not just a slump).

Net Rating is how the entire team performs when he’s on the floor, not just an individual stat. The team is literally at their worst during ACC play when he’s on the floor. So, I don’t think he’s opening up anything.

I had to laugh at the analysis on the last tech sideline basketball podcast. There was mention of his gravity, being helpful for the team. The stats point out that this is the exact opposite. There is little or no reason to stretch your defense to guard Neo. Mucking up the offense for everyone else. The Hokies are -27 points per 100 possessions with Neo on the floor during ACC games. In fact, he is easily our worst player that gets consistent minutes. If we want to win now, we should move those minutes more heavily toward Schutt and Bedford. Stats and image courtesy of Basketball Reference ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 2/5/2026, 10:20:26 PM

• Chesney is also drawing interest from Virginia Tech, but that school has been primarily focused on trying to land former Penn State head coach James Franklin, who is highly motivated to jump back in … while also waiting to see what other jobs open. The situation at Florida State, where Mike Norvell is trying to close strong and give his bosses a reason to save $55 million on his buyout, could influence Franklin’s next move. Industry sources indicate that Virginia Tech seems ready to move on from waiting for Franklin. Bruce Feldman, Ralph Russo in The Athletic ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 11/14/2025, 2:38:35 PM

To be more clear, I’m not saying our guys are or are not mediocre, only that I have no idea how good they really are in the transfer era. Even NBA talent doesn’t mean your team will succeed if the supporting players aren’t at a certain level. Coach Young seems optimistic about the group’s talent level. I’ll be hoping he’s right and cheering them on along the way.

I’m certainly glad to have him on board, but still worried about our overall prospects for the season. I would have last year’s Rutgers (2 top 5 picks expected next week) as the prime example that top NBA draft picks with a mediocre supporting cast can still lead to a poor season. See also Ben Simmons at LSU and Markelle Fultz in Washington. Coach Young is a good coach in my view, so I don’t think we have to worry about that side. The real key will be optimizing Neo’s talents with lots of new faces. I hope our new guys are good and good fits. It always feels difficult to tell anymore. Go Hokies

In the opening 10 minutes the crew is quick to point out what a historic prospect Neo is in program history. I’m certainly glad to have him on board, but still worried about our overall prospects for the season. I would have last year’s Rutgers (2 top 5 picks expected next week) as the prime example that top NBA draft picks with a mediocre supporting cast can still lead to a poor season. See also Ben Simmons at LSU and Markelle Fultz in Washington. Coach Young is a good coach in my view, so I don’t think we have to worry about that side. The real key will be optimizing Neo’s talents with lots of new faces. I hope our new guys are good and good fits. It always feels difficult to tell anymore. Go Hokies

According to this LV Review-Journal article they are down to 13 players with one pregnant that will not count.

Interesting story about Tyrod’s approach to Jets signing Fields and no longer having chance to compete for starting spot. “Whether I did or whether I didn't, my mindset and the way I condition myself to get ready for a season since my rookie year has been [to] approach each and every day as if you're the starter," said Taylor, who was honored for his community work at the annual Gridiron Gala by the United Way of New York City. "As a quarterback, you're an opportunity away, so you want to be well prepared for that opportunity." Also, seems to be a favorite teammate. “Taylor, 35, is a popular player, as evidenced by the turnout Tuesday night. No fewer than 15 teammates, including most of the offensive linemen, showed up to support him.” That’s how you last in NFL for 10+ years. A pro’s pro that’s beloved by teammates.

Hope my original post doesn’t read like that. I’m not a fan of her (Mulkey) at all. I just thought it was an interesting approach that’s indicative of the changing landscape in college sports. The high level recruiters seem to be adapting how they play the player acquisition game in ways besides NIL money.

Coach Mulkey made a point to give her flowers and some kind of gift. She was there one year, which wasn’t even her last. It’s a new world. ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 5/3/2025, 10:36:43 AM ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 5/3/2025, 10:37:52 AM

I appreciate different feelings on this. To me she is a Hokie. She played on our team four years and took the program to new heights. If she had gone pro last year, no one would care. When I think about jersey retirements, it comes down to the story of our programs. My 10 year old son recently got into Hokie sports and we had WBB season tickets. While we marched our way up to the general admission section each game, he liked to look at the banners. He now has connections to players and eras long before his time, and the Liz Kitley night was so important to him, he skipped another event to be there. Kitley, Amoore, and that Final Four banner should hang forever as an aspiration for future Hokies and to bring back the great memories when fans go to the games. In 20 years maybe my son can google the names hanging in the rafters and read the stories to his son/daughter about those legendary seasons like I did.

Hoping for the best.

Sources: Virginia Tech is targeting Arizona Cardinals LB coach Sam Siefkes as the school’s new defensive coordinator. Siefkes is an integral part of the Cardinals' innovative NFL scheme, and he brings collegiate defensive coordinator experience, including a stint at Wofford. He brings NFL experience from two seasons with the Vikings as a quality control coach and the assistant linebackers coach. Along with his time at Wofford, he’s also coordinated defense at UW-Platteville. ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 1/27/2025, 3:48:52 PM

Seems like HokieSports would’ve published a game day guide similar to the football ones by now. Anyone have a link? ** Edited by jtHokie05 at 1/18/2025, 9:11:28 AM

When you have an all-time C like Liz you can’t block the lane with another post. Rose is great on the block, but wasn’t a good fit on the court with Liz. Rose has really excelled now that she has room to operate down low. I just wish she provided a bit more rim protection.

Was brutal game to be at. Live ball turnovers and giving up drives to hoop possession after possession. Hannah Hidalgo is going to eat us alive.