ACC Preview #14 - Virginia Tech

The Hokies might be pokey this year

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Could the Mike Young era at Virginia Tech be winding down?

The Hokies have lost the top nine players in minutes played from last season, six to transfers and three to (one hopes) graduation: Sean Pedulla is off to Ole Miss, Lynn Kidd is at Miami, Tyler Nickel and MJ Collins are both at Vandy, Rodney Rice chose Maryland and John Camden is at Delaware.

Hunter Cattoor, Robbie Beran and Mekhi Long are all out of time

Those are huge hits and it’s not like Virginia Tech, which finished, 19-15, has a big margin of error.

That means that there is a lot of opportunity for the players on this year’s team, of course and Young gets four players back: Mylyjael Poteat, voted the ACC player most likely to have his name misspelled, Brandon Rechsteiner, Jaydon Young and Patrick Wesley.

Poteat averaged 6.4 ppg, Rechsteiner 1.8, Young 1.8 and Wesley 0.9. That’s 10.9 points back.

Obviously no one has distinguished himself as a scorer yet but Poteat is a useful, versatile player who can play some defense.

Rechsteiner has a chance to step in at point and certainly it’s possible that Pedulla left because he heard footsteps. We wouldn’t count on it, but it is possible.

Rechsteiner comes from a family of pro wrestlers: his dad, Scott, is known as Big Poppa Pump. His uncle, Rick, was the “Dog-Faced Gremlin” and his cousin Bronson is Bron Breakker.

Bronson gave pro football a shot before going into the family business.

Is it fair to call sophomore Wessler a project?

Possibly. At 7-0 and about 250, he’s a big rascal. He hasn’t shown a whole lot yet though, but he’s strong and has room to develop. Could be a nice surprise. Could also be a career backup.

On the bright side, he seems genuinely happy at Virginia Tech.

The most notable transfer to Blue Devil fans is Jaden Schutt. A 6-4 guard with a beautiful shot, he was behind a lot of talent in Durham and wasn’t willing to wait. It’s too bad. We love his potential and especially his commitment. We hope he thrives in Blacksburg - except for when the Hokies play the Devils.

Hysier Miller, a 6-1 senior transfer from Temple, brings experience and some solid stats. He averaged 15.9 ppg, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He’ll duel with Rechsteiner and a freshman for the starting point guard job.

Ben Burnham is a 6-7 senior from Charleston. He’s a decent shooter and he knows how to win, having been to the NCAA tournament twice. Charleston won 58 games over the last two years and he’ll see his old coach, Pat Kelsey, when Virginia Tech plays Louisville. He’ll help.

Toibu Lawal is a 6-8 junior from VCU. He shot 66.7 percent, mostly from inside. He only took seven threes in two years, all of them last season. Very strikingly, his free throw percentage shot up from 29.4 percent as a freshman to 66.7 percent as a sophomore. He also emerged as a solid rebounder and a decent defender last year.

Rodney Brown, a 6-6 junior from Cal, was the last guy in the primary rotation on a 13-19 team. He might turn out to be a solid player but it’s hard to know. He was a three-star player in high school.

Conner Severn, a 6-7 grad student, committed to the Hokies just a few days ago. He started at Illinois then transferred to Eastern Michigan. He averaged 3.3 points and 3.3 boards so he’s probably a guy who would need to have a particular niche to earn much playing time.

The freshmen are Ryan Jones (6-8/240), Tyler Johnson (6-5), Ben Hammond (5-11) and Peter Carr (6-5).

Jones may not be immensely athletic but he's reportedly a smart player. He has perimeter game and can go inside, and he plays off of his teammates well. It won’t be a surprise if he starts, either at center or forward.

Tyler Johnson (6-5) comes from an athletic family: his dad played at West Florida and his uncle played football at Western Kentucky. He averaged 17.3 points and 9 rebounds per game and plays with a lot of energy. His shooting is supposed to be improving and he's got some nice athleticism. He also has a solid mid-range game.

Ben Hammond is a 5-11 point guard from Paul VI, where he teamed up with new Blue Devils Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba. He’s said to be a quick, smart point guard who both defend and shoot. He might work out and could be a freshman surprise.

As far as we can tell, Carr is a walk-on.

We always try to look on the bright side in ACC previews, but Virginia Tech is going to need a lot of guys to come through. They had a solid backcourt last season and a good big man and they’re all gone, along with most of the rotation.

It’s possible that Young has put together a group that could be a surprise. You can't rule it out. But until we see it, you can’t really expect it either. We admire him as a coach, but this season could be challenging.