Former Virginia Tech men’s basketball great Bimbo Coles was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday as a part of its seven-member 2017 class. The statewide Honors Court committee selected the group.
Coles played at Virginia Tech under previous Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductees Charlie Moir and Frankie Allen during his four years. He finished his collegiate career as the leading all-time scorer in school and Metro Conference history and also set an all-time scoring mark for Division I players in the state of Virginia.
He scored a total of 2,484 points during his four seasons and became the first player in Metro Conference history to lead the league in scoring three consecutive years. He remains the Hokies’ all-time leader in scoring and assists.
Coles became the university’s first student-athlete to play in the Olympics when he made the United States Olympic team in 1988. He played a leading role at point guard for the team that won the bronze medal in Seoul, South Korea.
Coles was a second-round pick of the Sacramento Kings in the 1990 NBA Draft, but was immediately traded to the Miami Heat. Over his 14-year NBA career, Coles would also play for the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
Overall, Coles played in 852 games, scored 6,628 points, and had 3,318 assists. Coles was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
Along with Coles, the class of 2017 features:
- Beth Anders, a former field hockey coach who spent 30 years at Old Dominion University and led them to 28 NCAA Tournament appearances.
- Dre Bly, a three-time All-American football player at the University of North Carolina, Super Bowl XXXIV Champion and a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
- Jack Bogaczyk, a writer who spent 28 years in the sports media business in Roanoke.
- Kim Hamilton Anthony, a former gymnast on the U.S. National Team, who was a six-time All-America selection at UCLA.
- Claudio Reyna, a three-time All-American soccer player at the University of Virginia and captain of the U.S. National Team.
- C.J. Woollum, a former Director of Athletics at Christopher Newport University and basketball coach who transformed CNU into a Division III powerhouse.
— Courtesy of VT Athletics
