From the sidelines
By Marty Gordon
Virginia Tech as a basketball school is something fans and the media are starting to think about more and more on a regular basis. In so many ways, maybe it’s a distraction to what was not happening on the football field. The basketball team is winning on a regular basis.
A packed house decked out in orange watched the Hokies play their first conference game of the season Saturday against Wake Forest. Fans were rowdy and involved in the game, and Coach Mike Young even led the raucous crowd in a “Let’s Go Hokies” cheer before tipoff.
The game was officially listed as a sellout, the first since Feb. 26, 2020.
The biggest roar from the crowd was when new football coach Brent Pry took the court. He said the last 48 hours have been unbelievable. “The welcome for me and my family has been tremendous,” the new head Hokie said.
The Hokies announced the addition of three standout recruits during the early signing period in the form of MJ Collins from Rock Hill, S.C., Patrick Wessler from Matthews, N.C., and Rodney Rice from Clinton, Md. 247Sports lists the group as the 20th-ranked recruiting class in the country.
Some interesting side notes:
Upperclassmen have accounted for 79 percent of the Hokies’ scoring so far this season.
With late threes from walk-ons Camden Johnson and Ben Varga in the win over Merrimack, each member of this year’s unit has scored at least a point this season.
Storm Murphy and Justyn Mutts are both in grad school at Virginia Tech. Murphy graduated from Wofford before his transfer with a degree in finance and is now seeking a grad degree in leadership studies within the College of Agriculture.
Mutts graduated with a psychology degree from Delaware and completed his masters at Tech in agricultural and life sciences with a concentration in education. He is seeking his second grad degree, this time in educational psychology.
Meanwhile Keve Aluma earned his first undergraduate degree in human development at Tech and is now seeking a second undergrad degree in sociology.
During the October airing of “Nothing but Net,” analyst Luke Hancock picked the Hokies to win the ACC regular season. He also felt Aluma would contend for ACC Player of the Year honors.
The sports information staff at the university has pointed out that if you are a night owl, then this year’s men’s basketball schedule is right up your alley. Tech will appear in at least 10 games this season with a start time of 8 p.m. or later with seven games not tipping off until 9 p.m.
Tech has 13 players on the roster who represent eight states and two international countries. Florida leads the way with Hunter Cattoor, Lynn Kidd, and Jalen Haynes.
