By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Earlier this week, Virginia Tech announced a contract extension through the 2026-27 season for men’s basketball head coach Mike Young. Young had three years left on an existing contract that would have expired in 2024.
Young led the Hokies to an NCAA appearance this past season, his second in Blacksburg after leaving Wofford. The team finished with a 15-7 record and was third in the ACC.
Under the old contract, Young was due to make $2 million, which included bonuses for being named the ACC coach of the year, making the NCAA tourney, and finishing in the top four of the ACC.
This past season, Young checked all of those boxes.
He also announced the establishment of a non-profit called MY TURN, which challenges bullying and was inspired by his late father, Bob Young, who was a principal and teacher in the Radford City school system.
The program works with public schools in the New River Valley while also giving players the opportunity to serve others. As part of MY TURN, Young had his players read books to elementary kids through Zoom.
“They (the team) have been able to reap and sow some pretty good things out of that and grow with one another as well with acting out certain scenes and things of that nature,” Young said.
Last year’s success on the court for Young came during the harsh reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. He admitted there were plenty of challenges.
“Probably the biggest challenge has been being together in close quarters,” the head Hokie said. “About everything we did was spaced out, and that included group huddles on the court, our team breakdown to end a practice, and watching film together. So, it was challenging, but I feel like our guys were able to stay focused with that and abide by the protocols that were set in place for good reason.”