2024-25 Men’s Basketball Season Preview.

Virginia Tech basketball returns tonight against Delaware State in what will be the sixth year for head coach Mike Young. Young had the Hokies go 19-15 last March, but the team unfortunately missed out on March Madness due to poor play throughout the game. Young’s overall coaching record is 92-66, but this season will be very interesting as more young talent joins the roster.

The season is already off to a rocky start, with the team recently announcing that transfer guard Heizer Miller has been cut from the team after reports surfaced of a situation that occurred during his time at Temple University. Miller was one of the team’s top transfer prospects, seen as an important part of taking the program to the next level.

Virginia Tech has added several more talented members to its top prospect list. One of the talents is VCU’s Toby Lawal. Toby Lawal has made a splash with his crazy athleticism and good pick-roll skills, which can benefit him a lot. Another transfer the Hokies should keep an eye on is Ben Burnham from the Charleston Cougars. Burnham exhibits a faster style of play due to his ability to get to the rim. Burnham can switch between the three and four positions, forcing him to use more speed or power depending on where Mike Young would like to use him.

Duke transfer Jayden Schutt is another talented player who brings another dynamic to the team with his shooting. At Duke, Schutt was not on the court often, averaging just seven minutes per game in 14 games played for the Blue Devils. Another transfer to watch is Rodney Brown Jr. Rodney Brown Jr. is a transfer from Cal and can play on the floor. He has really good size and considering his youth, he is still a rookie and still has a lot to be desired as he has a body to grow into and only weighs 170 pounds.

Returning players who will be keeping an eye on the Hokies are guard Brandon Rechsteiner, guard Jadon Young and center Milijahel Poteate. Poteet is one of the players from last season who has some experience with Mike Young’s system. Poteat averaged 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 34 games and played an average of 14.5 minutes per game. Young is another returning starter, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound combo guard who can space the floor. He has proven that he fits into Young’s system. Rechsteiner is an energetic guard who works hard on defense, has a great handle and can shoot the ball well from mid-range.

Another player Young mentioned as someone to watch this season is power forward Tyler Johnson. Johnson can get to the basket easily and can play the ball back. Coming out of high school, Johnson was rated as a three-star prospect and would provide much-needed depth to the paint position. With the loss of Miller, Ben Hammond will likely spend a lot more time at the backup point guard position, and he brings speed and playmaking ability to a team that likes to move around and shoot threes. Finally, R.J. Jones was a high-ranking Hokie recruit. He will likely see a lot of minutes in the post as he is 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds. The Hokies could use him in a thin post position, most likely as a power forward.

The Hokies have an interesting schedule this year, starting the season early against Penn State and Michigan. Both programs have shown growth under the leadership of their coaching staffs and look to take steps in the right direction. Shortly after those matches, the Hokies will face players MJ Collins and Tyler Nickel when they return to Cassel on December 4th. The Hokies are one of the last teams in the ACC as they finished 15th overall in the conference, but there are various movements throughout the conference that are likely to change.

Looking at the overall landscape of the ACC conference, there are several top teams expected to compete this season. First is Clemson, which did well last year and has talent returning from that team, followed by Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina, which have all been tagged as national championship contenders and have returning players. to achieve this goal. Next on this list to keep an eye on is Miami, who acquired former Virginia Tech center Lynn Kidd, who averaged 13.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Hokies last season in 33 games played.

It’s important to note that schools in the ACC have added new schools to their lists, such as Syracuse, Georgia Tech and Louisville. Overall, the Hokies’ schedule will be a challenge, but it will be interesting to see how new talent and returning players handle Mike Young’s system this season.

Additional links:

Virginia Tech Basketball: Men’s and Women’s Fields Announced for ACC Tournament Oct. 8-10

Virginia Tech basketball: 2025 four-star guard Kaiden Mingo lists Virginia Tech as a top-four school

Virginia Tech Basketball: Everything from the Hokies men’s basketball team at ACC Tipoff