2022 Record: 19-15 (8-12)
Head Coach: Mike Young (Career Record 372-295) (Virginia Tech Record 73-51)
Projected Rotation:
PG: Sean Pedulla (15.0 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 3.8 Ast)
SG: Hunter Cattoor (10.8 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 2.4 Ast)
SF: Rodney Rice (7.4 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 0.9 Ast)
PF: Robbie Beran (Northwestern 7.5 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 0.6 Ast)
C: Lynn Kidd (5.0 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 0.6 Ast)
6: SF Mekhi Long (Old Dominion 10.7 Pts, 8.7 Reb, 1.3 Ast)
7: SF Tyler Nickel (North Carolina 2.1 Pts, 0.6 Reb, 0.3 Ast)
8: SG MJ Collins (4.1 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 1.4 Ast)
9: PF Mylyjael Poteat (3.4 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.3 Ast)
10: C Patrick Wessler (RS)
11: PG Brandon Rechsteiner
12: PF John Camden (1.3 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.2 Ast)
13: SG Jaydon Young
Virginia Tech has an amazing returning backcourt with Sean Pedulla and Hunter Cattoor back in the fold. Pedulla burst onto the scene this past season with a dramatic rise in his offensive game. He excels in the point guard role with his ability to score on all three levels and find his teammates open. He’s also an above average defender with the ability to force steals. Pedulla is an outstanding three point shooter and could catch fire very easily. He’s the leading returning scorer for the Hokies and will have to take on a new leadership role this season. Cattoor is a player that was generating some chatter in NBA circles this past season, but he opted to return to Blacksburg for this 5th season. He has a clear role in the offense as a catch and shoot guy. Even though he’s capable of other things, three point shooting is definitely his strength as he’s a career 42% three point shooter through 4 seasons and has never had a season below 40%.
Additional returners for the Hokies this season include: Rodney Rice, Lynn Kidd, and MJ Collins. Rice only played in 8 games this past season due to injury and struggled a bit shooting from the floor in games he played in. He still managed to average over 7PPG and 3RPG this past season. When fully healthy, he has the potential to be a starter for this Hokies team as well as a key contributor. Lynn Kidd showed some tremendous strides having his best season yet by far this past year. He’s going to need to show additional improvements as he’s going to have a bigger role following the departures of Justyn Mutts and Grant Basile. He shot an efficient 66% from the field this past season. MJ Collins was another freshman this past season who saw his confidence grow as he saw more action. He will battle with Rodney Rice for a starting job over the course of the season. Other returners are big men Mylyjael Poteat and John Camden who saw minimal action last season. Poteat, a former Rice transfer, shot 64% from the field in only 8 minutes of game action per game last season. Camden also saw the same amount of game action as Poteat.
To fill the void for the losses of both Grant Basile and Justyn Mutts, the Hokies added transfer forwards Mekhi Long from Old Dominion and Robbie Beran from Northwestern. Beran is going into his 5th season of CBB and he started every game for Northwestern last season. He has the ability to stretch the floor as he’s a career 36% three point shooter at 6-9. He’s great on the defensive side of the ball as well. He will improve the overall defense of Virginia Tech that ranked 139th in the country last season. Long is a former Rhode Island and Old Dominion player. He showcased his high level rebounding this past season averaging almost 9 rebounds per game. He plays much bigger than he is and will be key to filling the rebounding void lost by the departures this offseason.
The final transfer Virginia Tech added this offseason was North Carolina transfer Tyler Nickel. The Virginia native played sparingly this past season with the Tar Heels, but he does have sky high potential and will thrive with the Hokies this season. The former 4 star and Top 100 player has the ability to shoot the three ball as well as beat defenders off the dribble. Virginia Tech also returns Patrick Wessler who is a 7 foot three star big man and redshirted this past season. He has the ability to add depth at the center position and get into the regular rotation this season. To complete the roster, Virginia Tech signed freshman PG Brandon Rechsteiner and SG Jaydon Young. Rechsteiner is a 4 star from Georgia and Young is a 3 star from North Carolina.
Virginia Tech should also be towards the middle of the ACC standings this season. They have to replace 2 huge losses in Justyn Mutts and Grant Basile. They made some interesting additions both in the portal and high school. They also have an amazing returning backcourt with Pedulla and Cattoor. A tournament appearance is within reach for the Hokies this season, but a trip to the NIT seems more likely. Mike Young is an excellent coach and I’m looking forward to see what he does with this squad.