Connor Serven, the journey through a tricky portal that landed him home, in Blacksburg
“I'm not going to say I really like the [NCAA] Transfer Portal at all. I hate how unauthentic the experiences are. You talk to so many different coaches, and you don't really know if they want you or not, but everybody needs players because everybody has people leaving.”
Those are the words of Connor Serven, a Hokies forward who comes from Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he spent one year at Eastern Michigan University. Before that, Serven spent three years at Illinois, where he tallied 18 games played.
Serven brings an interesting point of view to the story of what it means to be a collegiate athlete in today's world. Despite suffering an injury-ridden high school career that saw the Prairie City, Illinois, native eventually receive interest solely from Division II programs, Serven opted for a preferred walk-on role at Illinois. After three years under Brad Underwood, Serven wanted more than the limited minutes he marked as an Illini, and after entering the Portal for the first time, he found Eastern Michigan. As an Eagle, Serven experienced a significant increase in his minutes, where he slotted in nicely under head coach Stan Heath. With Heath, Serven averaged 18 minutes per game, including three double-digit scoring nights, in an Eagle squad that went 13-18. Despite his much improved time at Eastern Michigan, Connor always desired to find a “high-major program.”
Serven found his opportunity much later than many others who enter the vast Portal. The graduate senior was announced as a Hokie on Aug. 20, filling out the final roster spot on a Tech squad patched together by transfers.
“We are excited about adding Connor to our program as he brings experience, wisdom, and a versatile game,” said Hokies sixth-year head coach Mike Young. “He is a hard-playing dude who has a high level of skill and smarts—our type of guy. We are eager to get Connor here and continue to develop him.”
The newly appointed leader of this transfer-driven team, Mylyjael Poteat, shared his impression of Serven during Virginia Tech’s annual Media Day held this past Monday.
“Coming into the squad as a late addition, it has been a little bit of a learning curve for him. But I think the transition has been smooth. He’s got some good positional versatility—you can put him in at the five, four, or three, with an ability to stretch the floor a little bit, so I like the outlook of him a lot.”
Fellow big man Patrick Wessler has enjoyed Serven’s addition to the team in a way that strays away from the hardwood.
“He definitely has a lot of experience that most of us don't have. So he can draw on that and kind of impart that wisdom to us for sure.”
All is not doom and gloom in Serven’s eyes with the Portal. While the 6-foot-8 Serven is critical of the Transfer Portal at times, he feels he has landed in the right spot.
“I'm really glad that it got me where I am today—to a better school, a better program, a better chance to win. I think that's what the Portal should be all about.”
Serven also enlightened the media that despite recently joining the squad, this is the only program he has been at where there have been no forced team-bonding activities. Instead, Poteat recently hosted a movie night at his house with the team, where Serven and the squad watched “Scary Movie.”
“I honestly can say I have a good relationship with every single one of our teammates, and I've been here for just three weeks,” finished a smiling Serven.
Since Young's arrival, the Hokies have been impacted by the Transfer Portal. Once-starring additions like Justyn Mutts, Grant Basile, Lynn Kidd, Tyler Nickel, and many others. However, a recent exodus of talents like Kidd, Nickel, MJ Collins, Sean Pedulla, and Rodney Rice, among others, took place over the offseason.
Now, the squad is led by five transfers, not including Serven, all with an important role in bringing the Hokies back to their winning ways.
Additional Links:
Virginia Tech Football: Bhayshul Tuten Breaks Virginia Tech’s Single Game Rushing Record
Virginia Tech Football: Five Big Takeaways From Virginia Tech's Win Over Boston College
