Everything Virginia Tech Basketball Coach Mike Young Said After Hokies' Gritty Comeback Loss Vs. UVA
After a dreadful start where Virginia Tech basketball made history for all the wrong reasons (the Hokies' 11 points were the fewest scored by any ACC squad in a half ever), Mike Young's young group rallied.
Virginia Tech ultimately fell short after Virginia guard Kihei Clark sealed the deal with a clutch 3-pointer in the final three seconds. Still, the drastic turnaround from one half to the next is worth praise.
Young met with the media after the loss. Here are a few of the most notable quotes from the Hokies' first-year head coach:
On the difference between his team's shooting in the second half vs. the first...
“We were doing the exact same things in the second half that we were doing in the first half. There were a couple of actions that we thought we could pick on and get some things freed up. I thought we screened a lot better in the second half. We did do that. That certainly helped our play. Jalen got behind a couple and banged them. Diakite is such a terrific defender. He did exactly what they want him to do. But P.J. found the rang and looked like P.J. again, and that was a welcome sight. So no, nothing that we saw during the later stages of the first half that we turned our attention to. We did exactly the same things in the second half that we did in the first. We simply made shots."
Above is the video version of Mike Young's full post-game presser
On how the young guys are handling this stretch
"I don't know. We've got Louisville next. I'm not getting into all that. We've got to find a way to win. We don't get into feelings around here. We just played a good hard basketball game against a very good opponent, and we lost. We'll take tomorrow off out of necessity, and we'll load it up and we'll find a way to go to Louisville and play a really good ballgame and give ourselves a chance to win."
On changing up his starting lineup against Virginia...
"I thought John [Ojiako] had been playing well, and I'm trying to get him 21, 22, 23 minutes because I just feel that good about his direction as a player, and I thought helped the team. He stuck it up in there and played a good basketball game against Duke. Nothing more than that. I've always been more concerned with who finishes than I am who starts. Typically who finishes are those who are helping us win, and I thought the lineup we went with late in the second half did just that."
I've had a passion for creating unique, outside-the-box sports content for as long as I can remember. My journey has been long + winding but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've been fortunate enough to work for respected sports organizations like the Washington Nationals, Towson University and Navy Athletics . For the last five years, I've been focused on covering the ACC, with an emphasis on Virginia Tech. I began carving my niche while working as the full-time ACC reporter for HERO Sports and expanded on that foundation by launching + managing a VT Football blog for the Virginian Pilot. Now, as the Virginia Tech Maven for Sports Illustrated, I aim to engage the Hokies' passionate fan base on a daily basis with a creative, community approach. Let's have some fun!