Virginia Tech Basketball: 2024-2025 Men's Basketball Season Preview
Virginia Tech Basketball is back tonight vs Delaware State and this will be year six for Head Coach Mike Young. Young had the Hokies at 19-15 heading into March last season, but the team unfortunately missed out on March Madness due to poor play down the stretch of games. Overall, Young has a coaching record of 92-66 but this season will be very interesting with more young talent joining the roster.
The season is already getting off to a rocky start, as the team recently announced that transfer guard Hysier Miller was dropped from the team after some reports emerged about a situation that occurred during his time at Temple University. Miller was one of the team's transfer prospects that was looked at as a major piece to take the program to the next level.
Virginia Tech has added some other talented parts to the team that have been listed as quality prospects. One of the talents is Tobi Lawal from VCU. Tobi Lawal has made waves due to his crazy athleticism and is good with pick roll which could get him a good amount of usage. Another transfer to keep an eye on for the Hokies is Ben Burnham, from the Charleston Cougars. Burnham brings a faster play style with his ability to get to the rim. Burnham can switch between the three and the four positions, making him use either more speed or power depending on where Mike Young would like to use him.
Duke transfer Jaden Schutt, is another talented player that brings another dynamic to the team with his shooting. When at Duke, Schutt didn't see much time on the court, only averaging seven minutes a game in 14 games played with the Blue Devils. Another transfer that people should look out for is Rodney Brown JR. Rodney Brown JR is a transfer from Cal and can space the floor. He has really good size, and with his youth being a freshman, there is still a lot to be desired as he has a frame to grow into at just 170 lbs.
Returning players to watch for the Hokies are guard Brandon Rechsteiner, guard Jaydon Young, and center Mylyjael Poteat. Poteat 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, he played an average of 14.5 minutes per game. Young is another returning player who is a 6'3 185 lbs combo guard who can space the floor, he has proven to fit in the system Young has in place. Rechsteiner is a bouncy guard who is a hard worker on defense, has a great handle, and can shoot the ball well in the mid-range.
Another player that Young has mentioned as someone to look at for more minutes this season is power forward, Tyler Johnson. Johnson can get to the basket with ease and can rebound, Johnson was rated a three-star prospect coming out of high school and will provide some much-needed depth for the paint position. With the loss of Miller, Ben Hammond will likely see a lot more minutes at the backup point guard spot and he brings speed, and playmaking to a that likes to move around and shoot threes. Lastly, RJ Jones was high-level recruit for the Hokies. He will likely see a lot of minutes in the post as he stands at a solid 6'8 240 lbs, the Hokies can use him at a thin post position likely at 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 their coaching staff and are looking to make steps in the right direction, shortly after these matchups the Hokies will face players MJ Collins and Tyler Nickel when they come back to Cassel on Dec. 4. The preseason rankings see the Hokies as one of the last teams in the ACC, as they finished 15th overall in the conference rankings but with the different movements going on throughout the conference that is likely to change.
When looking at the overall landscape of the ACC conference there are some top teams that are expected to make runs this season. The first is Clemson, who made a strong run last year and has returning talent from that team, next would be Wake Forest, Duke, and North Carolina, who all have been labeled as teams in the running for a National Championship and have returning players to accomplish that goal. Next to keep an eye on from that list is Miami, who gained 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 is important to note that schools in the ACC have made some new additions to the rosters such as Syracuse, Georgia Tech, and Louisville. Overall the Hokies schedule will be a bit of a challenge to overcome, but it will be interesting to see how the new talent and returning players will do in Mike Young's system this season.
Additional Links:
Virginia Tech Basketball: 2025 Four-star guard Kayden Mingo Lists Virginia Tech in Top 4 Schools
Virginia Tech Basketball: Everything From the Hokies Men's Basketball Team at the ACC Tipoff
Kahlil McCuller joined the Sports Illustrated team in summer 2024 and is a Sports Media major at Virginia Tech. Covering College Baseball, College Basketball, and College Football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Prior to this Kahlil worked pregame radio shows for Virginia Tech Basketball teams on 105.3 The Bear and started his own basketball podcast on Spotify called "Fleeky Hoops Podcast" and covered March Madness for the Hokies Women's Basketball team back in March 2024. My favorite sports teams are: Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Chargers, Virginia Tech Hokies and PSG for Soccer