Virginia Tech Basketball: A Conversation with Incoming Freshman Guard Joe Bamisile
Incoming Virginia Tech guard Joe Bamisile, a 6'5", 175 lbs., 4-star scoring machine from Monacan High School in Richmond, VA, is considered to be one of the most important signees in recent history for the Virginia Tech basketball program.
For Virginia Tech, a team that admittedly lacked a consistent scoring punch a year ago, Bamisile's game as an offensive-minded guard will likely be a boon to the roster next season.
Bamisile's play at the high school level led to him becoming one of the best high school shooting guards in the nation, and one of the state of Virginia's top basketball prospects in the 2020 class.
After I offered my Twitter opinion on why it would be a miscalculation for Virginia Tech to expect too much from Bamisile and fellow incoming freshman, Darius Maddox, Bamisile replied to me accepting the challenge.
Once I received the reply from Bamisile, I figured the friendly banter could lead to an interesting discussion with him. When I reached out to Joe, he immediately accepted the interview opportunity, which I greatly appreciated.
I learned a great deal about Bamisile during our discussion, and I believe that his future is extremely bright as a member of the Virginia Tech basketball program.
On the status of his injured knee...
"I'm feeling a lot better now with the knee injury. I'm eager to test it out with full contact soon once we're able to all get back in the gym but the rehab has gone well."
On the biggest selling point of Virginia Tech basketball...
"Honestly, it was the coaching staff. Before the coaching change, I had coaches pushing for me from three different staffs that all ended up at Virginia Tech. That made the decision seamless for me because of the close relationship I developed with members of the staff before they were at Virginia Tech. Also, I feel like Coach Young's style of play and his system fit my game perfectly."
On which coaches were most pivotal in his recruitment...
"Well Coach Young off the top was definitely one of them, but a couple of the assistants were great to talk with too. Coach Webster is the guy I grew closest to from the staff during my recruitment because he was my lead recruiter and is just a really cool guy. He's also genuine and tells things how it is, which I appreciated a lot as I was trying to make a decision," Bamisile said.
"Coach Frazier was another guy who was really important with my recruitment. He and I have a really cool bond, and can go back-and-forth about anything, whether that's with basketball or life in general. He was recruiting me when he was an assistant at Kansas State last year and once he ended up at Tech with Coach Young and Coach Webster, it ended up being a really cool situation for me. It's pretty awesome that I had three guys actively recruiting me all end up in the same place, because you know they have that belief factor in you from day one. They were pushing for me when they were all working in different places and that continued once they were all on the same staff, and that made my decision easy."
On his bond with Coach Young...
"Coach Young had been pushing really hard for me at Wofford, but my relationship with him goes beyond that. Him and my high school coach are close friends and went to college together. Their bond helped me strike up a friendship with Coach Young that developed into him recruiting me at Wofford and then eventually at Tech," Bamisile said.
"When I met him, I was drawn to the type of guy that he is. He's always straightforward and just a kind person. He's a great coach, but a great person outside of basketball too. He never seems to point fingers and takes a positive outlook on things rather than blaming people when things go wrong. As a player, I also appreciate how he allows his guys to play through mistakes and play their individual games with confidence. That was big for me, because I play aggressively and consider myself to be aggressive scorer, which can lead to good things on the floor, but also mistakes at times if I'm over-aggressive."
On what he thinks of the current roster...
"I'm really excited to be a part of it all. All the guys have been welcoming since I committed and I feel like I'll be able to contribute and help the team thrive. The guys exceeded expectations last season after being picked to finish last in the conference. I think with the guys still on the roster and who we have coming in, we will be even better next season."
On the Landers Nolley transfer to Memphis...
"I hope he lands on his feet and is in the right situation for him. For us at VT, it leads to more opportunity and a chance for guys still on the roster to step up. I think from a team chemistry standpoint, if a guy doesn't feel like he's in the right situation as a player, it's best that he goes and finds happiness and fit elsewhere."
On who he's closest with on the team so far...
"Bede man...he's a character, funny guy. A great person though."
On interests outside of basketball...
"Music is my passion man, I love to make music when I want to get my mind off basketball. My artist name is Phouelisi. You can find Joe's music here.
