2022-23 ACC Basketball Preview: Virginia Tech Hokies
Head Coach: Mike Young (4th season)
2021 in Review
Record: 23-13 (11-9)
ACC Finish: 7th place
KenPom Ranking: 19 (17 Offense, 54 Defense)
ACC Tournament: 76-75 (OT) W vs Clemson, 87-80 W vs Notre Dame, 72-59 W vs North Carolina, 82-67 W vs Duke
NCAA Tournament: 81-73 L vs Texas
Virginia Tech brought basically everyone back last season from a team that earned a No. 7 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Hokies were supposed to be really good — and they failed to deliver for most of the season. No matter how many games they lost, though, they were still considered a good team, and the computer rankings continued to love them.
The Hokies missed opportunities for quality non-conference wins against Memphis, Xavier, and Dayton, and opened up ACC play with four straight losses (vs Wake Forest, at Duke, vs NC State, at Virginia). The Hokies bounced back and won two games before dropping their next three. A six-game win streak from Jan. 29-Feb. 14 (which included two wins in three days over Pittsburgh) got coach Mike Young’s crew back on track. A road win over Miami on Feb. 26 was their best win in ACC play.
Entering the ACC tournament, Virginia Tech was debatably still on the bubble, but barely. Down two in with seven seconds left in overtime and Clemson’s PJ Hall at the free throw line, the Hokies looked NIT bound. But Hall missed, and Darius Maddox took the ball all the way up the floor, and drilled a three pointer at the buzzer.
After that shot, Virginia Tech took down Notre Dame, North Carolina, and Duke on their way to an ACC Tournament title and an automatic March Madness bid. The Hokies outclassed each of those teams — their average winning margin was 11.7 points from the quarterfinals onward. They were playing beautiful basketball offensively and tightened up on the defensive end.
The No. 11 seed Hokies were given a brutal draw in the NCAA Tournament, matching up against a very sound defensive team in the Texas Longhorns in the first round. Texas connected on 53% of their three pointers and went on to win.
It was a Jekyll and Hyde season for the Hokies. The 2-7 start in ACC play was a massive failure. But Young kept his team together and delivered his program their first-ever ACC Tournament title.
2022 Outlook
Who’s Out: Keve Aluma, Nahiem Alleyne (UConn), Storm Murphy, David N’Guessan (Kansas State)
Who’s In: Grant Basile (Wright State), Rodney Rice, Patrick Wessler, MJ Collins, Darren Buchanan, Mylyjael Poteat (Rice), John Camden (Memphis)
Projected Starting Lineup:
So. G Sean Pedulla (6-1, 195 lbs)
Sr. G Hunter Cattoor (6-3, 200)
Jr. G Darius Maddox (6-5, 180)
Sr. F Justyn Mutts (6-7, 220)
Gr. F Grant Basile (6-9, 235)
Off the Bench:
Fr. G Rodney Rice (6-4, 195)
Fr. G Michael Collins Jr. (6-4, 190)
Jr. F Mylyjael Poteat (6-9, 265)
Fr. F John Camden (6-8, 215)
Jr. C Lynn Kidd (6-10, 235)
Fr. F Darren Buchanan Jr. (6-7, 235)
Fr. C Patrick Wessler (7-0, 245)
Virginia Tech returns four key pieces from last season, but loses a few as well. No loss is bigger than that of Keve Aluma, the second team All-ACC big man who excelled on both ends of the floor. Also gone are starting guards Storm Murphy and Nahiem Alleyne, and the less important David N’Guessan.
Young brings back a backcourt that can shoot the lights out and an All-ACC caliber forward. The returning Justyn Mutts is a do-it-all player who will lead this team. Mutts (10.1 PPG, 7.4 REB, 3.4 AST, 1.2 STL) is built tough at 6-7 230 lbs, can guard every position and is also a great passer and rebounder.
Surrounding Mutts is a lethal backcourt of shooters in Hunter Cattoor, Sean Pedulla and Darius Maddox. Cattoor has improved on his scoring average in each of his three seasons in Blacksburg, bumping up to 10 points per game last season. He’s as pure as it gets from deep, with a career 41.6% mark from three-point land. His 31-point explosion in the ACC Tournament win over Duke on 7-9 shooting from long range earned him MVP honors in Brooklyn. Cattoor does much more than just shoot it — he’s become a sound perimeter defender and can also put the ball on the floor and get to the basket.
Sophomore Sean Pedulla is small at 6-1 and 195 lbs., but he is tough as nails. Young has a ton of confidence in him, and I don’t see any drop off from Murphy to him as the starting point guard. Pedulla (5.4 PPG) shot 45% from downtown on the season, and scored 19 points off the bench in the NCAA Tournament loss. He thrived in a reserve role last year, but he has to prove he can play at the same level when his 12.9 minutes per game is at least doubled.
Junior Darius Maddox took a big step forward last season after barely seeing action as a freshman. Maddox (6.4 PPG) became much more involved around early February, and became a key piece off of the bench when the Hokies hit their stride. The 6-5 guard has some improvements to make on the defensive end but he can really shoot it (50.6 3PT%).
Rounding out the starting five is a graduate transfer from Wright State - Grant Basile. Basile is a 6-9, 235-lb. big who is skilled offensively. Basile (18.4 PPG, 8.5 REB) was the leading scorer on an NCAA Tournament team last year. Against No. 1 seed Arizona, he scored 21 points. Basile won’t make nearly as big of an impact on the defensive end as Aluma did, but his offensive skill set makes him a sound fit.
The bench doesn’t have many proven commodities, but as long as three or so of these guys become solid depth pieces the Hokies will be fine. One returnee who is expected to take a step forward is 6-10 center Lynn Kidd. Kidd barely played the last two seasons after transferring in from Clemson following his freshman year. Word around the program is that he will be a contributing bench piece this year, so it’ll be interesting to see how he’s developed.
John Camden transfers in from Memphis where he missed almost his entire freshman season after suffering a foot injury in his first game. He’s got good size on the wing at 6-8 and is an exceptional shooter. The other transfer is Mylyjael (Muh-LIE-juhl) Poteat, who played two years off the bench for Rice. At 6-9, 265 lbs., he’s got the physical tools and the experience to be useful and absorb some frontcourt minutes.
Young brought in the No. 28 recruiting class in the nation according to 247sports, headlined by 6-4 185 combo guard Rodney Rice. Rice is a top-75 recruit and talented offensive player, but he will miss the beginning of the season with an injury. MJ Collins is another freshman that’s expected to be involved off of the bench. Collins is a great athlete who can create for himself off the dribble and has a nice midrange jumper.
The other two freshmen likely won’t be that involved this year but are promising additions. Darren Buchanan is a 6-7, 225-lb forward who plays with high-energy and has playmaking upside. He’s drawn comparisons as a “Mutts clone”. Patrick Wesler is the tallest player on the roster, listed at 7-0. He can move well for his size and has a nice looking shot. He averaged 7.7 points per game in just 13.8 minutes of action.
ACC Prediction: 8th place
I think the Hokies will find themselves on the tournament bubble because I have a lot of faith in Mike Young to maximize the talent on his roster.
Mutts will lead this team. He does so many things well, but he won't be the go-to scorer. That responsibility will fall to either Cattoor or Maddox. Cattoor is a sure thing to score in double figures, so Maddox is the x-factor to me. Young trusting him with the ball last year to win that ACC Tournament game against Clemson with the season on the line was a big moment. And he followed that game up with a 20-point performance against North Carolina. I think Maddox can be a stud for this team, and potentially lead them in scoring.
Outside of Mutts, the only proven commodity in the frontcourt is Basile. But he hasn't proved himself at an ACC level, so the pressure is on him to adapt quickly to being matched up against bigger and better athletes than he's used to. He’s skilled offensively for sure — but it’s unlikely he’ll demand the defensive attention that Aluma did. Another big factor will be if one of the unknown commodities will step up off the bench. It’ll be a huge boost if Rice can step up and serve as the backup point guard.
Young will certainly have the Hokies in the mix this year. I’m not sure how high this team’s ceiling is unless Maddox or someone develops into a star, but they will take and make a bunch of threes and be a tough matchup all year long.
When does Virginia Tech play Wake Forest?
Dec. 31: Virginia Tech at Wake Forest
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Christian is the Publisher and Lead Editor for Deacons Daily A '22 Wake Forest graduate, Christian spent 4 years covering the Men's Basketball team for the student paper, the Old Gold & Black