Mike Young doesn’t do flash. “I’m an undersell-overserve person,” he said at the ACC Basketball Tip-Off media days, flashing a wry smile. Yet the longtime Virginia Tech coach could hardly contain his enthusiasm as he sized up this year’s Hokies. “My excitement is brimming with this team,” he admitted. “We’ve got really good depth, good positional size, and good skill people.”
At the center of that optimism is Amani Hansberry, a sophomore forward Young called “as good as I’ve had at that spot since Keve Aluma.” The comparison wasn’t made lightly. “Aluma does some things better than Amani; Amani does some things better than Aluma,” he said. “But both are really, really good players.” Young praised Hansberry’s communication and playmaking instincts, “an offensive connector at the five spot…you can run him to any point on the floor, get him the ball, and he’ll connect it. That’s rare.”
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Virginia Tech’s roster looks very different from a year ago, but continuity mattered. Young made a point to retain Ben Hammond, Tyler Johnson, Tobi Lawal, and Jaden Schutt, crediting “greater resources” for helping keep that core intact. “All four of those men have come back bigger, stronger, more efficient, and more comfortable in how we play,” he said. “I’m glad they’re still in Hokie uniforms.”
Transfer guard Izaiah Pasha, the CAA Rookie of the Year from Delaware, has also impressed. “He’s got great size for a guard,” Young said. “We’ll play him off the ball some. He was well-coached at Delaware, and we were fortunate to get him out of the portal.”
Perhaps no one has earned more early praise than Jailen Bedford, the veteran guard who’s played at multiple stops. “Old guys want to win,” Young said. “He’s our best on-ball defender and incredibly coachable. That’s going to keep him on the floor a lot.”
When asked about coaching a roster with almost no third- or fourth-year players, Young shrugged. “No, I’ve never had one like this,” he said. “But that’s where we are. Not great, not bad, just the times we’re living through.”
He ended on a note of perspective and belief. “The ACC has to be better,” he said. “And it will be. I think we’re in that group. We’re excited about our chances.”
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