Filling In The Blanks: A Buzzketball Season Preview

As hard as it may be to believe, basketball is upon us. Year two of the Buzz Williams era at Virginia Tech will tip off on Saturday in Cassell Coliseum as the Hokies take on Alabama State.

The Hokies come off their fourth straight last place finish in the ACC, but there's optimism abound. Armed with six new faces, Williams and company look to build upon the foundation started the minute they set foot Blacksburg.

And as the team gears up to begin, Joey, Pierson and I will do our best to get you ready as well. While we're sure you didn't forget about Buzzketball after Frank Beamer's little announcement last week, we've got you covered with our look ahead to the upcoming season.

Since there's so much different from last year it's almost impossible to answer every question we have before game one. So instead, we did our best to fill in some of the most important and interesting unknowns that face this squad.

The storyline I'm most interested in is ______:

Brian: The Hokies' development compared to Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Boston College. The Eagles and the Deacons each changed coaches the same time Buzz came to Blacksburg, and the Yellow Jackets have been rebuilding for what seems like a decade.

Those four teams will all be fighting to get out of the bottom as the year goes on, and it's crucial for each of them to prove they're the best in the bunch. The first step in a program's revitalization, especially in the ACC, is to make sure to capitalize on games against bad teams. Because if you don't? You find yourself as the 15th seed in March. The Hokies were 4-9 against the other three in that group since 2012, and if they have any chance of working their way up the conference ladder they'll have to improve that number dramatically.

If they can finish as the best of the bottom, that's a giant step back to relevancy. If not? They could hover below five hundred for years (in what I like to call Brian Gregory purgatory).

Pierson: ...what type of improvement do we see in the paint? Some of you may know that I'm not exactly bullish on Satchel Pierce. At times last season, he rose to the challenge and had respectable outings against high major teams. But most of the time, he looked lost, a step slow and far too timid for an ACC center. The thing I keep telling myself is, "he was a freshman, and we've seen a number of centers come to Blacksburg that take 2-3 years to truly 'figure it out'."

This year, Satch should get some help in the paint and on the boards. This should, in turn, provide a boost in confidence, as he won't be constantly thrown out there solely because he's a tall body. Having a bigger stable of post(ish) players will allow guys like Shane Henry and Satch to play with a little bit less hesitation — they can attack the ball more without fear of picking up cheap fouls early and hurting the team. How the fresh faces integrate themselves into the rotation and whether or not they can truly stack up on the block will be incredibly important to this team's development. The less they can play Devin Wilson at the four, the better.

Joey: How the Hokies' rotation will shake out. Will Seth Allen play primarily off the ball alongside Justin Robinson or Devin Wilson? Will an improved Satchel Pierce demand significant minutes? Can Ahmed Hill get back on the court? Do the Hokies go small with Chris Clarke at the four?

So many questions, so few answers. And while our first glimpse into the mind of Buzz Williams will come Saturday night, the rotation will undoubtedly evolve as the season plays out.

Tech will improve from 2014-15 if ______:

Brian: Each player takes a realistic step forward. Justin Bibbs gets stronger and rounds out his game on both ends. Satchel Pierce is able to contribute on defense and not become a foul machine (preferably at the same time). Jalen Hudson is aggressive every time he takes the floor, not just in a handful of eye-popping games. With fewer miles on his legs, Devin Wilson leads the second unit with bursts of balls-to-the-wall tempo.

All of these things could happen. And if they grow together like teammates in their position often do, there's literally nowhere to go but up for them.

Pierson: ...they improve on the boards. Buzz's offseason moves provided some help in the rebounding category, but nothing earth shattering. Wings Chris Clarke, Zach LeDay, Kerry Blackshear and Johnny Hamilton should add some much-needed size to combat taller major college frontcourts. Shane Henry, though a little on the lean side, will continue to be disruptive in the paint. And who knows, maybe Big Satch added a mean streak over the off-season and will show a little extra tenacity boxing out and contesting loose balls.

On paper, this team should improve from year ago. When you add in Buzz's off-season conditioning program — I mean, did you see the team (and staff) pushing the historic pick-up truck in the South End Zone parking lot?! — and an additional year to mature, adjust and improve fundamentals, I think we will be pleasantly surprised by this team's growth in Year Two.

Joey: The Hokies can defend better. Brian went through the stats last week, but I'll recap — the Hokies couldn't guard last year.

Buzz does have athletes at his disposal. Jalen Hudson was solid on the ball last season. Ahmed Hill's effort alone creates issues for opponents. Newcomer Chris Clarke has the potential to be a great defender. Transfer Johnny Hamilton comes in as a highly-touted shot blocker.

But if there's one Hokie who needs to improve defensively, it's Satchel Pierce. Too often last season, opponents could simply set a high ball screen and exploit the lumbering foot speed of Pierce. If Pierce continues to hedge out on ball screens, he'll need to recover faster. And if Williams opts to let Pierce stay home on the majority of ball screens, the Hokies' guards will need to compensate and chase their man over the top.

Hamilton may a better option, at least defensively. We've only seen him in action once, but he showcased athleticism in the Hokies' open scrimmage that should help him be far more active on defense than Pierce was as a freshman.

The newcomer I'm most excited to watch is ______:

Brian: Kerry Blackshear. This answer has been Chris Clarke for almost a year, but the more I read about Blackshear the more excited I get. He's incredibly skilled, has a soft touch as he moves away from the hoop and provides a versatility to the offense that it didn't have last year.

More importantly, it's no secret that Tech needs big men. Pierce had his struggles as a freshman, and even then he was the only option in the low post. The Hokies desperately need more in the interior, and Blackshear is the guy most likely to fill that role. He's going to get bodied early, but if he's quick enough on his feet (as this scouting video says he might be), he can have enough of a presence on both sides of the ball to make a difference.

Pierson: Like most Buzzketball fans, I'm probably most excited to see what Seth Allen and Chris Clarke bring to this team; but to be honest, I'm equally excited about Justin Robinson — and not in that uber-hipster, for-the-sake-of-being-different way.

I'm a huge proponent of primary ball handlers that are deft distributors and have the ability to both penetrate and finish at the rim. A point guard's ability to operate and command an offense is arguably the most underrated component of a successful basketball team. A point guard that can take the ball to the hole is an incredible bonus. Not only does it force defenses to respect both ends of the pick-and-roll, but it means that you've got a guy up top that isn't afraid to split the top of a 2-3 zone and forces wing defenders to collapse and defend the drive.

By all accounts, Robinson is that type of player. How much time he sees this season is unknown, as he's got two experienced ball handlers in front of him — Seth Allen and Devin Wilson. If Robinson gets his sea legs early and does well against solid competition, we might see his minutes steadily increase as the season rolls on.

Joey: Chris Clarke. The popular answer here might be Seth Allen, but we already know what kind of player he is. Clarke, however, remains a mystery.

Ranked as the No. 54 recruit in the country by ESPN, Clarke is a wiry, dynamic athlete that should fill up the box score from Day 1 for the Hokies. His natural position may be small forward, but his size (6'6", 205 lbs) and athleticism could allow Buzz to go small with Clarke at the four. Rebounding would be an issue, but Clarke's slashing ability would create mismatches from the opening tip if a conventional power forward attempted to guard him.

The most improved player from a year ago will be ______

Brian: Shane Henry. Hear me out, if we're simply talking about improvement in ability from March 11th to November 14th he's the most obvious candidate. The junior college transfer averaged five minutes of playing time in Tech's last five games, which is just a microcosm of his first season.

High-energy and active in those limited minutes, Henry's biggest problem was that he'd get muscled down low and baited into a ton of fouls. Though still listed by Hokiesports at 190 pounds, he's bulked up considerably. He'll never be an offensive stalwart, but if he can play a solid 20 minutes a night as mobile rebounder and shot alterer (manageable), it'll both help seal up the defense and take the pressure off the younger bigs to contribute right away.

Pierson: Jalen Hudson. I really really like Huddy's game. I simply think he struggled with the mental part of the game last season. Some nights you would watch him play and you could tell from the outset that he was dialed in. He would play aggressive on-ball defense, disrupted passing lanes and attacked the rim with an incredible ferocity. Other nights, you would barely notice him. Knowing Buzz and his Jedi Mind Skills, I have no doubt he worked with Jalen during the offseason to improve on the mental side. The skills are there, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed he has the ability to put it together night-in and night-out.

Joey: Justin Bibbs. Bibbs was the Hokies' best player in non-conference play a year ago, but the sophomore guard never seemed to fully recover from a concussion that he suffered in mid-January.

Bibbs played for the USA U19 basketball team that took home the gold medal this summer at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship. Even though Bibbs saw sporadic playing time, the experience alone should help Bibbs as he begins his sophomore campaign.

And if Ahmed Hill is forced to redshirt, Bibbs' minutes — and production — should increase.

______ will lead the team in points per game

Brian: Seth Allen will have the most chances, but I think his ability as both a scorer and distributor will help others around him take a step up in the scoring category. Bibbs had a run of great games before a concussion kept him out four games, and by the time he got back on the court he could never regain the same form.

Maybe he never fully recovered from his injury, or maybe opposing coaches had more tape on him, but whatever the reason he struggled throughout February and March. But now with more weapons surrounding him, can Bibbs get his stroke back? And if defenders have to commit to drives by Allen, Clarke and Justin Robinson, will there be more open jumpers to go around?

I say yes, and combined with a year's worth of conditioning should provide Bibbs with the chance to score 15 a game.

Pierson: Pff, I have no idea. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the season ends with a cluster of guys in the low double-digits. The leading scorer could be Justin Bibbs. Or Seth Allen. Chris Clarke could somehow surprise and turn into an instant 13 and 9 guy. Jalen Hudson could figure out how to harness his random virtuoso performances into consistent double-figures outings (provided he works his way into the regular rotation). If I had to pick one guy, I would probably go with Seth Allen. I just have this feeling he is going to quickly emerge as this team's alpha male...kind of like Adam Smith, but better at almost every phase of the game.

Joey:Seth Allen. We haven't seen Buzz's rotation yet, so this is a tough one to forecast. It wouldn't shock me to see Jalen Hudson or Justin Bibbs lead the Hokies in scoring, but I'll go with Seth Allen for one main reason — he's the Hokies' best player.

______ is the person most vital to a successful season

Brian: Allen. Former NFL player turned ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer has a great anecdote about quarterbacks and their personality:

"It holds true off the field too. For instance, I always want to know who's going to drive the car. If we're all going out to get an In-N-Out burger in a minivan, who's driving?

Here's an example: Steve Young and I work as ESPN analysts on Monday Night Football. Every week, he and I drive together when the game is over. It will be maybe 1 a.m., and we'll take a car to an airport hotel. It's a running joke with us: Every week, it's a fight for the keys.
It's funny: My wife has driven me maybe three times in our 18 years of marriage. I don't ever ride shotgun. I always drive. Yet, Steve somehow is always driving. I finally understand why he's a Hall of Famer and I'm not, nor will I ever be. Because he's always driving the flippin' car!"

The same thing goes for players on a basketball team. Every good team has an alpha. He's not always the one with the best numbers or the highest draft stock, but he's there. Last year, Tech's roster was filled with a bunch of nice guys. Bibbs, Hudson, Wilson, I could go on and on. Nice kids, quiet kids, but they all respond to the alpha.
To use the analogy above, Allen drives this team's car. He's not afraid to take the big shot in the closing seconds, he'll tell a teammate when they're wrong and he can calm them down when things get tough. It's hard to quantify what that'll mean in terms of wins, but it's by far the biggest change between year one and two.
Pierson: Seth Allen. The guard play will almost surely drive this team, and it seems only logical to look to the guy who will be dictating the offense. A combo guard with incredible athleticism, Allen has the ability to provide the Hokies with point guard play and leadership they haven't seen since the graduation of Erick Green. One of the main reasons Allen transferred from Maryland was because of his desire to play the point — which reportedly wasn't an option with incoming phenom Melo Trimble. We know Allen can score at the rim, off the dribble and from distance. We know that he can body up on the defensive end. The questions are (a) does he have the handles to run the point on a nightly basis, and (b) does he possess the ability to make those around him better?

Allen is at his best when the ball is in his hands. But how well does he make the right pass or kick the ball out with pace and accuracy? How well does he move off the ball and can he create his own shot running off screens? Or worse: Will he pass the rock and then reset towards the center circle calling for the ball back, rather than integrating within the flow of the offense?

There's a part of me that worries we're a bit high on Allen simply because he's shiny and new. He's like the hot girl that just moved to town from out-of-state. Are we objectively projecting his potential, or are we getting wrapped up in the intrigue? I like to think that the games I watched of his freshman and sophomore seasons will translate (with some improvement). I just hope we're not putting too much on his shoulders before he has taken the court for the Hokies.

Joey: Satchel Pierce. If the Hokies hope to make noise in ACC play, they'll need a constant, steady force in the middle. While Kerry Blackshear and Johnny Hamilton are options at the center spot, Pierce is the only one with experience battling ACC big men night-in and night-out. The Hokies desperately need Pierce to rebound and score efficiently, and any improvement from the seven-footer on the defensive end would be a welcome sight.

Tech finishes last in the ACC for the fifth straight season if ______

Brian: More bad luck strikes. They're already not on the best start with the potentially season-ending injuries to Ahmed Hill and Ty Outlaw, but for the first time in years the Hokies are equipped with a full allotment of scholarship players. If they can simply go through a season where nothing else catastrophic happens, they're talented enough to make their way out from the bottom of the conference.

But if they have to battle injuries for another year? If a player decides to leave/gets kicked off the team in the early months? We're looking at another stretch of short rotations, worn down players and winnable games that fall apart in the last two minutes. The optimist in me says the worst is already over in the Hill injury, but if Tech basketball has taught us anything over the last half decade, it's that anything is in play.

Pierson: The injury bug infests the locker room. The Hokies aren't exactly brimming with talent along the length of the bench. Injuries to one or two of their primary scorers (i.e. Allen and Bibbs) would be a worst-case scenario. If key post players like Satch and Clarke are forced to miss time, the rebounding woes will continue to plague this team.

If the Hokies can make it into ACC play in one piece, the team should be able to withstand some injuries during the meat of the schedule. By that time, hopefully the rotation will be fleshed out, the transfers will have shaken the rust off, and the freshmen will have begun adjusting to the pace and physicality of major college hoops.

It will take 1-2 more recruiting cycles to truly build this roster from top-to-bottom. Until that time, we will have to cheer on the Hokies with our fingers crossed nothing bad happens.

Joey: Defense and rebounding remains a problem.

This team should have no problems scoring. Talented point guards surrounded by a bevy of dynamic wings are normally a recipe for success on offense. Adam Smith's departure may hurt the Hokies in the three-point shooting department, but Seth Allen and Justin Bibbs are more than capable of picking up the slack.

Rebounding, though, is the big question mark. Despite Satchel Pierce's size, he averaged just 2.4 rebounds per game as a freshman. On the other hand, former walk-on Christian Beyer averaged 3.2 rebounds per game while seeing almost identical minutes.

Kerry Blackshear and Johnny Hamilton might help out on the glass, but their will be an adjustment period for both as they acclimate to big-time Division 1 basketball.

Shane Henry was active on the boards last season, but he'll need to improve offensively if he hopes to get more playing time.

Zach LeDay could be the answer for the Hokies. Despite being undersized at just 6'7", LeDay was all over the floor at the Hokies open scrimmage, constantly getting his hands on offensive rebounds and extending Hokies' possessions. If LeDay continues to attack the glass with such fervor, Buzz might have no choice but to play the South Florida transfer.

Year two of Buzzketball will finish (RECORD) ______

Brian: 14-17, (6-12 ACC). Good enough to finish above the dregs, but still leaves a desire for improvement in year three.

Pierson: 14-17 (7-11 ACC). The out-of-conference schedule is not exactly terrifying, but there are a number of talented (but beatable) teams that are just a peg or two above where the Hokies currently sit. In order for the Hokies to be respectable in the ACC, they absolutely have to take care of business against fellow bottom feeders (Georgia Tech and Boston College) and surprise the mid-tier teams (Clemson, Wake and Pitt). Otherwise, we will once again be driving the Struggle Bus all the way to Struggleville.

Joey: 15-16, (5-13 ACC). Do we really have to do this again? Thanks, Brian.