HOKIES HOOPS CENTRAL: LEHIGH (0-1) VS VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES (1-0) 6PM ACCN
๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ 2๏ธโฃ โข Lehighโค Military Appreciation Nightโค 2022-23 posters (pic below)Looking forward to another great night in Cassell ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ ยป https://t.co/Q9T7gn3Xq5 pic.twitter.com/zdIuvpmqZXโ Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) November 9, 2022
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Nov 10th 2022 600 PM
Opponent: Lehigh
Site: Cassell Coliseum
TV Broadcast
ACC Network
Play-by-Play: Mike Corey
Analyst: Cory Alexander
Local Radio
Virginia Tech Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Zach Mackey
Analyst: Mike Burnop
Internet Audio
LVFoxSports.com
Broken Wings....
The Hokies go into their second game welcoming back Justyn Mutts from his one game suspension. The Hokies are 1-0 against Lehigh going into their 2nd meeting. The Hokies won the lone previous meeting with Lehigh, 79-53 in Blacksburg on Nov. 16, 2019. The Hokies crushed Delaware State 95-57 highlighted by the debut of Grant Basile putting up 30 points. The Hokies also had a plus-18 rebounding margin in this contest.
The Mountain Hawks are coached by Brett Reed, who began his college coaching career at Oakland CC as an assistant coach in 1995. Lehigh is his only college head coaching job. He took over the Lehigh position in 2007 and has a with a 246-209 overall record guiding the Mountain Hawks. Last season the Mountain Hawks were 13-19.
The Mountain Hawks are 0-1 to start the season after an opening loss to Syracuse 90-72. In the opener it was Senior Guard Evan Taylor leading the way with 20 points, as the only player in double figures. Sophomore guard Keith Higgins had 9 points in support.
The Mountain Hawks come into this season with four new Freshman. The biggest change in the roster is inside as several key big men graduated. The rest of the roster returns from last season. Henri Adiassa is the only freshman that appears to feature early in Lehigh gameday strategy. The 6'11", 240 lbs Center saw 13 minutes against Syracuse.
Other returning players that will impact this game outside Taylor and Higgins are Center JT Tan and Guards Tyler Whitney-Sydney and Jakub Alumudun.
Defensively, they play a high risk transition defensive style. Coach Reed drills into his players the situational approach of how to attack an offense if faced with odd man rushes. He invests in drilling his teams on the statistical probabilities of each scenario so they are prepared for a variety of situations. This is a much more experienced opponent than the Hokies first game.
Offensively, Coach Reed uses the risk of playing transition defense into having additional opportunities on offense. His team has a major focus on offensive rebounding. This team is very capable of clean passing and situational offense creatig open looks especially on the perimeter. They had 16 assists and shot 38% from outside against Syracuse. Their interior shooting against Syracuse though suffered which is not unusual against Jim Boeheim's defenses. The Mountain Hawks shot 76% from the line on 13 attempts.
Mountain Hawks Backcourt
Evan Taylor (#5, SR, G, 6-6) 20.0 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Keith Higgins Jr. (#13, SO, G, 6-4) 9.0 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 3.0 Ast
Tyler Whitney-Sidney (#22, SO, G, 6-2) 6.0 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Luke Traina (#15, SR, G, 6-5) 5.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Mountain Hawks Frontcourt
Jakob Alamudun (#0, SR, F, 6-6) 8.0 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Dominic Parolin (#35, JR, F, 6-8) 7.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
JT Tan (#42, JR, C, 6-8) 6.0 Pts, 8.0 Reb, 3.0 Ast
Bube Momah (#23, FR, F, 6-8) 5.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
What to expect from Lehigh?
As a team the Mountain Hawks are a capable perimeter shooting team hitting 38% on 8 of 31 shooting but the are just as susceptible to perimeter shooting on the defensive end. Syracuse shot 50% against them from outside which is a major weakness going up against the Hokies. Evan Taylor needs to be the Hokies focus here as he hit four out of five three point attempts.
Lehigh has a fairly balanced roster size wise. They tend to run a three guard two big rotation on the floor and utilize mostly a 2-3 Zone in the half-court. They played most of their roster in the first game with 9 players getting 10 or more minutes.
Lehigh committed 19 fouls in the first game which could be considerably higher against the Hokies due to their ball movement and improved interior play. If the Hokies get to the line 20 times that alone may decide the game.
The Hokies
The Hokies again will be able to shoot from outside almost at will especially if the Lehigh zone is late in shifting out. The surprising ability of Basile to shoot from outside becomes a forcing factor and with the return of Justyn Mutts makes the inside out game even more impactful. The Hokies will have four players finish in double digits while at least 10 players contributing 5 or more points.
The Hokies rotation down low gets the huge boost of Mutts returning. He and Basile appear to be the primary starters with Camden, Kidd and Poteat rounding out the rotation.
The guard rotation remains the same with Pedulla and Cattoor starting. Maddox is fluctuating starter depending on the lineup. MJ Collins will get the majority of remaining Guard minutes while Rodney Rice remains out with an ankle injury.
The Hokies will have to work much harder in this contest and can not afford the second half sloppiness in the passing game and the defensive end of the floor.
Highlight of the Delaware State game
Basile dropping 30 in debut
Behind Grant Basile's double-double of 30 points and 10 rebounds, Virginia Tech looked pretty solid in the season-opener, despite missing Justyn Mutts."Let's call it like it is: a good win." #Hokies https://t.co/R45aRjBBDKโ David Cunningham (@therealdcunna) November 8, 2022
In Closing
The Hokies work the perimeter to open up the 2-3 zone, providing space for Mutts and Kidd to operate in the lane. The Hokies will win the rebounding battle especially on the offensive end.
The Hokies will create opportunities at the line, getting 24 to 28 attempts. Reaching 20 attempts will lock the result of this contest.
I only expect four Hokies in double figures. Cattoor, Mutts, Pedulla and Basile. The rest of the roster will see at least 6 more reach the 5+ point level. Hokies should get 35+ points off the bench and have a clear point buffer with ten minutes remaining.
Hokies push the pace, methodically operate inside out passing and ground the Mountain Hawks. Hokies enjoy Mutts return with an win 87-64 win.
In Other News
Several recruits signed their NLIs today for both basketball programs
Mens Basketball:
Jaydon Young,
SG 6'4 190 Lbs
3* 247Sports Ranking
86th SG Nationally
Jay is locked in ๐ฆ๐โน๏ธ @jaydonyoung4 ๐ 6-4 Guard๐ High Point, North Carolina๐ฎโ๐จ 8th-best player in NC, 2x conference POY, 2x all-state pic.twitter.com/zXVTS46Qfgโ Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) November 9, 2022
Brandon Rechsteiner
PG, 6'1 185 Lbs
4* 247Sports rating
84th PG Nationally
Get ready to rumble ๐ฅโน๏ธ @b_roc0 ๐ 6-1 Point Guard๐ Acworth, Georgia๐ฎโ๐จ No. 87 prospect in 2023 class, 15th-best PG pic.twitter.com/8Ee1JMO3iHโ Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) November 9, 2022
Ladies Basketball:
Clara Strack
Forward, 6'4
4* ESPN Scouts Grade
Welcome to Hokie Nation Clara, let's work โผ๏ธ โ๏ธ @ClaraStrack pic.twitter.com/RkfSs3a0oeโ Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) November 9, 2022
Mackie (Mackenzie) Nelson
PG, 5'8,
4* ESPN Scouts
Welcome to Hokie Nation Mackie, let's work โผ๏ธ โ๏ธ @mac_nelson3 pic.twitter.com/ZInZbqfQupโ Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) November 9, 2022
Carys Baker
Forward, 6'1
4* ESPN Scouts rating
Welcome to Hokie Nation Cary's, let's work โผ๏ธ โ๏ธ @CarysBaker11 pic.twitter.com/fGI8Xt4Crvโ Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) November 9, 2022
Samyha Suffren
PG, 5'8
4* ESPN Scouts
Welcome to Hokie Nation Samyha, let's work โผ๏ธ โ๏ธ @SamyhaSuffren_ pic.twitter.com/yrVUHvuxFfโ Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) November 9, 2022
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