Mike Young announced Rodney Rice is leaving Virginia Tech:
Rodney Rice recently shared with me his desire to step away from our program. While his departure is unfortunate, we wish Rodney and his family all the best in the future.
[Mod Edit: Replaced post with official statement.]
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Well balls such strange timing.
Why can't we have nice things
Welp, time for Collins and Nickel to step up
Bad Bad News
Smoke confirmed
Yesterday people were saying he was dealing with lingering symptoms of mono.
Man, if that's confirmed that sucks. Although better to get mono at 19 than 28. I developed post-mono chronic fatigue syndrome and have been sick for 2 years. It's uncommon for that to happen for younger people.
My best friends brother had it happen in H.S.
Sis had mono in high school and was out for 3-4 months!
theory on TSL sounds like he might have been low-key suspended during fall camp and something else dropped over the weekend that was going to make it a high-profile (miss multiple games) type of suspension. He pulls the plug rather than sitting for a good chunk of the season, or reacts in a way that results in the plug being pulled for him.
That would mean the team-issued statements about bringing him along slowly from a year-old injury and a months-old infection (that in most people clears up pretty dramatically after a few weeks) were just top cover to keep his rep clean and keep discipline out of the news while enforcing the low-key suspension in practice.
I've read like 80 different reasons ranging from wreckless driving, to playing time, to Maryland bags we might never know.
But isn't wreckless driving a good thing 🤣
If you're Justin Robinson it's just life.
Depends on the amount of points.
Such strange timing, but if it is what he needs to do for his self I wish him well. He might be trying to buckle down and graduate early now, but if not he will have to sit when transferring.
We were pretty loaded from a depth perspective but that still sucks. He has talent this team can't replace with the current roster.
Rechsteiner will have to play backup pg, he's pretty similar to Pedulla. Collins and Cattoor will probably split time at the 2, Long and Nickel will be 3/4's, Beran 4/5 and Kidd will get some time at the 5. Camden depth as another 3/4.
Imo that pretty much takes small ball off the table. We need the combo of Rice's length, athleticism and consistent jump shot to play it effectively. No other guard has that
Yep. We don't have another player that can just take the ball and go get a bucket. They're all system players to a large degree
I'm really hoping that's where Mekhi Long will step in. In his little "meet the team" interview he described himself as a slasher and some of the Instagram clips have him driving.
Also, 70% of Rods shots from last year were from 3. I fully admit that it was a tiny sample size and he's not close to being fully developed, but he might have that slasher role in college ball.
Mekhi Long is an athletic wing without a jump shot. Plays off athleticism, more than skill. His skill set doesn't really come close to what Rodney would have done for this team. Rodney can score from all three levels- with ease.
The only thing I think we're going to miss is his depth as another ball handler. Could be another 35+ minutes a night from Pedulla if Rech can't contribute defensively. Rod didn't show the ability to score from all three levels with ease last year. He showed that he shot the 3 ball decently. I think a fully healthy year and he would have shown more, but even that's not a guarantee.
Dont completely concur on this assessment. He can handle ball with both hands but does not possess the speed to beat guards on the dribble. His perimeter shot has actually improved over his four years and last season shot 36% on 2.5 attempts per game. It's not a big factor in his game but teams will have to respect his ability to take the shot. His largest contribution though will be along the lines of the things Mutts did the last few seasons. Long may actually be a stronger rebounder than Mutts was but that's difficult to gauge until he goes up against ACC talent. He is definitely more physical than graceful but that's exactly why he is here.
He was the most talented player on the roster, by far. This loss says more about where our program is going than anything.
Need talent & x's & o's to win in the ACC. Mike young trying to do it with just X's and O's. This isn't Wofford.
Bad bad bad bad news for this "program".
WADR he couldn't stay healthy and averaged 7 points. Your analysis is based on potential - not actual results. We can replace 7ppg.
Seems we consistently find someone capable of driving to the rim and for a variety of reasons drive them off. Gets old to see it happen over and over.
This is a pretty damn big major hit.
So I see the Maryland checks cleared
I don't know anything about the situation, however CMY has really struggled to keep his roster together year over year. And with the system he runs, guys need to stay and develop. Roster management, whether his fault or not, has been a bit of a problem from my perspective.
I certainly may have the wrong perspective. But it is worthy of a conversation...
Why now? We are 2 weeks away from the start of the season.
Why?
Follow the money
sitting out this season does nothing but cost him money. his future in pro ball is at PG. He may not have gotten more than 10-12 min per game at PG with this roster, but 300 minutes are better than zero.
Unless the checks already cleared
Uninformed spur of the moment take. Mike Jones was a waste of a hire for Tech(if Jones was a reason Rice came here and/or not staying). We're arguably worse since you can't miss what you never had, and Rice had to have taken up a spot Mike Young could've used to bring in another transfer.
Yeah I'll just copy my comment from when AJ decomitted...
you hope a coach like that makes an impact that elevates the program floor. Impossible to tell the future on what was going to open up for him. There's 0 reason you have the opportunity to hire a coach like Jones and pass on it.
Also welcome to the world of competitive coaching hires.
My uninformed take - this says more about the revenue gap between the B10 and ACC than anything else. If I recall correctly, Jones left VT for a pretty sizable raise but no promotion.
Ultimately, yes, the results of hiring Jones were lackluster at best, but when you are a program like VT he's the type of hire you are looking for.
Now, probably more than ever, Recruiting is paramount and you have to both recruit well from H.S. and then also constantly re-recruit your own players to keep them in the boat. Jones was ideal from that standpoint.
I would imagine the idea was he would bulid his resume for a few years at VT then move on to be a HC at a mid-major level. Obviously, he had other ideas in mind.
I was concerned last year there was an article or interview where it was mentioned that Jones hadn't bought a home in SWVA and was traveling frequently back to his home in the DMV....his longevity at VT became immediately questionable to me after that.
If it is a health/personal/family concern, I have no problem with it.
If he is leaving for greener pastures and NIL money than this is a complete cop-out and bullshit move. Literally on the verge of the season starting.
I guess we'll find out if 10 days from now we get a "100% committed" Instagram post from College Park.
Why? I've left jobs at inopportune times for my employer to put myself in a better financial position. You gotta take care of yourself because no one else will.
I mean, if this was always the move, and he was keeping it secret for some reason, then sure, that's shitty. But if it's being announced now because his NIL just got approved or something like that, then I can't blame him, I'd do the same thing 🤷♂️
If the NIL is there today, it was there 3 weeks and 3 months ago. If he was gonna leave, he knew 3 months ago.
I don't really care either way because like Bar said, he's got to take care of himself.
I just don't see how him leaving the Tech team weeks before the season starts would benefit him in any way. Even if his plan was to follow Jones to MD, play closer to home, and get an NIL bag - why wouldn't he just enter the portal after this season ends?
So my guess is that it is something personal.
Nothing like a sudden player departure to galvanize the remaining misfits. Glass half full of whiskey take
Also half full take here.
We're much deeper in guard play than we have been in a long time.
Yes, Rice's departure hurts, but we have a 3 guards with starting experience in ACC play. Pedulla, Cattoor, and Collins, and Nickel who appeared in 25 games last year for North Carolina. Coming off the bench are the #21 All-Time recruit for VT in Rechsteiner and the #40 All-Time recruit in Young. That should be 6 guards that will be competing for 3-4 spots on the court.
Oh, and we're also sitting 6 deep in the post for guys vying for 1-2 spots.
This post makes the most sense of all so far.
We say this every year under Coach Young. Then he doesn't give them enough meaningful time in the non conference to develop enough trust.
Then ACC play gets here and we're down to a 7 man rotation with our guards playing 40 minutes/game.
I love coach Young, and he's a family friend, but man you can't help but notice the inability to retain and develop top talent. Seems to have a bit of an OKG mindset and it's holding us back.
We are deeper at guard than most other seasons but we are yet again missing that ability to get to the rim. The only ones on the above that has shown ability to drive with contact was Nickel and Rechsteiner in HS. Cattoor has gradually improved in this area but he and Pedulla both are more bowling ball style where they are as likely to turn the ball over as get to the rim/draw a foul. None of the six have the elite burst to step past their man to put the defense at an immediate disadvantage. It's a moot point because they will have to survive with what they have but it's a tiresome trend in this program.
Agreed and spot on. So to my point, Young needs to recruit/portal that guy without him being tied to the hip to an assistant coach that is no longer here. Young needs to get an athletic wing recruited by Giltner, etc. Rice was always in doubt once Willard sniped Jones. Willard is an ass- Young had to anticipate Jones wanted to go "home" and take Rice with him. Someone on the current staff needs to find a wing that you described that wants to be part of the program.
That certainly would have been the strategy had Rice made this decision at the end of last year. Deciding to leave now helps no one. That's my biggest issue with his decision. Yes, I hate that he's leaving and we never get to see the potential this roster had with him playing a full and hopefully healthy season. But now, we have no opportunity to add a player to fill specific holes Rice's departure puts on this roster this season. Definitely the goal for next year along with keeping the team's best contributors around as well.
The timing definitely makes you feel like there might be something else going on here other than he just wants to transfer and play for another team.
But we don't know and CMY won't tell. So I am not going to speculate and just wish the young man well with his next decisions.
When a player of that potential talent chooses to sit out a year in this modern era, its a fact that something is not "right". Sitting out a year is so 2017. Players don't do that anymore unless they break their leg. Young's very cliche answers on Rice at media day yesterday add fuel to this fire. Something happened- specific- but we will never know.
Mostly rumor mill (saw quote from a source) but seems to align. Parents are dictating playing time and maybe playing position with CMY and medical staff. CMY not playing that game, so parents pulled him.
Seems to align with last season when he seems ready to play and CMY was vague. Likely parents driving the boat there too and stopping him from playing when medical staff already cleared him.
I would hope a grown man isn't letting his parents make decisions about his life. Especially when he might have the talent to go far and this is going to hamper the ability to show that talent.
Unfortunately happens way to frequently especially if the parents were involved on the AAU side. His father was deeply involved during his time on Team Durant. His father was also frequently the "spokesperson" during Rice being recruited. He did more interviews than his son it seemed like so not really surprising if this is true on what happened. His father was reaching out to multiple media outlets after this became public as well.
Meh, there are a lot of vultures and bad actors out there. Especially in college hoops. I have no issue with his parents being heavily involved. Case in point the NFL draft pick that signed away 35% of all of his future NFL earnings to his NIL company. If Rice's dad wants to protect his kid- I get it.
Back to being a football school again....
J/k.... We still a basketball school. Go Lady Hokies!!!
I hate this compared to how I wanted it to be - Rice seemed like a longer Seth Allen type of guy who could get his own points anytime he wanted to - but it's apparent that won't happen and so we just move on. VT will be fine, I just wish the timing hadn't been so bad.
Young needs to build this program the Wofford way and let the chips fall. If that is not good enough to make the dance regularly and be competitive in the ACC, then he will be replaced and move on. What we can't do- IMO- is the Buzz Williams way with Young- that's not him. Buzz swims with the sharks like Mike Jones. He plays the AAU and runners game, etc. He goes after the Coleman's of the world when he is playing for Coach K. Young made a mistake by trying to play in these waters with regards to Rice. He should have left it be, and recruited a system guy- a guy that can handle Young being on his ass for not making the extra pass. Best case for VT under Young is to continue to run a system with veteran players, great shooters, and strategic adds from the portal. We can't sustain the Mike Jones type program here under Young, IMO.
here here. We know CMY can win here. We have some of our best recruiting ever going on. Let's let the season play before making decisions. Last year injuries put us back. Let's Go Hokies!
'SHOCKED I TELL YOU' /s
Funny part is he likely sits on the bench there next year.
Seems strange that he would throw this season in the trash, pardon my ignorance but I don't recall why he left, just to not play in another season??
May be my second bad take but he looked a bit goofy in his play style when he did play for VT. I've only read about how good he could be but I'm not(edit) really seeing it.
Sits on the bench? Interesting take to say the least. The kid is a stud.
If I had a nickel for every "stud" at VT... The kid MIGHT be a stud at the college level. Thus far is a 6ppg oft injured guy. You can't pay him millions at Maryland AND coddle him at the same time. Those 2 don't jive. IIWII
we'll talk around this time next year buddy
Cool, so AFTER he actually does something on the court? exactly.
But if it happens at Maryland, does it count?
We get to be bitter about it, I guess.
Yes it counts, and who is bitter? Rice MIGHT be Steph Curry. My point was that he has not proven that.
I wasn't debating that. My point was that if he goes somewhere and is awesome, Hokie fans might be bitter that he wasn't here being awesome for us. If he flames out, then I guess we get to be smug.
I think like most things - Rice will land in the middle. That is my opinion only- and a prediction. he is a "nice" player for Maryland. Not a total bust, not B1G player of the year. Willard is the anti-Mike Young on offense. I am genuinely curious how Rice plays in a grind it out possession by possession offense. By all accounts at VT, he is not a dead-eye Catoor type 3 point shooter. So it will be interesting how he plays in that scheme.
"Not a dead eye shooter" - is all i need to know to understand you've never actually watched him play.
LMFAO- I watch every VT game. I do not watch the DC playground leagues- you got me there. Hope he is paying you well
Rice a top player in the top HS league in the country. A recruit we don't typically get.
Got hurt Freshmen year and still came back and balled after his injury.
Played with Pros (tons of good overseas gyuys) in a pro-am league in DC last year and absolutely dominated the competition.
Because he transferred out of our shit show of a basketball program right now doesn't mean he hasn't proven anything.
But like I said, let's have this discussion next year.
"our shit show of a basketball program" We can see you are not biased on the Rice topic. Do they give out prizes for balling in pick up games now? I'll be on here- so come give it to me if Rice is a star at MD.
7.4 ppg in 20 minutes per is not exactly balling out. He looked promising. He was definitely a good high school player, he's a top 5 dude in Tech recruiting history, he would have made our team better this year. But the idea that he's a locked-in star seems like a stretch. Nolley is right there with him in rankings, Joe Bamisile. Both good players. Not stars.
You seem to know a lot about him, maybe you can explain why he chose to burn his season at the last minute instead of just playing it out and transferring in March.
"I chose Maryland because I feel like I can be myself on the court and the way coach Willard plays his guards, my full game will unleash," Rice told On3
If you mostly create off the bounce or shoot off the dribble, you don't fit the MY Wofford System. Not enough creation, you must run his stuff. I believe there needs to be a much better balance between the two.
Look no further than those who have transferred out in the past 3 years. Would've been amazing to see a few of these guys allow Pedula to play off the ball more.
23-24 NCAA Offensive Efficiency - VT 65, Wofford 130, Maryland 231
Read his quote as "VT wouldn't allow me to improvise, but Murland will. And I'm the only one that counts. My highlights to get me to the next level."
It's not about team with him. And that's what kills me about some of these recruits...you have GOT to understand the coach and system you are signing with and to play for over the next few years. Young is a system coach.
Improvising is a big part of his game, which is a part that could improve what MY current system allows. It would have been a PERFECT fit here IMO if MY let him play his game.
Which seems to be exactly why we should not expect to get big time recruits (and those that we do will transfer out) and will probably stay a middle of the pack ACC team.
Yup, and that's the other side of that coin.
"Big Time Recruits" is not synonymous with slasher's or athletic 4's.... There are "big time" recruits that would fit young's system perfectly. The system is not anti-bit time player. We just need to land more big time players that FIT the system. There are plenty of off the ball shooters in the top 100. There are plenty of stretch 5's in the top 100.
Tech would be much higher than 65 with guys who can ALSO create is my point here. As any rational person on this blog would probably understand.
Rational. lol. OK- I simply posted- in real numbers- how Williards offense sucked this year. It sucks most years. It's not UVA but it's close. If the objective is to have a good offense- the shit show Wofford one you claim VT has is much better than Maryland's.
Nothing I said has anything to do with Williard's offense. Completely irrelevant. Maryland sucks.
It has everything to do with ways in which MY can improve his own offense. If players - that can dramatically improve your offense with just a little creation - are leaving the program - there needs to be a conversation.
Nothing you say here adds any value to the conversation - so we will talk next year - after this "mid" player performs extremely well in a P5 conference.
You are just a rice cheerleader that clearly doesn't know the game. Adding value? lmao
LOL "knows the game" - coming from you? You already told on yourself when you said he wasn't a shooter. It's okay- when people don't agree with your irrational statements, you don't always need to take it personal.
lolololol 33% 3 point shooter in college. You detest facts. Clown
You both can stop with the ad hominem
Because he transferred out of our shit show of a basketball program right now doesn't mean he hasn't proven anything.
Regardless of how you characterize the program, the fact remains that he hasn't proven anything.
Exactly. Stick to the facts. As a college player, he has been injured and mid. I am sure he's a great pick up player and nobody denied his high school talent. But everyone on VT's/any ACC roster was a stud in high school. The most poignant thing in the Coach K/Roy fluff interview by Wes Durham was when he asked K "what does it take to play for Duke"? K simply said, "you have to be really good in HS to play here".
I'm steadily losing interest in college sports. I hope the kids do well. Just not entertaining for me anymore.
The big issue I saw with Rice was he didn't feel he was getting his way and so he quit on the team but didn't leave immediately. He has lost a year of eligibility and is transferring now. He could have played and been a competitor learning from the coaches for a year and still left now.
If he is not associated with VT, the NCAA will give him that year back on a waiver easily.
Correct. He likely asked for a medical redshirt for last year so will try to make this the normal redshirt.
Did Rice go back in the portal?
Maryland recruiting over him already
Virginia? At 17ppg he average more than the entire team last year.
Certainly explains why Virginia was interested.
Carruthers, we could double our output!
Scoring baskets is for the peasants. The aristocracy judges successful games by how many shot clock violations you can force when you're on defense.
I agree with you 100% regarding UVA. They are brutal to watch and they foul on every possession. I am also 100% jealous that a garbage team for Bennett with no distinguishable players can win 13 acc games and get the double bye. That's how good a coach he is. Mike Young couldn't beat Wake or Pitt on the road. Bennett chews those types of games up. He is an elite coach.
You couldn't just stop after the first two sentences could you?
Oh, sorry I added facts to the end there.
"Can" vs. "should," my man.
Can you turn every comment into an opportunity to shit on the team? Sure. But should you?
Can you take a fact like Young lost to Wake and Pitt and opine that is "shitting on the team"? Yep you can- every fucking time. Should you?
hey bud, you're the one that floods the board with vitriol at the slightest drop of the hat. We lose Kenny and half the men's team and most of us want to lighten the mood with some light bitching and joking. Whereas you're just like:
I sincerely appreciate the laugh. Thank you. Yes, DC is the only one critical of the entire men's starting 5 in the portal and perhaps our best coach bolting for a mid at best SEC job. The only one on here not joking about it. Yes. Damn your posts are so "factual"
i think you meant "types" of facts
😜
Mike Young beat Wake at their place in 2020 and 2021. Mike Young beat Pitt at their place in 2022. This isn't even a fact.
This is conjecture and opinion. Does Bennett chew up those types of games? It could be argued that he is an elite coach but it's still opinion. Not fact.
DC Wilson has a warped definition of facts. He thinks his opinions are facts and more often than not they are simply just his opinions and not actually facts.
Mike Young beat elite coach Bennett and his boys by 26 THIS YEAR...
Sure did. He also lost to a future hall of fame coach, Tony Bennett by 8 in Charlottesville.
26 to the good then!
It was 26 to the good....beat them by 34 at home
my math isn't mathing today. flooded out and under water.
aren't you in stormwater management?
Yup, addressing localized flooding and inundations. 2024 is keeping me busy so far!
Dune breach in Delaware the other day. Tides more than 2' higher than normal. (February ran 17" high for the entire month.) And people that don't think the tide has change but complaining that there's standing water where it's never been before. Huh. Sorta like the climate and the tides have changed...
I wasn't talking about Mike Young's career. In fact I never stated he "has never beat Wake Forest", now did I? Facts, correct? Read the post. And it is in fact a fact that Tony Bennett chews up (granted not an objective stat) lower ACC competition. Would you like me to cut and paste his record at UVA? And you would be the only person remotely associated with college basketball to argue that Tony Bennett is not an elite coach.
If it wasn't for the 2019 title, his reputation would be an NCAA choke artist. He's good though, but his teams are by and large booty in March
Are HOF coaches Izzo, Gary Williams, John Thompson, Al McGuire, Lefty Drissell, Rollie Massimino, Jim Beoheim- elite? or are you hung up on that word?
Tom Izzo has been to twice as many Final Fours (eight) than Tony Bennett has been to Sweet Sixteens (four).
I'm not arguing that "only" a single disqualifies him as elite (what I would give for the Hokies to have one!), I'm suggesting that maybe he needs a body of work in the postseason beyond the title that supports the idea.
Yes maybe I'm hung up on "elite" because if you're an elite coach, your team isn't a mostly a joke in the NCAA tournament. He's a really good coach.
His record in march is a fair point- I grant you that. I doubt however that anyone that has been "good" in march but hasn't won a title would trade it though. Off the very top of my head- Tom Davis, Mark Few, Larranaga - all decent march records- again off the top of my head. You are a VT alum, so you fully understand how hard it is to win a national title. He did it at UVA, the post season after he was a laughingstock around the world and a punch line for losing to a 16.
Okay for starters you didn't put any time bounds on your
factopinion that MY "couldn't beat wake or Pitt on the road" so the statement, on its own, presented as a fact literally means that MY couldn't do it. Like, ever. And yet, he's done it. So it's not a fact. Had you qualified the statement by saying he couldn't do it in 2023 or 2024 then sure, now you're actually stating a fact.Secondly, I'm not arguing that Bennet is not an elite coach. I'm simply pointing out it's a subjective opinion, not an objective fact. Just like your opinion on the lsu coach being a trash individual. I agree with you on that but it's not objective fact. Despite you and I both wanting it very badly to be.
My point is that you say your opinions with such conviction that you seem to think they are facts when they very clearly are not. You even call them facts, lol.
Okay for starters you didn't put any time bounds on your fact opinion that MY "couldn't beat wake or Pitt on the road" so the statement, on its own, presented as a fact literally means that MY couldn't do it. - you are reaching here, respectfully. You thought I was talking about Wofford 1998? right. Please post in good faith. And if we use a Webster here for Elite - "often : superior in quality, rank, skill, etc." - Tony Bennett is an elite college head basketball coach. He has one of the top winning %, and has won conference and national titles. That is in fact superior. To your point though, there are asshole Jets fans that argue Bellichick is not "elite". There are asshole VT fans- yes- that argue Frank Beamer is not elite. It's a subjective word that you can twist any way you want. Bennett has been offered multiple NBA jobs and other college ones. If basketball coach is a profession, the NBA and top colleges are in FACT the elite of the profession. See how that works?
I'm not calling you a dick. I just think it's important to make sure folks understand the difference between facts and opinions. Especially this day in age when there's a shit-ton of misinformation and bullshit being spewed as "facts"
be careful calling things you say as facts when they aren't. It's not a reach. It's objectivity vs subjectivity. For the record, I'm not disagreeing with your overall point. The basketball program has been underwhelming of late and something in the program stinks. But calling your opinions facts is problematic and I'm calling you out on that.
Whole lot of quiet posters in the last couple days...
Bennett lost by 19 at Wake/beat them by two at home, lost to Pitt by 11 at home, lost at Notre Dame by 22. Lost to the Hokies by 34 on the road. The three win difference for UVA was beating the Florida schools. They were 5-6 on the road to the Hokies 2-10. Both were 15-2 at home. Both had matching 1-3 records against ranked teams. Really fine line between them this year.
I said- "types" of games... meaning Bennett typically wins 80% of his ACC games.
190–82 (.699) actually.
He's hit 80% in conference 4 times in 15 seasons.
Edit: Got beat by a few seconds.
Careful what you say about Rodney Rice on here my man.
I can handle the playground heat. Kid can fill up the basket when he is in rhythm but not our problem anymore.
Turns out the grass is always greener. Who knew?
or bluer...
too soon?
Ouch. That stings.
Gillespie is a natural PG - they will both start in the backcourt. Rice is more of a combo guard with a scorers mentality.
Guess we will see. Harris Smith was a starter as a freshman this year for them as the 2 guard and Maryland is still working on two other portal shooting guards. They typically only have two guards and three Forwards on the floor.
DHS will slide to the 3 (his natural position) as he is very athletic and lacks a pure jump shot (much more of a slasher).