HOKIES HOOPS CENTRAL: COPPIN STATE AT VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES 8PM ACCNX/ESPN+
You better be there 😉For five reasons to catch the @HokiesWBB & @HokiesMBB doubleheader on Monday.— HokieSports (@hokiesports) November 3, 2023
Coppin State
vs. Virginia Tech
November 6th, 2023
Cassell Coliseum
8 p.m. ET
ACCNX/ESPN+
Virginia Tech Sports Network
ACCNX/ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Evan Hughes
Analyst: Mack McCarthy
Local Radio
Virginia Tech Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Zach Mackey
Analyst: Mike Burnop
Current Spread: Hokies +27.5
Over/Under: -141.5
Opening Night
The Hokies begin against Coppin State. The Eagles come into this season with a new coach after the departure of Juan Dixon. Larry Stewart takes over the Eagles after many years as an assistant coach in the MEAC. Stewart is a former NBA player, the first player to go undrafted and make the NBA All Rookie team. He brings a much more developed defensive focus than Dixon.
The Eagles need something to keep them competitive, coming off a 9-23 campaign, they must replace six of their top seven scorers from last season. They will be looking to mesh five returning players with five tranfers and six freshman. Two transfers followed Stewart from Morgan State in Senior Guard Daiquan Copeland and Grad Forward Toto Fagbenle. These two were not significant contributors at Morgan State so difficult to determine what their role here will be. Senior Forward Justin Winston is the highest returning scorer. He averaged 8.1 ppg last season.
What to expect from Coppin State?
This Eagles team is going to be putting pieces together so I expect we will see quite a few different lineups. Early on I expect Coach Stewart will rely on his more veteran players to be on the floor so likely the Hokies will see Winston and Fagbenle underneath with 7 foot Freshman Darryon Prescott and Junior 6'11 Luka Tekavcic rotating them in. As far as guards, Isaiah Gross, Zahree Harrison and Malik Battle likely round out the starters. Not really sure what to expect from the freshmen so they may or may not play a role.
Coppin State is going to try to bog down the game to slow the Hokies scoring. Style of play is still kind of murky. Stewart has been known to develop post players which isn't surprising with his background. He had over 1000 points and 1000 rebounds in college and a five-year NBA career. Considering his challenge of molding so many new pieces together I expect the Hokies will see a heavy zone defense.
The Hokies
Who will we see as a starting five? Seeing a diverse opinion on who will start. The major divergence appears to be between a two guard/three big starting five versus a three guard/two big lineup. Rice's departure seems to have most leaning to a Cattoor, Pedulla, Long, Beran, and Kidd starting five. I tend to think we will eventually have Nickel establish himself as a starter over either Long or Kidd but Collins due to his experience with the other starters likely is first off the bench for now.
With three new starters, the Hokies will need to demonstrate they have enough chemistry to make clean passes on the offensive end and smooth transitions on switches defensively.
The Hokies have a clear experience and talent advantage but will need to show they can work together to be successful. Success obviously starts with a win but coming in a 27+ point favorite, they really need to do a bit more than that. Can the Hokies avoid taking possessions off either physically or mentally? Hopefully they can establish a big lead early to allow Young to see a few different groups together in live competition.
🔥6🔥MORE🔥DAYS🔥READ: https://t.co/uShQ5e7DRtBE THERE: https://t.co/Meie0w0g7Z#StoneByStone pic.twitter.com/cRht2GlWLf— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) October 31, 2023
For those that haven't been tuning in up to this point, Robbie Beran, a Grad Forward comes over from Northwestern. He has started an incredible 99 games at this point so before leaving Tech could reach 130 starts in college. He scored 7.5 points per game, has a Basile like outside shot but struggles getting position in the paint and averaged 4.5 rebounds last year.
Put your 4s 🆙 @RunItUpKhi_ ⏳⏳⏳⏳🎟️ » https://t.co/Meie0w0g7Z#StoneByStone pic.twitter.com/WpDzD5N7z3— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) November 2, 2023
Mekhi Long joins the Hokies as a Grad Forward from ODU. Long is a double double machine with slick passing and a moderate outside shot. He is definitely being counted on to fill the hole left by Mutts.
Tyler Nickel is the all-time leading scorer in Virginia high school basketball come home, transferring back from UNC. Nickel is honestly the best bet to replace any semblance of the driving capability that left with Rice.
In Closing
Win each possession. They have not done anything as a team and have plenty of questions to answer on who they are. Leave the game management to the coaches and go out and play.
Comments
New big men need to be able to play defense, move and catch the ball. I trust Pedulla and Cattoor to give them space and open up the floor where the bigs won't have to win too many one on ones or back down people.
I am more concerned on the bigs offensively executing under the basket than the defensive end. Defensively Long and Beran have been strong over their careers thus far. It's the offensive end that they have been up and down on.
Almost game time! Let's play within ourselves, and start forming a new team one game at a time
After we get untracked, right?
1 combined basket through 3 minutes
Kidd with the first basket on the season off the alley oop from Pedulla
I know which Tech team is coming off a Final Four appearance. 😝
Turned it around okay!
First 5 minutes, all points were scored by bigs and Cattoor
Would be nice if the ESPN app fucking worked. Cant get anything to play on "watch ESPN"
gotta select the ACCNX feed and then confirm your regular ESPN TV provider
Did that and it kept giving me the loading wheel then going nowhere. Ended up deleting the app and reinstalling it and logging back in and that helped
Whew idk where we were picked in the acc.... but it's probably too high
Picked anywhere from 8th to 11th
You were saying?
When did Justin Timberlake start playing for us?
Not VT related but was checking other ACC scores and noticed Armando Bacot is still at uncheat. Isn't this like his 11th year playing there? /s
Only his 5th. He was a Fr during the COVID year
Paging DC...
Getting back quickly on turnovers, need to finish consistently.
(under wrong post)
Rebounding well but not many shots going in...
DE.....
Wait for it....
NIED
turned the game on to see Cattoor, Pedulla and Nickel nail 3's and then a sweet block by Beran. Seems like they're finding their legs
who started the game for the Hokies?
Cattoor, Pedulla, Beran, Collins, Kidd
MENTION HIS DAD DAMNIT
Much better second five minutes. Slow start but rounding up. 18-7 now on the boards too which was a glaring weakness last season.
Is Big Poppa Pump there? I heard his kid check in to the game.
How the heck did we get to 45 with that start?
really racked up the FT attempts in the first half and have been hitting them at a great clip
This ♤♤♤ ....15-19 from the line and a +14 rebound advantage. Throw in 4 three pointers, Hokies only scored nine more baskets in the half.
Pedulla is HIM. Cattoor is solid. Nickel is gonna be clutch. Poteat and Kidd are who they are at this point. Not overly impressed either Beran yet. Need some gelling through nonconference play
Lynn Kidd is very close to a double double.
the backup backcourt is currently on fire
Double Double for Kidd
It just feels nice having Hokie hoops back
Todays my anniversary so I'm only paying cursory attention to the game but it's nice having a comfortable win and not letting a lesser team hang around.
Double Double for Pedulla
Two Hokie BBall games today, three double doubles
11 Hokies have scored.
Our starting C has the fewest points among them.
Is Rechsteiner a clone of Pedulla? Lots of similarities in their play.
HUNDO
5 Hokies in double figures with two more just a basket away.
11 players scored.
Two double doubles
41.9% from range
79.3% from the line
43-22 on the boards
29-5 in assists
50 points from the starters
50 points from the bench
-The two FR guards are very nice adds, both can contribute right now. I know we all saw the 3 pointers but did you notice the assists? BR with 3 and BY with 5!
-The transfers fill some big holes and seem to fit in, very team oriented.
- Was probably most impressed with team defense; looks like that's been a focus.
I probably missed it, but what is the story on Patrick Wessler? He redshirted last year, and I was expecting to see him take on a bigger role at the 5 spot this year. Didn't see him play last night, and he's not showing up in the box score. Is he injured? Anyone with any insight on him?
Wondering the same thing. From what I have seen he is a big that can shoot and run?
He didn't get any minutes so he won't show up in the final box score. Another tkp'er said he probably won't see the floor except in garbage time this year which is disappointing if accurate.
If that's true, I would love some insight. That would only contribute to the running narrative with Mike Young. Wessler was a highly sought-after recruit with his size and shooting ability coming out of high school. We beat out some bigger names to get him. If he's not able to play more than garbage time in his redshirt freshman year, that recurring story will start to impact recruiting. If he can't see the floor in a 40 point blowout of a bottom MEAC team in the opening game, that is not good at all.
Well his family loves VT, so they believe in coach Young. But that was my main thought last night? Why didn't he play at all? I was also surprised Camden got very little run too.
Last year MY said "you are [position] what you can guard" referring to Camden and said at that time Camden was a 3. I'd guess he has a ways to go on D for Young to play him much. Dude can shoot the lights out but he needs to learn a lot from Beran...or find a team that plays a lot of zone.
I seem to remember reading (or hearing) somewhere that he has some growing (read evolution) to do - that he was a "shooter" in high school, grew kind of late and needs to evolve into a place where he can play the 4 or 5 spot. Again, I can't remember where I read/heard this, but if true that makes some sense.
This isn't a recruiting red flag at all.
As skilled as he he is shooting the ball, Wessler was a 3 star project out of H.S. He couldn't even do a pull up when he enrolled. He's at VT to develop into the best player he can be, and so far that seems to include playing him when match-ups are favorable and the primary rotation has been sorted leaving some developmental minutes available.
You want to talk recruiting red flags I think its far easier to justify the claim that we have an issue with G transfers... Cone, Radford, Alleyne, Maddox, Rice
CMY bringing up the passing of Charlie Thomas was appreciated by this old man. Thomas was on the fantastic NIT '73 championship team. (Before March madness the NIT was a big deal, arguably at least on a par with the NCAA) Charlie Thomas was a tremendous defender at guard. Seems that he would out quick his man, make the steal, and make a layup several times every game. That was fun times in Stuart Cassell's coliseum.
Definitely! Younger folks don't remember when the NCAA was only 32 teams and was conference champs exclusively.
Which of course s illustrated in the 1973-4 season when #1 in nation NC STATE and # 4 MARYLAND played in the ACC tournament final with the winner going to the Dance . NC State won 103-100 in OT and went on to win the national title; Maryland didn't even get an NIT invite. That MD team had a record of 23-5 with their only losses being by 1 point @then #1 UCLA, by 9 @ then #4 UNC, and 3 losses to NC state-by 6 at home and away in regular season, and by 3 in the ACC tourney final. 23-5 and #4 in final national rankings but sat at home in March. Truly "one and done"!!!
https://vault.si.com/vault/1999/03/08/losers-weepers-the-year-before-the...