An update from our program ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/toajanzBj2— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) March 13, 2026
Truly embarrassed to have to post this
Can't recall a Hokies team that ever QUIT when given an opportunity to compete.
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Ooof
I'm cool with it. The NIT is a joke and has been one for years, really a decade+. No one treats it seriously or considers a benchmark of success. It's Tournament or bust
Sorry but I'm laughing at the claim that they need to be preparing for professional careers.
Another year of disappointment and underachievement by Mike Young. Tale as old as time.
Professional is not limited to NBA.
Yes there will be plenty of guys from this roster going professional in something other than sports.
Was reminded on Twitter that Fuente declined a bowl bid, so this team joins Fuente...that company says so very much.
That was the Covid season and I didn't blame those guys at all
We'd lose in the first round to a team that cares so I guess this is a good thing. I'm so sick of CMY and being mediocre.
It was also pointed out that while our NCAA chances were extremely thin...possibly dead....announcing this prior to NCAA selection means the committee can see this and act accordingly even if there was a shot.
Getting absolutely destroyed in social media
This one made me laugh as sad as it is.
Whoever posted that won the internet today.
Our NCAA was dead when we lost to Miami, Virginia and then washed out to Wake Forrest in the ACC tourney.
Don't disagree but you dont announce you are out of the NIT before the NCAA is announced. It shows there is ineptitude in every facet of our operation
There are neutral third party CBB analysts that would disagree with you because everyone on the bubble is losing these games. Even if the odds of getting in are only 5-10%, there's not another administration in the country that would knock themselves out before selection Sunday.
I'm sorry. This is a huge disappointment. Another knock on college athletics to me.
I understand some of our thoughts on the validity of the NIT. I'm not there, we all have our reasons.
IMHO this is the last straw for Mike Young to me. I've been his defender, but this is stupid.
Who running the asylum now? It clearly isn't the adults. F this!
I am basically "meh" about this.
I currently look at the NIT the same way I look at the endless number of football bowl games. I believe there are too many bowl games (6-6 teams, and sometimes worse, playing each other). There are already 68 teams in the NCAA tournament and this is after we have watched each conference tournament. To borrow an old phrase with regard to the NIT, imo "the juice just ain't worth the squeeze"
I agree that I don't like the perception of "quitting", however I also am very uninterested in watching the NIT Tournament.
I used to feel the same way about bowl games. As a fan, I don't care about the Bob's Bait & Tackle Nothing Bowl in Nowhere, USA. But I've come around for two reasons: it's an extra month of practice (valuable, given NCAA limitations), and the guys like it. So even though I'll only watch maybe 10-15 of the 40 bowl games in any given year, I no longer disapprove of their very existence.
Seems like a "team" struggling as much as ours could use the extra time to improve.
Either way, though... posting it publicly like this? Oof.
The extra week of practice idea is a farce. With the portal there's a good chance that 30-50% of the roster come September on opening weekend are not present in December for the practice. Between those leaving and new arrivals, plus grads/draft entries, what are you practicing for?
And the guys "liking" it...if they did, they wouldn't opt out. Going to play in Boise in December is NOT a reward for a good season.
My main point was more that, as a fan, I no longer waste energy getting upset about there being twice as many bowls as there "should" be. I just don't watch them.
As for the NIT, either go (IMO we should) or just quietly decline the invite when it comes. No need for the drama of announcing to the world ahead of time that we're taking our ball and going home.
We handled it wrong.
The decline was probably the correct thing.
But it's better, imho, to let them know so they aren't picking a team, putting them in a bracket, then having to change it after the announcement. At least from the NIT standpoint. Like Peter said below, it was mishandled by VT social media. And should have been announced in a similar time frame as Indiana. Plus sending them an email is free, puts them on notice, and doesn't look bad like posting something Friday.
I'm okay with this. I couldn't stand to watch this team anymore.
I would have gone to Cassell if the NIT were home games or watched VT if on the road. Otherwise, would have ignored the rest of the field. Same for ACCT. And won't be paying any attention to NCAAT except checking my tournament challenge picks. Interest in college sports is pretty much shot.
I agree that this is a bad look. I also am not sure I completely believe the last line about being focused on the work ahead for Virginia Tech. Call me skeptical, but I think many members of this team are focused on finding where to play next.
FTFY
Leg
JFC, the ACC tournament isn't even over yet. What the hell are we doing?
Showing we are baby shit soft AND piss poor planners where it comes to basic social media execution.
It sure looks that way. Embarrassing
Booooo
The NIT may be a second hand and irrelevant tournament but you always take the chance to play more basketball when it's presented to you
MY is a coward. Can't wait until he is gone
Probably won't have enough players to field a team after portal announcements.
Not only that, but you damn well know the players care more about staying healthy to get a bigger NIL bag in the portal than anything they could accomplish in the NIT.
Charmin.
David Teel calling Mike Young on his Bullshit
Was this CMY's call? I haven't seen Whit mentioned in this thread yet. Why in the hell ANY AD would prematurely decline an invite to make more money is absurd.
My guess is he would like to play, but his team is deciding otherwise. Get ready for the exodus.
Hell, if we have 5 guys who only rode the bench all season that still want to play, play them! Do you even need 5 to legally compete? I wouldn't care if we lost 100-42 if it meant exposing the true colors of any players who are in it for the wrong reasons.
I think it's more likely that those who are staying (or at least are considering) don't want to play. If we forced them to play or opt out, they will immediately portal.
CMY is a players coach. I'm sure he put to them and they decided they don't want to, not him.
Not wanting to compete, why do we want them here?
This
If CMY is a player's coach, then teach them how to win; and not just to execute a system for the sake of the system.
These guys were fighters earlier in the season. Something changed. A couple scenarios come to mind. A coaches inability to rise above that means he's not running the team.
Given the fact there were rumors of possibly parting ways with CMY and that his contract is not being extended, is it possible this may be driven by some middle-finger/FU attitude towards the administration for not truly investing in the basketball program? In other words, are they maybe saying "You are OK with letting MBB sit in the shadows until you 'fix' football, so we'll full on sit now that we have a choice?" Is that way too much of a reach? I really, really, really hate to think this truly is the new normal of "it ain't for the gold medal, so we ain't trying anymore" affecting a Hokie athletics program. If so, GTFO!
I don't think the team cares enough to do that. They all probably expect to be playing for someone else next year anyway, so who gives a shit about what happens to VT.
That's really sad if that is the case. Welcome to the cesspool that ruins everything great about amateur, collegiate sports and brings none of the good parts about professional sports!
Doubtful. He won the ACC Tournament and didn't build off that. Now there's some reports saying privately behind the scenes he was asking for more money and wasn't happy with things but if you can't be bothered to publicly slam the table for more funds when you have the most leverage and fan support possible, why would go to the effort now to do a subtle FU that would go unnoticed to most if not everyone?
The reality is the NIT doesn't mean jackshit anymore and hasn't for a long while. Whatever payout is negligible in the grand scheme of things. We legit have players that are injured which would make it difficult to make a deep run for it to even pick up what little benefit there is. And that's not even counting whatever players would opt out (wisely) to pursue pro or transfer options. So what is the point of playing in a meaningless tournament with a depleted roster? Tradition that people only pay lip service to this time of year but literally joke about or don't even think about the rest of the year?
Just to clarify. He was asking for more NIL and coaches budget/salary. CMY is happy with his salary (he's very "oh, shucks" Beamer)...and more than he ever anticipated making.
Hoping to play in one of those tournaments that pays into NIL instead?
Why would those tournaments offer a spot to a team opting out for injuries etc?
In related news, the CBI just canceled their 2026 tournament
Pussies
Who do we think we are...
I am not a happy camper about this!
I vote for all MBB NIL money to go to softball and wrestling.
Just do away with the men's basketball program. If you don't want to compete. Good-bye!
That's a slam dunk!
What's the best way to announce you lost touch with your players without saying "hey, I lost touch with my players"? /s
Let's f ourselves on recruiting before hitting the recruiting trail too.
Fire everyone involved in basketball, the culture is all wrong
**cough**Basketball is run by the Balleins**cough**
I'm sure that's a total coincidence, though**cough**
Whit definitely should still have a job**cough**
At least the Balleins will be gone in a few weeks
Oh will they? Did I miss an announcement or you have a source?
I have only seen that John is supposed to be gone but that's not until June 30th. I have seen nothing about his wife leaving her role as Chief of Staff in MBB.
That explains a lot actually
If it is pay to play now and there is an opportunity to play more, you do your job. If you don't work you don't get paid.
In a sane world, that's how things work.
In the NIL Fantasyland...you get to do what you want, get paid anyways and sue when you don't get your way.
Essentially being a college athlete now is like being a little kid at a toy store having a temper tantrum because your parent didn't buy you a toy except it works 95% of the time and the stakes are higher.
At least things make sense now. It's pretty clear why this team underachieved and looked completely incohesive when the pressure was on. Obviously not everybody was bought in....just bought.
I won't go so far as to wish for the "olden days", but I'll readily admit that I still want our athletic teams to want to be Hokies. I still want them to want to come to Tech, with a scholarship and the perks attendant being payment enough. As a fan, I want to see my team play again, be it a meaningless NIT (which we've won a couple of times) or an anonymous bowl game that only fans of the teams are watching.
But, things are diff-er-ent today, aren't they? I'm out of touch with so many things today, natural with the aging process, but short of wanting to yell "Get off my lawn" at least a couple of times a day, not much I can do but try hard to enjoy what we do have as I shuffle off this mortal coil, playing in the band as the Titanic goes down.
IF they come forth with announcement that there were undisclosed injuries, internal issues, or coaching changes, etc, then I'd understand a little better. Then, I'd say the way this was done was poor.
But, if there is nothing..... then this was IMO a HUGE unforced error on the part of VT athletics and MBB. I'm not sure this can be backfilled without some major changes in personnel.
For all the good Hokies on this board that go out and hustle daily despite headwinds, this does not reflect well on the VT that we represent.
My desire to watch this team play and their desire to play lines up exactly
Though that is a big reason they are in this situation already. Too concerned how they look for their next stop or payday instead of focusing on what's best for the team now.
My wife asked me why I wasnt wearing VT gear today (she isnt a sports person). I explained that for the first time in 40 years of VT fandom, I didnt feel like supporting the team. I have more VT gear in my closet than the rest of my clothes combined. I wear it when I travel all over the world - nothing like a 'Go Hokies' when walking down the street in Paris or Tokyo. But watching a team quit, when there were still games to play, hurts.
The fact that this is even an option just shows how bad college sports are these days. I used to be fans of players on the team. Everyone loves Hunter Cattoor, Malcolm Delaney, Ace Custis, Dell Curry, Allen Bristow. Could name many more. Now, those players that I rooted for their success? They will move on and I will not care at all. This means I am less engaged in the team, and honestly, the school.
I can deal with not meeting expectations. I can deal with mediocrity and poor performance. After all, every new season would bring hope. But quitting? When there are still games on the table - no matter what the importance of those games? Nope. That does not sit well with me.
If there is a mass exodus from this team (and I suspect there will be) then I am pretty sure that when next fall rolls around, my calendar wont be marked for every game. My winter vacation plans wont revolve around whether I will be able to watch the team. And in the streets of Oslo this summer, I suspect the Hokie gear will be sitting in my closet at home.
This makes me sad - I never thought this would happen.
How is this supposed to help with Hokie Club and NIL donations?! I read this as we're a bunch of spoiled brats who want more money, but don't actually want to work for it. This is why I've stopped watching men's basketball. The men are pathetic and a waste of time. Thank goodness for Coach Duffy and the strength and character of the women's team!
Jurgen Klopp recently said something to the effect of this:(paraphrasing) as soon as the game is over you have to be excited to play the next one. If when you step off the field you can't wait to get back on the field to play again, that is how you are successful.
This is essentially the antithesis of that. It's no wonder this team isn't successful. They don't want to be on the floor. That fire is out. That's a big issue. I'm not going to pretend to know the root cause but there are clearly issues in the department if the players aren't excited to get back out on the floor for the next game.
Divert MBB funds to the wrestling and softball teams. Start charging for admission. Those coaches know how to recruit and turn the program investments into results.
Need to protect softball. Rumors are LSU are eyeing our staff. Its one of the sports we do well and if it gets imploded I will be one more big step away from tuning in at all.
I'm tired of being a coaching incubator school
What coaches left for better jobs? I can't think of one.
The ones that stick out the most to me - We've lost HCs for the following in the last 10-15 years:
- Men's BB (Buzz Williams; left for aTm)
- Women's BB (Kenny Brooks; we all know this one)
- Wrestling (Tom Brands; Left for Iowa)
- Baseball (Pete Hughes... leveraged an incredible VT season to takeover at Oklahoma)
I wouldn't really call us an incubator as the last 3 were for top top top end programs...Buzz was for a huge pay raise and to go back to Texas. Incubator would be JMU, Richmond, Memphis level to go to a big conference program.
Doesn't feel like much of a difference if coaches are getting more to leave than to stay.
My point still stands - I want VT to be a destination job, not a stop along the way.
Cost of success. If they weren't successful, they wouldn't move to an upper tier. If they are successful, opens the door for someone to continue their success. Like it or not, we are not blue blood in anything.
I think VT is a destination stop for CMY
"wish granted", in a twilight zone kind of way.
There's no such thing as a destination job any more. The head coach of Notre Dame football got poached.
Thanks for the list, I think I blocked some of those out. Wouldn't count Buzz as a poach, that guy only stays 5 years at any stop and then resets the clock.
Even still, IMO, I don't think we're an incubator school. We are exactly what we are if you are looking at Division I men's basketball: a team in the (previously historically) top-tier conference that has frequently punched above its weight class. We have struck "gold" with some coaches that were able to pick apart the blue bloods of the ACC and get some high profile wins. Does that mean Virginia Tech is an athletics department that can provide the resources to turn a good coach into a great coach? Absolutely not. There is probably a significant factor of other ACC programs overlooking us, not taking us as seriously as they should, or simply not being prepared for the type of attack we would come in with.
I believe that Greenberg was successful a la Bud Foster in that he recruited some great "blue collar"-type players that straight up played their nuts off (slight dig to Paulus here) and he was able to get them to play to the scheme that he saw as being successful (or, perhaps more accurately, berated them into playing that scheme). Did VT do anything to make him a better coach that another school sought to poach him from us? No, we fired him. And, to be honest, I think Greenberg couldn't be happier as he seems to be peachy king being a TV analyst.
Buzz was a straight up dictatorship/system guy who was already a great coach before coming to VT. If you didn't fit his scheme to the letter, you weren't going to be in it. Where Greenberg may have failed as an "asshole" kind of guy, Buzz excelled as that kind of guy by being a "I'm successful in my way, so get on board or go home" kind of guy. It was hard for him to fully implement that kind of system in the ACC because of the extreme recruiting competition, so it appears he realized there was a glass ceiling and bolted for another opportunity where he could start anew (and rinse & repeat in 2025). Did VT do anything to bolster his résumé? Not really...the administration saw fit to stay out of his way for his tenure as I believe they were still reeling from firing Greenberg and trying to cover up the embarrassment of Johnson...so much so that they really stumbled into Buzz's success rather than developed or curated it.
Young was also already a great coach before coming to VT. He showed that his system with guys that could implement it (and get lucky with some streaky shooting) would be unstoppable. However, he has also turned out to be somewhat of a wrong guy for the direction college hoops/sports has been going. Again, VT didn't do anything to incubate him into a poachable coach. Additionally, VT has blatantly shown that it had no idea what to do with the success of Buzz nor the success of the 2022 ACC Champioship run. We're still in the same old Cassell coliseum with no major upgrades in sight (still suffering from frigid cold ice water in the bathrooms), a basketball practice facility that is almost old enough to vote, offices & facilities that are probably getting squeezed out by Franklin's new football regime, and a yawn-worthy investment in NIL budget.
I'll give some credit where it is absolutely due: Whit did a phenomenal job getting Buzz to VT from Marquette. That was a big boy hire that payed dividends to VT's basketball culture...for a time. I will consequentially give him some barely passing grades on how things have transpired since. Outside of Duke, UNC, WF, and NC State, the remaining ACC programs are probably incredibly jealous of our fan base devotion to basketball despite the overall track record. Since Buzz, we have continued to make splashes in the ACC, even setting a then-record ACC tourney run to win the whole thing for the first time ever. Do we have anything to show for it? Nope, we're still seeing the early season hype turn into a mid-season slump/late-March disaster that keeps us perpetually in bubble talk, only to fall flat on our faces if we get the chance to prove the nay-sayers wrong in the big tourney.
Incubators? Nah. Good recruiters who pull in great talent? Sure?
Full disclosure: this post may or may not be assisted with the help of Irish Whiskey. Happy St. Patty's Day!
I definitely agree on Greenberg. I think he was capped on resources and spoke out about other things. I also think he took a one year analyst job as a break and found out that a) He liked it, b) he could live on it, c) he got a lot of credibility in it.
That said, another good hire for Whit. So far Duffy has been up to snuff.
Greenberg was an asshole to work with. When he was fired he had NO coaches. That's why the pulled the trigger in such a weird/last minute way. No one would work with him.
TBH I put the trouble there mostly on where Jim Weaver was by that point. I don't fault him for trying to work as long as he could work, but earlier-tenure JW drops that axe sooner and has a good replacement lined up.
i'd add Kevin Dresser to Iowa St for wrestling as well
Buzz and Brands were hired with everyone involved knowing they'd leave the moment they got the job they wanted somewhere else. Dresser is the wrestling coach worth being disappointed about -- he'd built actual Virginia roots.
Won't rehash the Kenny stuff. And Hughes, given the challenge Blacksburg weather puts on running a competitive baseball program, it's hard to get super upset about any baseball coach getting out when the getting's that good.
I feel sorta conflicted (for lack of a better term) about this...
I'm a bit of a fair weather basketball fan these days - it's not because of portal or NIL - I have limited time/energy and between family, work, hobbies, and other sports I follow... there are just other things I'd rather spend my attention on. So would I tune into watch VT in the NIT? No. Would I tune in to watch the NCAA tournament? Absolutely. So, it does feel quite disingenuous for me to be complaining about a team skipping the NIT.
Simultaneously, I feel like this is a lame, scared, loser move. Basketball isn't football - the risk of a career ending injury isn't high enough (IMO) to justify not playing a post season exhibition (I'm more than willing to have my mind changed if proper data suggests otherwise, but I bet I'm right here).
I've played a sport at a competitive level, and I've had to play consolation matches before (competing for third at a tennis tournament when you lose in the semis). I know it sucks sometimes, but I do think it's the 'right' thing to do: selfishly, for your development, and unselfishly for the other folks playing.
You can't convince me that CMY is remotely pleased with this. It's not like CMY is searching for a new job and needs to be focused on interviewing. It's not like CMY needs to be recruiting the portal instead of playing an exhibition.
This is a players' choice. Maybe I'm ignorant, but I don't think they have anything to gain (even from a selfish perspective) by not playing.
What really getaway me is that in the NIL era that players have a choice. Why arent they getting extra money for every post season game they play? What idiot is writing these contacts. We've seen some places rein in the contacts but for the money being thrown around there is a lot of bad business being done.
Unfortunately, the "standard" has now become that NIL/Portal is a wasteland with no rules.
Trying to put the horse back in the barn is going to be extremely difficult going forward. The B1G obviously figured something out with the Washington QB who entered the Portal for 2 days before reading his contract.
I have previously suggested adding something similar to a Restrictive Covenant or Non-compete clause into NIL Contracts. Another obvious change would be to make NIL contracts heavily incentive-laden--which isn't uncommon at all in Professional contracts.
The challenging aspect is that would require high-level cooperation on probably at least a Conference-level which is difficult to come by. If Virginia Tech were to decide to do something similar on their own (i.e. non-standard NIL payments) they would risk losing out to everyone else who is not. On the other end you have places like LSU, Ohio State, Texas--they have a lot less incentive to cooperate with "lesser" programs as the Current NIL system already favors them heavily.
For the Players, the advantage here is simple---No Play, Still Paid. Plus, it gives them more time to start fielding offers from their next potential stop on the NIL Train.
I mean, just this past season, we had Football players who quit the team mid-season whining (with Sleezebag Darren Heitner in-tow) that their Rev-Share got cut off. Astoundingly ridiculous.
In short, the NIL "system" has become everything it wasn't supposed to be. Players are getting paid in a significant part for the name on the front of their jersey but a large percentage don't have any allegiance beyond who can offer the biggest payout on a season-to-season basis. It's progressing to a point of increasing anti-competitiveness and its awful for the sports and their fans. But this is what happens when you just "have to pay these players" in a short-sighted manner without any structure. Bravo.
How do you reconcile Name, Image Likeness with actual performance to allow for the incentives? Professional contracts are performance based so having performance incentives isnt at odds.
To me, its pretty simple.....you have a base contract amount with incentives.
Let's just be honest, there is almost no compensation that is being made based on actual Name, Image, or Likeness. 99.7% of 18 year old Freshman have no NIL so lets stop pretending like they do. So why are we paying them multiple millions of dollars before they have even stepped on the field or court??
Before this basketball season, I could have been on a private jet with A.J. Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson and wouldn't have known who anyone of them were.
Call it what it is, it's Pay For Play and you get paid for how much you play and what you achieve while playing.
The problem is the schools and the NCAA will never agree to that, because if it does become pay for play then they will need collective bargaining. Which will include things like health insurance, safety protocols and employment contracts. It would benefit the players to become employees but the schools would have to pay a lot of extra money and see their profits dwindle substantially. The schools make up the NCAA and they would much rather deal with these minor inconveniences than pay out a shitload of money with a CBA and full time employees.
I'm not a contract lawyer but I don't necessarily see how this would require schools to make players employees...
If a player is getting paid based on the unique value of their own image, then the more exposure they have on the playing field, the more intrinsic value they have.
The starting TE who averages 1.5 TD per game clearly has more value than the 3rd string TE who made 2 tackles on Special Teams this year--if the next year the 3rd string becomes the starter, their NIL then is logically increased.
I.E. Player X base NIL value is $100K. If you start at least 10 games, then it goes up $25K. If you score 10 TDs, then an additional $50K.
It's then up to Player X if they want to accept that offer or sign a "fully guaranteed" deal with some other school.
It seems logical, it's much more in the actual spirit of "NIL" and it actually works within the confines of the rest of the economic system where compensation is actually merit-based, rather than on how many "Stars" you had at 16 years old.
When it comes to the current state of CFB, this take doesn't play well!
I do wonder if - in this era - the NIT just isn't cost effective enough to justify competing.
If we were going to be hosting opening round games, does that actually cost the school?
Well, I was thinking the costs of NIL incentives associated, and didn't consider that we'd host.
But after actually thinking about it, and assuming that VT does have home games, I agree it's unlikely to be a loss
Bet the small business owners in Blacksburg are pissed. Hokies could have hosted at least two games most likely.
Do people travel from out of town to watch the NIT? Do you really think an NIT appears boosts the local economy anything more than marginally?
I can see that maybe a couple hundred folks from Roanoke or Christiansburg or even charlotte who wouldn't otherwise come will come to Blacksburg for the day, but I find it hard to believe that there's a slew of out of towners visiting for an NIT game.
I was in school for the last 4 or 5 years of the Greenberg era, and I recall that they were handing out free tickets to those games, and the stadium was half full. Perhaps I'm misremembering though.
Depends on the schedule of the games. Years where they get Thursday through the weekend they sell and typically full and so hotels and restaurants get a big boost. If its a Mon-Wed game more like you describe where students are the majority and locals.
When we made the NIT Buzz's second year we hosted a game, and Cassell was packed to the rafters. That was 10 years ago though, times have probably changed
One of my favorite memories while being a student at VT was the NIT game against Baylor. This was very much pre Cassell Guard, but a bunch of us sat front row and dressed up with spray painted orange "Jabbawockeez" masks. Photos made the front page of the paper and such.
I think we lost though. But I still look at the photos and remember the good time we had.
Ah, good times. I also remember another NIT game (maybe 2008 or 2009), where a group of students painted their chests. But instead of something simple like HOKIES, they got 44 people in a row to spell out VIRGINIAPOLYTECHNICINSTITUTE&STATEUNIVERSITY
THAT'S what I love about college sports!
In addition to the Hurricane Game vs Texas A&M?
Was that this?
Looking at it, I think this is from another game, because there's not a lot of rain gear in the stands. It had been raining from 2pm at the aTm game.
I don't think that was the Texas A&M game, which I believe was in 2003. I believe the picture above is from the 2000 season, because I was one of the I's. I think. I drank a lot freshman year and they could have done this more than once, but I specifically remember spelling out VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY at the top of the north stands in 2000.
Well I was a student at the time, I remember helping with the prep cause I was back too late from class to be a part of the lineup and I was standing next to them at the game. I believe most everyone in that pic was in Miles Hall and it had to be 2002 or 2003, which if it was a Thursday night game would have either been Marshall 2002 or aTm 2003. My guess is Marshall cause I stood at one of the walkway entrances with a bright orange poncho for aTm, haha.
They may have done it in multiple years. I know the game I was at there was talk about getting on ESPN as it was a nationally televised game if that narrows it down. I'll see if I can find an old picture I may have had from pregame or something. I could have been involved in 2002 but I remember being at the hurricane game for aTm in 2003 and I definitely wasn't if it was then. As other's have noted, I don't think 2003 fits as it was pouring with torrential downpours all game, and the picture doesn't seem to support that. I was sitting in North stands for that game as well but definitely wasn't involved in any coordinated body paint.
Great trip down memory lane regardless. I'll dig through some of my old college stuff and see if there's any supporting evidence to validate a particular game.
At no point in the last 25 years have I ever seen cost as anything any one considers when it comes to revenue sports.
But if NIT isnt worth it then how is any sport worth it other than football.
Financially?
They're not
Right, which is why they are college sports and not professional/for profit sports. Being financially successful isnt something that needs to happen for college sports, so play the game. Thats the whole point!
I find that the way things are and the way things should be are 2 completely different entities that are on a rapidly diverging path across our daily lives lately
thats an understatement I just want this speed ran, no NIT, drop all men's sports for 2027 except football. Drop all women's except WBB and what ever it takes for title IX. Either were are in this for the right reasons or not, shit or get off the pot.
Take 5 or 6 women's sports to balance Title IX
The $EC and B1G are in DC working on how to remove football and basketball from Title IX. Look for them to announce their own 32 team "league" with collective bargaining soon. They can be removed from the "amateur" framework to not impact women's sports and how Title IX has been put in place and functioning.
I'm torn on this... part of me wants to bash CMY and the lack of culture in the program and the other part of me is highlighting the fact that the NIT is really the tournament about who finishes 65th and to portray it in other terms in today's basketball is just glossing the truth. When we won it back in the day it meant something and we were proud to win it. Now it feels like it is just a tournament for the people who couldn't make it in to the actual tournament. I'm sure the players feel the same and they and their agents are already analyzing next year. Should I stay or should I go? Who will be our coach? How much money will they pay me? Should I go play in Europe? That is just the reality of the situation. I think for any of us to act dissappointed we aren't playing Southwest Central State in Blacksburg next week is honestly disingenuous. Let's just figure out how to keep our core players who are decent and I am sorry but find a new coach. CMY had his reps and he rescued us from the Buzz exodus and brought an ACC Championship for which we will always be grateful. But, we know he ain't him. He's just not. I think we have a really good opportunity here with our school coming back into relevance in football to do the same in basketball. Just my two cents.
If Young doesn't come back, neither will any of the players. Remember when Lord Buzz left and CMY had 1 scholarship player (Bebe).
CMY's been losing most of his players every year anyway.
You're technically correct.
But it is a terrible look issuing a statement like this before your conference's championship tournament has even finished. At least wait for the invitation to be extended first. Doing it when they did it made them look like a bunch of soft, presumptuous quitters.
I, for one, am shocked to see that the ncaa didnt grab us for ncaat when they heard we were available.
Shit's weak. Wizzeak.
FWIW, Oklahoma, Indiana, San Diego St, Florida State and Seton Hall also declined the NIT. You can still feel some type of way about VT declining, but I hope you at least understand its a new world. The NIT is an afterthought. That's reality.
Get some sponsors and use the players NIL in thr tourney and make it a destination or get rid of it.
They already killed the CBI this year at the last minute.
And there is the College Basketball Crown Tournament the first week of April in Vegas.
I foresee the NIT going away soon, or drastically altering it's format to a 16 team thing all at one location within a few seasons. It's taken a hit with the teams opting out this year and that's not going to slow down.
And if the Hokies had waited to announce at the same time as those other teams there wouldn't have been as large a negative reaction.
It was the ineptitude of basic social media management by putting it out when they did that just shows how dysfunctional our program is in general.
I still would have been pissed if it came today but nationally it would not have been such a media disaster because it would have been lost in the noise, especially if it came after other teams had also declined.
It's a sign of the times, particularly in the era of NIL and the portal. College sports as we knew it is a thing of the past. It's about as embarassing as having to replace the better part of your team each year with one-and-done mercenaries, which seems to be more the norm than the exception.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTjZp_a8EIA
Decent take on the landscape of Basketball in 2026. Not even close to what it was 5 or 10 years ago.
TLDR: Coaching/staff changes, portal, player retention, player "showcasing" (or lack thereof), NIL money/market values...
And very low return for the expenses. Teams cover the cost of hosting early round games, and make very little on games from the NIT for playing (I've seen like $4k per game...woof.)
This is quite the thread. I look at it from a different perspective as I am old and was at VT in the Bobby Hussey years. So, never in my wildest expectations did I ever expect VT to win an ACC Championship. So, for me, I don't have the expectation, based on the support currently available to the Men's team is to do anything more than finish 6-12 every year in the league.
Right now, the focus should be on football. This will be detrimental to basketball. The goal would be to get football humming and lift the tide of all boats. If that means MY is a steward for the program and doesn't do anything to embarrass the university or crater the program aka Ricky Stokes then I'm ok with that.
This is the way
Yes, but you can do that and not give up at the end of the season.
You lose money playing on the NIT. Every dollar matters.
Relatively small cost, compared to getting your name out there.
But I suppose if you're going to go "all publicity is good publicity", you can always just vote NOT to go before it's even offered, and get even more negative spoiled brats publicity. And it's free.
I'm not sure this matters in this case. Can anyone, without googling, name the last 3 NIT winners? And that's just the winners...how about the team that lost to the winners in the round of 8? It doesn't matter. Nobody cares.
See the video I posted about the compressed time frame. Why bother when players aren't going to be there, new players aren't already there, and coaches are 50/50 for being/not being there. Just falling behind the pack for zero return.
TBH, I can't even do this with the NCAAs, lol. But I am in that group of "fans" that doesn't really give a crap once the Hokies get bounced, or are never let in the door.
I struggled to do that with football as it took me a while to come up with Michigan, and I can probably get you every champ in order from 1980->2019
I think I could give you the whole seeded field for every cfp since it's first year, and most (not all) MNC games.
For basketball, I think there were b2b UConn wins, and a San Diego state win in the last half decade? That's all I got.
Didn't Baylor ruin Gonzaga's undefeated year?
Idk?
Seems to me that beggars can't be choosers.
And if the NIT wanted VT, then VT should have showed up to play. It's not like they won a spot in the NCAA tournament. No, it shouldn't have been a team vote. Sign up and expect your players to show up.
But that's just me - a person who remembers when college athletes were happy just to play.