Sporting News released their way-too-early basketball top 25 for next year and the Hokies check in at number 23. Here's what they had to say about the Buzz's men:
Why they're here: Buzz Williams has had the Hokies on an upward plane since taking over a program that only won nine games the season before he arrived. Virginia Tech made its first NCAA Tournament since 2007 this year, and with an outstanding group of returning players — led by Justin Robinson, Chris Clarke, Ahmed Hill and Justin Bibbs (all four averaged between 9.2 and 11.4 points per game) — plus a solid recruiting class, expect the Hokies to take another step forward.
Rest of the ACC as follows:
2. Duke
6. Louisville
7. UNCheat
15. Notre Dame
20. Miami
I know it's meaningless and this list is definitely going to chance with NBA decisions and all, but still nice to see. Also, the Hoos are notably missing. I guess they figure that the losses of Perrantes, Shayok, and Thompson will pay dividends.
Comments
Even with the losses of Allen and LeDay, I think the return of Clarke & Blackshear, and the incoming recruits of NAW and Bede, a step forward is something we all can look forward to.
big assumption of Clarke returning next year at or near the same level though. Blackshear will be huge obviously.
10 years ago, players with ACl injuries, it took them at least a year to return to play. Now with better medicine, training, medical practices, etc., players are now usually returning within 8-9 months. Now he probably most likely won't be ready for start of the season, but I full anticipate him being a part of the team midway through the season imo
Basketball players generally take a longer time rehabbing then football. That said, if he isn't going to be available until late Jan. I would rather he take the medical redshirt or regular redshirt, get 100% healthy and learn to shoot a jump shot.
This tends to be Buzz position on these things as well. Only reason I could see him bringing Clarke back in January is if Clarke indicates he plans to leave to try to go pro at season's end but with this injury I think Clarke sticks around for his fourth year.
Are the new guys coming in really that good? Because it's gonna be really hard to replace the production of LeDay and the clutchness of Allen.
But I think that's a solid prediction. We've got some talented players coming back, and Buzz's track record is indisputable. Speaking of track record, really hard to believe Bennett won't be putting a top-25 team on the court in C-Ville.
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: NAW is the first 5 star recruit we've had come into the program since Dorian Finney-Smith (who transferred to Florida and was the 6th man of the year there). He's one of the best players out of Canada, can shoot like crazy, but can also get to the rim and finish. I'm extremely high on him. Wabissa Bede is a 4 star guard and went from a unranked recruit to one of the better guards in this class. His attitude seems like he'll be a perfect fit and possible a great leader for this team. He also is physical and get to the rim.
Those two players alone, I think, could replace the scoring of Allen. Throw in Tyrie Jackson (a freaky athletic guard), and Devin Wilson and I think the loss of Seth Allen won't hurt.
As for Zach LeDay, we won't be able to replace his scowl, but we'll be able to replace his production. Obviously, the big news is we're getting back Blackshear Jr. next season. He's had an entire year to get completely in shape, and it looks like it's worked. I saw him playing in McComas last week and he was going full speed. If Sy can develop and get stronger, and P.J. Horne can give us a few minutes of the bench, our post play is going to be much better and the loss of Leday won't hurt us.
This is all best-case scenario obviously. There might be redshirts or injuries, but Buzz has shown that he can be successful with a 7 (or 6.5 in the tournament) man rotation. I am very optimistic with our outlook for next season.
+1
Hokie Nation shouldn't sleep on PJ Horne. I think it will take some time for him to develop into the player he *can* be; regardless, he is what Buzz would call an "OKG".
I can't wait to see him suit up. It sounds like he will have the effort level of Leday, but with a lot better offensive ability. A scout was watching him face a Duke commit, and Horne had himself a great day in route to killing the Duke commits team. His coach called him the best player he's ever coached, too. That includes Jackson.
both Jacksons (Pig and Tadric)
As in 84-40
And Horne scored over 30 points and shot like 80% from the stripe and a respectable 3pt %
I'm 100% on the PJ Horne bandwagon. High school basketball here in Georgia features some pretty stout competition and Horne dominated just about every matchup this past season. The guy is a beast. I've been convinced that the only reason he isn't a 4* or 5* prospect is because he only played 10 games his Jr. year due to injury.
Take a look at the Georgia class 7A All-State selections from this past season (I only listed big men):
1st team -
4* Rayshaun Hammonds (Georgia)
3* Preston Horne (Virginia Tech)
4* Chuma Okeke (Auburn)
Hon. mention -
5* E.J. Montgomery (Auburn)
4* Lance Thomas (Louisville)
Horne being a 3* is a questionable anomaly.
Do you have a feel for his true height? It seems to have been reported all over the place. If he's really grown to 6'8", then he's a late bloomer worthy of 4* status. If he's really just a productive 6'5" post guy, then he's a true 3* with a ceiling of Bonzie Colson or floor of JT Thompson.
I'd put him closer to 6'7" based on seeing his matchups with McEachern's Babatunde Akingbola & Norcross's Rayshaun Hammonds (both listed at 6'8") in the state semi's and finals, but his body type seems to be one where his wingspan is greater than his height (he has a shorter neck than both of those guys). Here's a picture of him during Jr. year:
I noticed he was a short neck guy as well, good for relative length.
He's also got a mature body, he will be ready to handle ACC level competition. On some of his highlight vids (from 2014!) he looked like a man, 4" shorter than some other guys with sticks for arms.
Here's another image of him next to McEachern center Akingbola (who is listed at 6'8" or 6'9"). You can see the difference in height, but look at the shoulders and that differential is cut in half.
Yeah, he's going to have a relative height around 6'7". If he has enough perimeter game, both with a shot and to get to the rim, we can play him as a 4 and he will be successful.
Horne, Clarke and LeDay2 are all pretty similar players. Horne probably has the best post moves, Clarke the best motor and is a brilliant passer. LeDay2 looks like a poor-mans Clarke, not a poor-mans LeDay1. He likes to get out and slash.
Looks like a young Sy guarding him haha
it does!
Recruiting rankings are more projecting someone to college than a question of how good someone is in high school. A lot of the best high school players just simply don't translate to the college level for whatever reason. Basically every 4/5 star is either really skilled, outrageously athletic, or both in the case of 5 stars.
I think Horne is a contributor down the line, but he's a bit limited by the fact he's a tweener, not the most explosive/doesn't have great length to make up for it, and doesn't really have an off the bounce game in the stuff I've seen. He's got good basketball IQ and some nice touch with his jumper and around the hoop, but it's going to be a really tough adjustment for him at least at first IMO. I don't expect much out of him next year
I'm not super high on next year to be honest. I'm more high on the 2018 team, relying on freshman to come in and be huge contributors is risky business for me. Especially when you're asking them to come in and run the team. Seth Allen covered a lot of our flaws last year, super efficient shooting solid assist man and a pesky defender. Bebe and NAW have a lot higher ceilings than Allen to be sure but no way they step in and replace him right away. If our offense broke down it was basically lets give it to Seth and see what happens. Can they win those 1v1's as consistently? We'll see.
Not to mention freshman usually come in and have a hard time playing defense at an ACC level, and we still won't have a shot blocker on the back line to cover up dribble penetration (I think Sy is one more year away). Jackson has rave reviews and his brother is certainly good, but I'm usually believe it when I see it with that stuff.
We're just not going to replace Leday's production either. Had the highest offensive efficiency and the highest usage on the team. Blackshear doesn't, or at least didn't, show the same ability to get to the free throw line, not as good once he got there. Big part of why we were so good on offense was that we lived at the free throw line and we lose one of our best at getting there.
I mean I think we're a tournament team next year don't get me wrong, but I think it's a small step back from this teams success to be ready for a big leap forward in 2018. I really think 2018 is the season for sky high expectations personally, not next season.
Honestly, LeDay wasn't a good basketball player. He earned every single bit of recognition through hard work and grit and toughness and determination. His skill let him down a whole bunch, but his motor was unparalleled throughout all college basketball. We'll have more skilled players than LeDay come through, but if any of our recruits (hopefully his brother) have just an ounce of what he brought to the court, we'll be in good hands.
If posted in other threads about this, but we'll definitely be better next season. We lose Allen and LeDay who are very much replaceable when you think about what returns. KJB will be a good replacement on LeDay. Bede and Jackson do a lot of the things that Allen did very well. Add in LeDay 2.0 along with Horne who will bring energy. We'll be deeper and more talented than we've been in a long, long, long time.
Agreed, Leday and Allen will be replaced in talent with Blackshear coming back and NAW coming in. The things that are harder to replace is the clutch shooting from Allen leadership from both. If we can find an end of the game guy like Allen and new leadership steps up, we legitimately have a roster that is top 4 in the ACC next year (regardless of Clarke being back). I agree with Wythvilllian92, we have the chance to be more talented and deep than we've ever been, and that's an exciting thought after being a student in the end of Greenberg and JJ days.
Considering LeDay played out of position all year due to Blackshear being out and no other reliable size on the roster, I give him an unrestricted pass on skill.
He was still good. He should have been 20 pounds lighter and playing a wing position because of his height, but the guy could muscle his way to the basket for layups, make his free throws, and facilitate like no one else on our team. It was painfully obvious when he went to the bench vs FSU in the ACC tournament - FSU went on the 18-1 run that sealed the game.
We are preseason ranked and UVA isn't?
Boy that's gonna mess up their annual "wait til basketball season" cries as we whip them once again in Charlottesville after Thanksgiving
I'd like to see both Seth Allen and Zach Leday's jerseys hanging in the rafters. More than anyone else on the current roster, I credit those two with bringing our team out of the shittiest shit hole and back to relevance. Allen had approx. 5 game winners this season. Leday led the team in points, rebounds, arm flexes and scowls per game. Those two really helped turn our program around and put us back in the tournament for the first time in a long, long time.
That being said, from a production standpoint, both are replaceable. KBJ is better than Leday. End of story. Seth Allen's production will be replaced by J-Rob, 5* NAW, Bibbs, and Hill.
I expect to be to be better than this year by the end of next year, but not initially. The loss of Allen and LeDay cannot be overstated IMO, and it takes time for the freshman to get acquainted, regardless of talent. We remember Robinson, Blackshear, and Clarke in the last 10 games or so of their freshman year, but it was a much different story through the first 10 games; there was significant improvement. Same goes for Pig, it's going to take a bit. I think getting Devon Wilson back is really big for this team. If we can avoid a bad loss early on, we'll be in a good position to fill out our tournament resume as ACC play rolls along.
I agree about all points, especially an early loss. One of the best things about this team this year was no losses to bad teams. Whenever the talking heads mentioned VT and our tourney resume, they never mentioned any "bad losses". I can't remember a VT team in any sport (other than the 99 football team) that had no bad losses in a season.
Football has had a few more seasons like that. 2000 immediately springs to mind, and 2007 qualifies until you look at the score of the LSU game. 2011 is borderline with the two losses to Clemson.
1998-99 Women's Basketball
Finished 28-3, two losses in three games to Xavier one in regular season by 4 and one in Big East Tournament by 7 points (Xavier made it to Second Round of NCAA and was 24-9) and a loss to #2 Tennessee (Pat Summitt at her peak) in the NCAA Sweet 16.
Not very many but I am sure there are a few others down the years that we should probably highlight and know about but dont.
Looking back at just football though,
Undefeated seasons: 1918, 1954
One Loss Seasons(At least 8 games played): 1905, 1911, 1913, 1922, 1932, 1986, 1999, 2000
What are the chances of Clarke being back by next season. I heard ACL injuries in basketball usually take more than 12 months.....that would hurt (no pun intended!)
This is from a guru on TSL who works as an assistant coach:
Remember how he came back firing after his foot injury last year? There are certain players who play with caution after a serious injury. Clarke doesn't strike me as that type.
I originally thought he was likely to redshirt when I first heard the news, but now I'd be surprised if he isn't playing significant minutes. by mid December at the latest.
I question Clarke playing early on next year because Buzz kept both Ahmed Hill and Blackshear out for full seasons, after less serious injuries, when it seemed like they could've played (remember the Hill dunking video midway though his redshirt season?). That might have been because we were in more of a building mode and he wanted to preserve their eligibility. Nevertheless, it's a precedent. I would tend to agree that bball players, especially young ones, can come back quicker from ACLs; look at how fast Russell Westbrook came back a couple years ago (though he's a freak). Time will tell what Buzz wants to do with Clarke.
I disagree with less serious injuries. ACL injuries have a very specific rehab plan, and while not a great injury, are recovered from all the time by all kinds of people. Patella is a little tougher, and because it's a tendon rather than a ligament it isn't as easy to repair with surgery, and it messes with your knee in a different way. As for KJB's injury, I heard he was walking without a boot at parties back in October. But because he had two surgeries and complications plus he kinda had to learn how to walk and run again, it wasn't as straightforward as an ACL recovery.
Some more rankings:
NBC - 23
ESPN - NR (Honorable Mention)
CBS/FanRag - 14
Jon Rothstein was pretty high on us this past year, and now he seems to be carrying that over into next year. He put us at #14 (4th in the ACC) in his "Way-too-early top 25". I like his optimism, but dang that's bold.