Recent Comments

Yes, but you can do that and not give up at the end of the season.

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'd add Kevin Dresser to Iowa St for wrestling as well

There's no such thing as a destination job any more. The head coach of Notre Dame football got poached.

Millie lost a dog.

Odd, yes. But also completely expected for anything related to VT social media, VT self-curated news, or coverage on sports media networks.

Anyone remember when they blasted out a "VT Hokies are great...donate now" campaign immediately after an embarrassing football loss? (that may not actually pinpoint a particular occurrence)

Bro. It's Tuesday. This is way too drunk for Tuesday.

Didn't Furman already do this once like 3 or 4 years ago? I remember going to my kid's school function the evening after it happened and wearing my FU Furman hat to the function.

Not sure where to put this... is there a bracket this year? I can't find it. Sorry....

Seems odd to drop the ball on that.

I think VT is a destination stop for CMY

I'm guessing Jessie will finish around midnight Alaska time.