Hokie Hoops- A Monster Recruiting Weekend

These are the weekends Hokies live for.

Friday morning, the sun will creep over the Blue Ridge Mountains. As its light slowly spreads over Blacksburg, it will carry a familiar and exciting energy. Hokies feel it as we get dressed, walk to our first class, or pack up the car for the road trip ahead- a faint thrumming running through our spirit that crescendos as the day goes on, culminating in a deafening, joyous assault on the senses as Virginia Tech's football team runs out of the tunnel to Enter Sandman. Gameday!

This Friday night the Hokies will host a top-10 team in Lane Stadium in front of a packed house and millions more on television. Adding to that excitement, Virginia Tech's men's basketball program will be hosting extremely important visitors. Rodney Rice, Tyler Nickel, and Braden Huff are three of the top names on Mike Young's recruiting board (in addition to Noah Clowney) and, along with current VT commit MJ Collins, represent the foundation of what could potentially be the greatest Virginia Tech squad we've ever seen.

Click on a player's name to find a more detailed breakdown of their game and story. Quotes are cribbed from these profiles.

Rodney Rice, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CG DeMatha Catholic, Hyattsville, MD, 6-4, 185
ESPN rank 48, Rivals rank 44, 247 rank 72, 247 composite #49 overall (0.9796)
Top 6- Virginia Tech, Louisville, Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Maryland

What makes Rodney Rice such a terrific prospect? Name it. He's an elite shot-maker. He can whip a crisp pass in traffic. He grabs rebounds. He defends. He facilitates. He has excellent court vision and awareness. Off-hand? Wrong foot? Through contact? Doesn't matter. He gets buckets. But anyone who's seen him light it up in person against Paul VI or Gonzaga knows Rodney Rice is a capital-C Competitor. He has a brand of hustle and drive that keeps your eyes glued to Rice despite being surrounded by other great players.
The message from the Hokies is pretty simple: Rodney Rice is their top priority in this class. With no Storm Murphy in 2022, the Hokies will want Rice, a high-IQ, proven playmaker, to take the ball on Day One, play his game, and run the team.

Tyler Nickel, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ SF East Rockingham, Elkton, VA, 6-8, 210
ESPN rank 88, Rivals rank 134, 247 rank 75, 247 composite #79 overall (0.9619)
Top 5- Virginia Tech, Iowa, North Carolina, LSU, Butler

Tyler is a versatile, dynamic matchup nightmare. Listed at 6-8, 210, Tyler is the greatest scorer in the Commonwealth. He has the athleticism and hustle to score and rebound anywhere on the court and defend multiple positions very well. Not only were the Hokies the first high-major program to offer Tyler, but Mike Young has let him know every step of the way he's not waiting on other players and he's not going to be buried on a depth chart. Tyler is the guy they want. He would come in, play multiple positions early, and score. A lot. Tyler's incredible versatility would allow Mike Young to move him between the wing and the 4, constantly putting him in the best matchups and allowing him to dominate.

Braden Huff, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ PF Glenbard West, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, 6-10, 225
247 rank #93 overall, 91 rating
Visiting/visited Virginia Tech, Gonzaga, Wisconsin, Illinois, Northwestern, Vanderbilt

If you've seen Nikola Jokic run point, you've seen some of what Braden Huff brings to the table. It's not often you see a guy with a 6-11 wingspan bring the ball upcourt and look good doing it. At 6-10, 225, Huff oozes versatility, confidence, and smarts. His length combined with his long strides and flexibility allow him to get low, protect the ball, and create offense for his team in ways one does not see from traditional power forwards. Huff's ability to space the floor and be a playmaker is pretty rare at his size. He can handle the ball, has next-level court vision and IQ, and scores at all three levels.
It's no mystery why Mike Young and staff offered Braden Huff as early as they did. He's a perfect fit for a Mike Young team that prizes long, versatile athletes who can shoot and create all over the floor. 2022 will see big holes open up with the departures of Keve Aluma, Justyn Mutts, and Storm Murphy. That's a lot of points, a lot of rebounds, and a lot of glory up for grabs. The Hokies will need skilled, versatile, athletic bigs like Braden Huff to get to work early and fill those spots.

What it would mean

The thought of Rice, Collins, Nickel, and Huff playing on the same squad is incredible. Were this trio to join MJ Collins, Virginia Tech's 2022 recruiting class would currently rank 7th in the nation, ahead of Duke and UCLA. All 4 are terrific scorers. All 4 stretch the floor. All 4 possess the smarts and decision-making ability to keep the game flowing through one another. Add their talents to a roster that would already boast players like Nahiem Alleyne, Hunter Cattoor, Darius Maddox, David N'Guessan, and Lynn Kidd, and you've given reigning ACC Coach of the Year Mike Young a diabolical superweapon of a team he can adjust, twist, and turn into a dizzying array of lineup nightmares.

As we enter this long-awaited weekend, Hokies everywhere wish good luck to our guys on the field as well as coaches Mike Young, Mike Jones, Christian Webster, Kevin Giltner, and the entire staff, as they share and show off our family to this incredible group of recruits. The future is bright! Let's Go Hokies!