From Half-Court Horror to Portal-Powered Reboot
Virginia Tech men’s basketball enters 2026–27 eager to flip the script after a 19–13 (8–10 ACC) season undone by nine razor-thin losses. The departure of Greek sharpshooter Neoklis Avdalas and hustling forward Christian Gurdak left holes, but the Hokies aggressively refilled via the transfer portal. Returning floor general Ben Hammond offers steadier play under Mike Young’s preferred grind-it-out style, while Oklahoma State’s Jaylen Curry and FAU’s Isaiah Elohim bolster bench scoring and veteran savvy. Though last year’s blunders—like Boopie Miller’s half-court dagger and a botched inbounds pass—still sting, this revamped roster aims to channel frustration into March success. The journey kicks off Nov. 3 against Coppin State.
Behold the offseason miracle: Virginia Tech magically turned portal grapes into vintage wine. Fans mourned Avdalas like a Greek tragedy lead, but rejoice—because who needs one superstar when you can have three mid-level transfer heroes? It’s pure market economics: export your talent, import someone else’s with fresh highlights, rinse and repeat. Nothing screams “dynasty in the making” like a collection of one-year rentals hoping to gel before Black Friday shopping begins. But fear not: if they lose nine more heart-crushing games, just blame it on chemistry—though rumor has it, those incoming gents bring compatibility in bulk. Grab the popcorn; this reboot’s got more twists than a TikTok dance challenge.
Nine Hokies Earn Steele’s ACC Spotlight
Virginia Tech football placed nine players on Phil Steele’s Preseason All-ACC squads, signaling optimism after a 3–9 2024 campaign. Defensive tackle Kemari Copeland leads the way with a First Team nod; Que’Sean Brown (WR) and Luke Reynolds (TE) earned Second Team slots; Layth Ghannam (OL) joins them on Second Team duties; Marcellous Hawkins (RB), Elhadj Fall (DL) and Kaleb Spencer (LB) slotted Third Team. Specialists John Love (K) and Christian Epling (LS) received Honorable Mentions. Several honorees return from last year’s roster, while Brown and Reynolds transferred in from Duke and Penn State. Stats highlights include Copeland’s team-leading 4.5 sacks and Love’s perfect PAT streak extending to 114.
Nothing says “we’re totally over last year’s dumpster fire” like your specialist and long snapper getting preseason kudos. Meanwhile, actual stars of the gridiron wonder why they didn’t score a spot on Steele’s paper cut-out All-Star teams. Coaches will trumpet this as proof of “roster depth” while fans pray those bullet points translate to wins. If your kicker makes headlines for accuracy before your running back breaks 100 yards, you know the apocalypse is near—or at least the ACC’s version of it. At least Copeland’s three-sack clinic against Cal gives us something to revive over Thanksgiving leftovers.
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