Virginia Tech Basketball: Hokies Have Depth On the Wings

Oct 29, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Will Johnston of the Virginia Tech Hokies during ACC basketball media day at The Westin. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Virginia Tech Hokies are only a few days away from opening their 2014-2015 basketball season against Maryland Eastern Shore in a game that should be the first victory of the Buzz Williams era. The Hokies did have a surprise upset loss to open last season against USC Upstate but expect the Hokies to avoid a big upset to start the season this time.

One thing that Virginia Tech fans will get to see in this game is the depth that the Hokies have on the wings which is very impressive to say the least.

It all starts with the freshmen with four-star guards Ahmed Hill, Justin Bibbs, and Jalen Hudson being three great additions to the Virginia Tech roster. In addition to that, the Hokies also are bringing back Adam Smith, Will Johnston, and Malik Muller with Smith and Johnston being regular contributors last season when healthy in the case of Smith.

Bibbs and Hill seem like guys that could become regular starters while Hudson is a guy to watch to at least get some significant playing time. Smith and Johnston will be valuable early on in the season to help with leadership on this team. Buzz Williams seems to also trust Smith and Johnston as leaders after those two were the Hokies’ player representatives at ACC Media Day.

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It will be interesting to see which players start on Friday and while it is likely that only two of these guys will start, the Hokies could go with a smaller, more athletic lineup with Devin Wilson at the point, three wing players, and Joey Van Zegeren being the focal point in the post. The Hokies would likely go with a very up tempo offense with the faster unit of players on the court.

Virginia Tech is loaded on the wings and that should continue with Chris Clarke coming in next season as Will Johnston departs. The Hokies are building a very strong group of guards that can lead a turnaround in Blacksburg and provide some hope for the future this season.