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Hokies Basketball: Joey van Zegeren Leaves the Virginia Tech Basketball Program

By Tim Thomas

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Dec 20, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies forward Joey Van Zegeren (2) shoots the ball against Citadel Bulldogs center P.J. Horgan (44) and forward Brian White (32) during the first half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

When the Virginia Tech Hokies announced a few weeks ago that Joey van Zegeren had been indefinitely suspended, it was a major surprise to everybody. Then, the Hokies offered a 2015 big man in Levi Cook which flew under the radar, but seemed like a possible sign that van Zegeren could be headed for the exit door.

An hour before tipoff against Notre Dame, the Hokies made a major announcement regarding the future of Joey van Zegeren.

This is definitely an odd time for the Hokies to announce big news like this given the fact that the Hokies have a big game in an hour against Notre Dame. Of course, it is likely that the players were informed of Joey van Zegeren’s decision a day or two ago, but the timing of this announcement is very odd.

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However, the indefinite suspension of van Zegeren made it clear that van Zegeren was not suspended for ust a single incident. It seemed extremely likely that van Zegeren and Buzz Williams did not get along at all, and van Zegeren seems headed for a transfer for his final season now that he has left the program.

There is no doubt that this is a signficant loss for the Hokies as van Zegeren was their best big man by far. Shane Henry and Satchel Pierce both are younger players with no ACC experience entering this season, and it has shown in some games.

This does mean that Pierce and Henry will be the guys in the frontcourt this season along with Christian Beyer though Beyer seems like the third guy that may only play a few minutes here and there.

The loss of Joey van Zegeren is big, but it should not be as a big of a surprise as it seems like it is to many people. We wish Joey van Zegeren the best wherever his future is.

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