Twenty-four hours after the Virginia Tech women's basketball team kicked off the 2026-27 season with a win over North Carolina Central, the Hokies' men's basketball team began their season at Cassell Coliseum against Coppin State on Tuesday night.
Virginia Tech used an active defense that forced several turnovers and allowed them to get out running and build a 45-27 halftime lead. In the second half, they coasted to a 34-point win behind a strong performance. Here are three observations from Virginia Tech's 11th straight home opening win, 88-54.
The Running Hokies
As mentioned above, the Hokies' defense was active with their hands, forcing turnovers, which allowed them to get out and run on the Eagles. Virginia Tech had 45 points in the opening half, but could have had more- a lot more if they had taken some layups rather than throwing alley-oops that failed to connect.
I'm sure Mike Young will address that, as something like that won't cut it in an ACC game or against one of their upcoming Power 4 Conference non-conference games. Again, take what you see in early November in these non-conference matchups against schools like Coppin State as you will, but the athleticism on display early was impressive.
New Virginia Tech "Big 3"?
Going into the offseason, there were some key players from last season's group that needed to be retained by Young and his staff, and they were successful at keeping the three biggest names, Ben Hammond, Tyler Johnson, and Amani Hansberry. However, Johnson didn't start, but the guy that Virginia Tech needed to be good was Oklahoma State transfer Jaylen Curry.
In the first half, Curry had 15 points and connected on three of his five 3-pointers. He has a nice, smooth release. Hammond had 10 points in the first half, and he had five steals and three assists, while Hansberry had 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists. In the game, Hammond finished with 20 points, seven steals, and eight assists, and Hansberry had 16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Curry had 19 points.
Good start for Hokies transfers
There was a lot of roster turnover for Young, with eight transfers. We mentioned above how well Curry played. However, there were some other transfers whom we got to get a look at, and truth be told, there was a lot to like in terms of an initial performance.
San Diego State transfer Miles Heide started and had five points and five rebounds with a block. He is someone who is going to be active at both ends of the floor, but the Hokies will need him to rebound on the defensive end. Florida Atlantic transfer Isaiah Elohim had six points on a pair of 3-pointers, but he isn't afraid to shoot the ball, as he took eight attempts.
North Carolina State transfer Musa Sagnia had two points and three rebounds while being active on the defensive end, and Clemson transfer Efrem Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer against the Eagles. Just how much of an impact all of those players make in the end remains to be seen.
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