Just over a week after landing his first transfer portal commitment, Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Mike Young picked up his second on Monday. There is going to be another year of turnover from the roster that walked off the floor after losing in the first round of the ACC Tournament to California.
Last weeked, Amani Hansberry from West Virginia committed to the Hokies, and Monday, Izaiah Pasha made it official, committing to Young. Add in two incoming freshmen and four returners, the roster is beginning to come into shape for the 2025-26 season. Here are three thoughts on Pasha’s commitment to the Hokies.
Izaiah Pasha can score in bunches
Pasha has one year of college basketball under his belt this season with Delaware, but it was an impressive one when it comes to stats. He averaged just under 12 points a game, grabbed 4.2 rebounds, and dished out 3.9 assists in the regular season. Then came the CAA Tournament.
The Blue Hens made a deep run in the conference tournament and nearly became a bid stealer, but fell short in one of the memorable conference tourney runs. Pasha took his game to another level, averaging 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists a game. If there is one thing the Hokies needed, it’s a guard who can create his own shot and score the ball. Pasha can do that.
Backcourt upgrade with Ben Hammond
Last season, Brandon Rechsteiner shared the backcourt duties with Ben Hammond, with the freshman eventually taking over the starting role. He took off in his play and development as the season went along and announced that he was coming back, which was good news.
Now, Hammond and Pasha can combine to be a better and deeper backcourt than Young had with Rechsteiner, who committed to Colorado State over the weekend in the portal. This will be one of the more athletic backcourts that Young has had at Virginia Tech.
Mike Young is 2-for-2 in commitments
There is more work to be done, but so far, so good in terms of commitments for the Hokies. Adding Hansberry to the frontcourt and Pasha in the backcourt with Hammond gives Young a lot of options for lineups and style of play. There are five roster spots open to be had, but two commitments in and the Hokies are better right now than they were this past season.