Don’t Look Now, Mike Young Might have found “Our Guy”

Toibu Lawal has made an immediate impression on campus as a 6-foot-8 215-pound transfer from VCU. So far, the impressive transfer has averaged a team-high 14.3 points per game for the Hokies. With football season in full send mode, it might be hard to imagine the Hokies have already played three non-conference games, but here we are.

My colleague, Scott Roche, described the win against Winthrop as a “rock fight”. I cannot think of a better two-word description of an early-season tilt. It was a low-scoring affair, with the Hokies ultimately getting the dub, 58-52. The Hokies are fleshing out lineups as most teams do this time of year. Generally, you see the most growth in the first few weeks of the year, and the 2024/25 season is no different.

Toibu Lawal is an athletic/gifted basketball player who grew up in London. The forward’s journey to Blacksburg starts in Richmond. His first two years in college were spent at VCU. It was here that he started flashing athleticism that Mike Young hasn’t seen under his tenure.

This is that rare athlete that somehow slipped through the cracks of the blue bloods, ending up at Virginia Tech’s doorsteps. After mass departures last season, Mike Young needed some help, and boy did he get it. Right up I-81, a talent like he hasn’t seen was putting up decent numbers for the Rams. In the first 3 games, the transfer has put up team-leading numbers. Speaking of numbers, did I mention the guy has a 49” vertical that is debated on Reddit to this day?

To say Lawal “jumps out of the gym” may be the most colossal understatement of this cycle. We will now see how Young manages big-time talent with an ever-increasingly difficult schedule, beginning Friday night against Penn State in Baltimore.