When news leaked back in March that Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Mike Young was rumored to have a bigger NIL package to work with this off-season, it certainly raised some eyebrows across the fan base. After what happened last off-season, with a mass exodus out of Blacksburg and not nearly enough talent coming back in, led to a frustrating 13-19 season.
Truth be told, 13 wins for the 2024-25 team was a rather good feat for Young and his coaching staff. They finished 8-12 in the conference, which was down from last year. That may not seem great, but considering how they looked in their non-conference schedule, it would have been easy to see them miss the ACC Tournament and win just a handful of conference games, if that.
Instead, they picked up some impressive wins in the ACC, both at home and on the road. At the ACC Tournament, Young vowed that his program would get better for the 2025-26 season, and it appears that he very well may have done that.
Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Mike Young gives encouraging off-season update
Talking with David Teel of The Virginian-Pilot, Young told him the following, “We’re going to be a lot better. We’re going to be a hell of a lot better, and I’m looking forward to getting into it.’’
If anything, that’s a promising quote, and there is no doubt that Young has made the roster better and his coaching staff better. He hired former West Virginia assistant coach Chester Frazier back to his staff, which no doubt had a huge hand in the Hokies getting West Virginia transfer Amani Hansberry. Young has also added some guards through the portal to a group that got some jey retention.
Ben Hammond, Jaden Schutt, and Tyler Johnson are all coming back for another season in Blacksburg and Young and Virginia Tech are awaiting final word on Tobi Lawal. The athletic forward entered the NBA Draft process, but left the door open to return to college and if he does, it would be at Virginia Tech.
It could have been easy for Young to walk away from the situation at Virginia Tech, but instead, he has chosen to stick it out, and he is no doubt trying to make them a better team than last season. Whether or not that comes to fruition, that remains to be seen, but you can’t say that he isn’t trying.