Last season following their elimination at the hands of Ohio State in the NIT, Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Mike Young went through massive changes with his roster. Aside from the players who had no more eligibility remaining, the Hokies saw a massive exodus in the transfer portal.
Over time, the number of players who entered the portal rose and one of the first players to enter was guard Sean Pedulla, who left the door open for him to return to Blacksburg. However, you got the feeling that he wasn't coming back and he had a lot of interest in the portal, including from Kentucky and other schools. In the end, he settled in at Ole Miss in the SEC and so far this season with conference play ready to kick into high gear, he is quietly turning into one of the top guards in the SEC according to one insider.
Sean Pedulla quietly have strong start to 2024-25
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports recently tweeted that Pedulla is quietly having a good start to the season for Ole Miss, which is a team that is expected to make the NCAA Tournament in March. One quick look at the numbers and he's not wrong.
In his last six games, Pedulla is averaging 16.6 points a game, 4.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals. That should not surprise Virginia Tech fans. He was a do-it-all player last season for Young after more pressure was placed on his shoulders after Rodney Rice left the program before the 2023-24 season, leaving the Hokies one point guard short.
This season Virginia Tech is struggling in all areas and Pedulla would be a nice player to have right now. However, as is the case in all college sports, NIL and the transfer portal makes it tough for the Hokies to compete right now and they are left wondering, "what if" when it comes to former players this season thriving with their new schools.