One year after a mass exodus struck the Virginia Tech men's basketball team, it is going to be another off-season of change for the Hokies and head coach Mike Young. So far, since the portal opened last month, a half dozen players have entered.
One of those players was guard Brandon Rechsteiner. After being eliminated in the first round of the ACC Tournament last month, Rechsteiner spoke after the game about improving on turning the ball over less next season and he will work on that this summer. However, when he takes the court next season, he'll be looking to improve on that with a new program.
Brandon Rechsteiner commits to Mountain West Conference powerhouse
It has been a couple of weeks since Rechsteiner entered the portal, and it's clear that he was taking his time before making a commitment. On Saturday, it was reported that he was heading to the Mountain West Conference to play at Colorado State, a program that has won 20-plus games in five of the last six seasons. This season, they were a Maryland basket at the buzzer away from going to the Sweet 16.
This past season, Rechsteiner began the season as the point guard for the Hokies but ended up losing that to freshman Ben Hammond around New Year's. He played in all 32 games for Virginia Tech, averaging seven points and 2.8 assists. He had a season-high 19 points twice, in November against South Carolina Upstate and against California in the ACC Tournament. He also scored 18 in a loss to Louisville.
As the season went along, he shot the ball better from the field, but it was not surprising to see him enter the portal after two seasons in Blacksburg. He'll make an impact next season for the Rams, who will be looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament after the bitter taste in their mouth from losing this season to the Terrapins.