One year after getting a huge amount of retention, things were a lot different for Virginia Tech women's basketball coach Megan Duffy. There was a rather key mass exodus out of Blacksburg through the Transfer Portal, with Carys Baker abd Mckenzie Nelson leaving. Both, however, are remaining in the ACC, with Baker going to Louisville and Nelson going to Clemson.
Both are big losses for Duffy and her staff to replace. However, the former Marquette coach didn't wait long to hit the portal and add to her 2026-27 roster. A couple of players Duffy added were from the University of Tennessee: forward Alyssa Latham and guard Lauren Hurst. Both are going to be big additions to the Virginia Tech roster, coming over from the ACC.
However, when it comes to going from the SEC to the ACC, Hurst explained what made the decision an easy one as to why Virginia Tech was the choice for her.
"I have a lot of connections with all the coaches from different schools, and the girls here have made it an easy choice to come,'' Hurst said.
Lauren Hurst reveals why Virginia Tech was her portal destination
The first part of that quote is very telling in this day and age of college sports. Connections with coaches. We see it more than any other sport with college football, especially with the players who followed James Franklin to Virginia Tech from Penn State. Committing to colleges for the name of the school is a lost art with the ability to hit the Transfer Portal that all college athletes have nowadays.
A Cleveland, Tennessee native, Hurst committed to the Vols and coach Kim Caldwell out of high school in the Class of 2025. In her freshman season with Tennessee, she averaged just 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10 minutes a game in 24 games. Expect all of those numbers to go up in Blacksburg this upcoming season with what should be a much bigger role with the Hokies.
Virginia Tech returns Carleigh Wenzel and other key contributors this upcoming season, and Hurst can come right in and make a huge impact right away. She can shoot the ball, post up around the basket, and use her length on defense. She should fit right into Duffy's system rather well.
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