It has been two months since Tyler Johnson last played in a game for Virginia Tech. The sophomore was injured in the Hokies' final non-conference game in December against Elon. Since then, it's been 15 ACC games for Virginia Tech and 15 missed games for Johnson.
For the last month, we've been told that he's getting closer to returning, but he hasn't made it back on the court yet. He missed Saturday's game against Wake Forest, in what was an 82-63 victory. After the game, head coach Mike Young explained his forward's absence.
Mike Young explains Tyler Johnson's absence from Virginia Tech's lineup
After the Hokies broke their two-game losing streak, Young again hinted that Johnson is close to coming back, and maybe the bye week this week will help.
"Tyler Johnson, we're all geared up,'' said Young. "Sat him intentionally in Miami on Tuesday, thinking that today's the day we'll get him back. And he practiced on Thursday and was good. Rusty but good. He didn't reinjure anything. There was a play; he didn't go down. He went back to the locker room in yesterday's practice and talked to Hisham (Ziyout). He came back, just wasn't ready.
"Now, we've got a week off. I'm not going to speculate. I hope like heck we can get him geared up and ready to go against the Tar Hills. Time will tell. I'm not misleading anyone. That's as honest as I can be."
We all appreciate the honesty, but we've been hearing about his return for weeks now. It makes you wonder if he's even coming back at all this year. If he does, he'll be out of game shape, and trying to get back into things on the fly in pivotal games might not be the best thing. The Hokies are likely NIT-bound, and will Johnson be playing by then? That's the question. How about next Saturday night in North Carolina?