Virginia Tech forward makes huge announcement before the Transfer Portal opens

Michigan and UConn will close out the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Monday in the National Championship Game. After that game, all eyes will turn to the 2026-27 season for college basketball with the Transfer Portal opening on Tuesday officially.

This is a change from previous seasons when the portal would open during the NCAA Tournament, which never made sense. As far as Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Mike Young is concerned, the news surrounding the portal for his club early has not been good.

Freshmen Neoklis Avdalas and Christian Gurdak are leaving, as are Izaiah Pasha and Jaden Schutt. It is not surprising that Avdalas is entering, as the fit never seemed right during the season, while losing Gurdak is a big blow, with Tobi Lawal exhausting all of his eligibility. Gurdak had a good freshman season and was a promising piece going forward.

Pasha leaving is no surprise, and truhthfully, Schutt leaving should not surprise many. There are questions about other key players from last season who have eligibility left and one of them made their decision on Monday night right before the Michigan/UConn game.

Virginia Tech forward Amani Hansberry returning to Virginia Tech for 2026-27 season

Amani Hansberry announced that he is returning to Virginia Tech for his senior season, which is the first good news for Young and his staff. It's also good news for assistant coach Chester Frazier, who recruited Hansberry from West Virginia after he joined Young staff's last spring.

This past season, Hansberry led the Hokies with 14.3 points a game and the 6-foot-8 forward shot nearly 50% from the field. He had four games of 20 or more points and was a scoring presence inside and he could step out and occasionally hit a 3-pointer. He was hurt in the regular season final against Virginia and missed Virginia Tech's first-round exit in the ACC Tournament with an injury. It was a big loss.