Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Mike Young has been hitting the recruiting trail, and along with assistant coach Chester Frazier, they are beginning to get in the mix for some Class of 2027 players. One name that has been linked to the Hokies is the son of a former NBA Hall of Fame champion with the Houston Rockets.
Malik Olajuwon, son of NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, narrowed his list of schools to six, with Virginia Tech very much in the mix, per Joe Tipton of Rivals and On3. According to 247Sports.com, the younger Olajuwon is a four-star prospect and the 147th-ranked player in the rising senior class. A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Malik is the 24th-ranked shooting guard in his class.
Virginia Tech needs guards in the Class of 2027
The new 5-for-5 eligibility rule is a game-changer across college sports, and the Hokies could benefit at the guard position beyond the upcoming season, but make no mistake about it: Olajuwon should be a priority for Young. His stock continues to rise after he averaged 12.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game for JL3 on the Nike EYBL Circuit.
A Sugar Land, Texas, native, it shouldn't be surprising that three of his final six schools are from Texas. Fellow ACC member SMU, Texas Tech, and TCU are on his list, along with the Hokies, Kansas State, and Minnesota. Olajuwon is scheduled to visit five of his final six schools. Virginia Tech is the final stop on Oct. 23. Texas Tech gets the first visit on Sept. 18, followed by SMU a week later, Minnesota on Oct. 8, and Kansas State on Oct. 16.
Malik's older brother Aziz was a four-star wing in the Class of 2026 and signed with Stanford, which the Hokies will visit this upcoming season in ACC play. His father, Hakeem, was a 12-time NBA All-Star, a two-time NBA Champion, and he also won an MVP award. Hakeem spent 17 of 18 years in the NBA playing for the Rockets.
Given the current landscape of college sports, rosters are turned over year after year. Just because someone has eligibility for the following year doesn't mean that they'll be back. The Hokies are looking to add to the Class of 2027, and Olajuwon would be a huge addition. Young and Frazier would love to close the deal with Olajuwon, and he should make a quick impact if he picked the Hokies. It'll be interesting to see how things play out this fall.
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