Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Mike Young has added two players through the transfer portal during this cycle, West Virginia’s Amani Hansberry and Delaware’s Izaiah Pasha. The veteran coach has more needs, and he addressed one on Saturday morning with a commitment from Germany in center Antonio Dorn.
This past season in Germany’s second division, Dorn averaged 9.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 18 minutes of action a night. The 7-foot-0 Dorn will turn 22 years old next month and will come in as an experienced player, something the Hokies needed.
Dorn will fill a massive hole left behind with Mylyjael Poteat out of eligibility in the middle for Virginia Tech after playing a big role there last season. Also gone is Ben Burnham, a College of Charleston transfer, and Patrick Wessler, who transferred to UNC Wilmington this portal cycle.
Also coming in next season with Dorn is four-star center Christian Gurdak in the Class of 2025, but Dorn’s presence gives an experienced rotation piece in the frontcourt while allowing Gurdak to develop and make an impact. Also coming in the Class of 2025 with Gurdak is Sin’Cere Jones, another four-star player in the frontcourt.
Guard Ben Hammond and forward Ryan Jones announced that they were returning for next season after both having a good freshman season in 2024-25 in Blacksburg. Adding a player with Dorn’s experience is going to help in 2025-26. There is more work to do in the portal for Young, but so far, the three additions this cycle are promising as the Hokies look to make a quick turnaround next season in terms of being more competitive and finding their way into the postseason.