Earlier this week, Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Mike Young picked a huge win by bringing back assistant coach Chester Frazier to his staff. Frazier was a key part of everything the Hokies did when Young came on and was a big part of recruiting. He left to go to Illinois before spending last season at West Virginia.
After Darren DeVries left Morgantown to go to Indiana, Young was able to get Frazier back in Blacksburg. Frazier has a reputation of forming very good connections with players and that was seen as another reason hiring could be big with West Virginia players leaving in the portal. On Saturday, Virginia Tech got their first portal commitment and it is a former Mountaineer.
Virginia Tech basketball lands West Virginia transfer Amani Hansberry
West Virginia forward Amani Hansberry committed to Young and the Hokies in the portal, giving Virginia Tech another athletic forward to go alongside Tobi Lawal. He's not as freakishly athletic as Lawal, but pairing them on the court could cause matchup problems at both ends for opponents.
🙏🏽🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/mrsnXGkpoI
— Amani Hansberry🥀 (@igb_Amani) April 5, 2025
This past season for West Virginia, Hansberry averaged 9.8 points, and 6.5 rebounds a game and shot 43% from the field. The Silver Springs, Maryland native is 6-foot-8. He averaged just under 24 minutes a night.
He has two years of eligibility remaining after playing one year at Illinois, he followed Frazier to West Virginia and now follows him to Blacksburg. The four-star recruit out of high school in the Class of 2023 will step right in and give the Hokies a major presence in the middle.
Again, this is just the first portal pickup this cycle for Young and the Hokies, but it's a big one. Hansberry checks a lot of the boxes of what Virginia Tech needs, and this is a terrific start in terms of commitments.