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 Hokie Hoops Road Warriors
This November
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, TSLMail #458, November 12, 2010 If you like watching early-season Hokie men's basketball, you better get to Cassell Coliseum Friday night, when Tech takes on Campbell. Virginia Tech won't play a home game again until December 1st, a span of 19 days between home games. In the last ten seasons, the Hokies have played just one November home game only three times. Here's the breakdown from 2001-02 to 2010-2011.
Part of that shift has been driven by the recent rise of early-season tournament-like events, many of which are made for television. The events, which are often staged at attractive, vacation-like locales, serve several purposes: (1) a nice trip that can serve as a recruiting tool; (2) neutral-court matchups with highly-rated teams, which is good for the RPI; or (3) both. From 2001-02 to 2005-06 (five seasons), the Hokies participated in just one such tournament. In the 2002-03 season, Tech opened play at the Virgin Islands, in the University of Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. The Hokies went 2-1 against St. Bonaventure (91-78 L, which St. Bonny later forfeited due to using an ineligible player), Michigan (65-53 W), and Toledo (58-45 W). Since the start of the 2006-07 season, the Hokies have hit the road for a November event in every season.
On the whole, the Hokies have 14 home games this regular season, and 15
road/neutral games. Last season, in addition to three NIT home games and one ACC
Tournament game in Greensboro, the Hokies played 19 home games and 15
road/neutral games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Virginia
Tech Snowman Wreath VT holiday wreath with plush snowmen. Approximately 20" |
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Virginia
Tech opens its highly-anticipated 2010-11 basketball season Friday
night in Cassell Coliseum against the Campbell Camels, in a rematch
of a close road game played early last season in Buies Creek, North
Carolina. In last year's game, Campbell battled a sloppy Hokie team
closely before Virginia Tech pulled away for a hard-fought 70-61
win.
A
shoulder injury sidelined Ronny Vandyke for the entire 2009
season, but after surgery and rehabilitation the 6-3, 195-pound
prospect was healthy and ready for 2010. South County (Lorton, VA)
fell short of its goals in 2010, ending up with a 4-6 record, but
the talented senior played well and showed why he received written
scholarship offers from eight FBS programs despite missing his
junior season.
Virginia
Tech is the only ACC school that features Top 25 teams in football
and men's basketball. We've been watching football for two months,
and finally the 2010-11 men's basketball season will tip-off this
Friday night against Campbell. The Hokies have higher expectations
this season and are expected to make the NCAA Tournament.
Unfortunately, they were dealt a couple of tough blows in the
offseason.
C.J.
Barksdale, Robert Brown, and Marquis Rankin were three of seven
Hargrave Military Academy players to sign letters of intent
yesterday, and TechSideline.com was there to catch up with each
player. Read more on Virginia Tech's highly touted recruiting class,
including analysis from ESPN.com's Dave Telep.
Virginia
Tech head coach Seth Greenberg signed his most highly-touted
recruiting class ever at Virginia Tech on Wednesday, inking four
prospects to National Letters of Intent. The class is headlined by
small forward Dorian Finney-Smith from Norcom High School in
Portsmouth, Virginia. Finney-Smith is rated as a four-star prospect
and lands in the top 30 nationally in the rankings of ESPNU and
Scout.com.
One
down, three to go. Virginia Tech started their critical four-game
stretch in high style last week, knocking off Georgia Tech 28-21 at
home. Now they head to Chapel Hill, where they'll face perhaps their
toughest challenge in November. UNC still has a chance to win the
Coastal Division, and you can bet the Hokies will get the Heels'
best shot on Saturday.
I'm
sure I reacted the same as most Hokie fans. When the schedule came
out earlier this year, I looked at the Monday night game to start
the season against Boise St and then I looked at the four game
stretch in November to close the season. First up on that four game
closing stretch was Georgia Tech. I'm sure I speak for all Hokie
fans when I say that I am relieved to get past GT with a victory in
hand. The Jackets played one of their best games of the season, but
it wasn't enough to steal a Thursday night win in Lane Stadium. It
was Virginia Tech that pulled out the 28-21 win to further secure
the top spot in the ACC's Coastal Division.
Monday
night was jam-packed, with appearances from athletic director Jim
Weaver, defensive coordinator Bud Foster, head men's basketball
coach Seth Greenberg, cornerback Rashad Carmichael, and head
football coach Frank Beamer.
The
stellar high school football career of Anson (Wadesboro, N.C.)
5-star linebacker Stephone Anthony is over (except for the
Under Armour AA Game), but while the 6-3, 220-pound senior is
disappointed that his team isn't playing in the postseason, he is
anxious to figure out where he wants to continue his football
career.
After
this game, I did something I hadn't done in a while: I fired up my
DVR, went straight to the fourth quarter, and replayed all the
critical plays, over and over. I admired the execution, enjoyed the
crowd noise, and generally reveled in the victory. There's nothing
quite like a rocking Thursday night victory in Lane Stadium.
Of
junior defensive lineman/tight end Nigel Williams,
Benedictine (Richmond, VA) head coach Greg Lilly said, "Nigel
was the best player on the field in every game we've played."
The 6-3, 250-pound Williams is certainly one to watch in the 2012
recruiting class.