Virginia Tech Hokies
Overall Rank: #49
Conference Rank: #6 ACC
Virginia Tech Team Page
2010-11: 22-12, 9-7
2010-11 postseason: NIT
Coach: Seth Greenberg (151-103 at Virginia Tech, 364-272 overall)
Virginia Tech has been on the wrong side of the bubble way too many times lately. The Hokies have gone to the NIT four straight years and have not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2007. But they are always painfully close. This year it may come down to point guard Erick Green. Injuries, a good excuse as to why the Hokies ended up in the NIT, forced Green into a large role last season and the 6-3 junior responded. He ended up averaging 11.6 points and 2.7 assists per game. He will need to keep scoring, but he will also be asked to be the team’s main ball handler and may even have to develop into the go-to-scorer and the leader on the floor.
Who’s Out:
Malcolm Delaney served many of those roles last season, leading VT with 18.7 points and 4.0 assists per game. It remains to be seen who will step up and take over all of that scoring and leadership. Delaney would take all the big shots for the Hokies. While this was a team that struggled to win the close games over the last couple of years, Delaney was still the best option and he will not be easily replaced. The backcourt also lost Terrell Bell, a scrappy wing who helped out tremendously on the glass and started all 34 games during his senior campaign. Manny Atkins has transferred leaving depth an issue on the wing. The big loss up front is Jeff Allen. Allen ranked second on the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game and was easily the best rebounder on the team, tallying 9.7 rebounds per contest.
Who’s In:
The return of many injured players and a stellar recruiting class will help lessen the impact of the departed players. Leading the way in this class is small forward Dorian Finney-Smith. At 6-8, Finney-Smith has the size to be a great small forward in the ACC and it should not take long for him to make an impact. His length should make him a strong rebounder right away even though he needs to continue to add weight and strength. Finney-Smith is pretty much a slasher at this point in his career. He is not a back-to-the-basket player, nor is he a great shooter. However, those will come with time and for now he can still score in bunches against smaller wings. Point guard Marquis Rankin figures to be in the mix as a backup to Green. Joining Rankin from the famed Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia are shooting guard Robert Brown and power forward C.J. Barksdale. All three of those players will vie for quality minutes right away, while Finney-Smith should crack the starting five. Joey van Zegeren will add some more depth up front.
Who to Watch:
The frontcourt seems to be in bad shape with the loss of Allen, but if people can actually stay healthy, this will be a great group of big guys. Victor Davila started all 34 games last season at center and will be in the starting lineup again for his senior season. Davila is not a dominating big man, but he is athletic and will always hustle. After averaging 7.4 points and 5.1 rebounds last season, Davila may be asked to do more this year. At the least, he is a fine defender and a tough player. The scoring could fall to J.T. Thompson, who missed all of last season with an injury. Two years ago he averaged 7.3 points per game despite not being able to crack the starting lineup. Cadarian Raines has been hampered by injuries as well, but he is a very talented big man who can be a great player if he stays healthy. Health and conditioning will play a huge part in the success of the frontcourt, but if everybody lives up to their potential, this is a frontcourt that can do it all and will even be able to hang in there with the likes of North Carolina and Duke, two of the best frontcourts in the nation.
Final Projection:
Assuming Green can handle the point guard duties, this team just needs a scorer. Dorenzo Hudson will be that guy. Again, it was injuries that shortened his season and he played in just nine games during the 2010-2011 campaign. However, it was also his injury that paved the way for Green’s breakout year. Hudson is not a great shooter, and that is what could be the Achilles heel of the Hokies this year. But Hudson is a great scorer who can attack the basket and finish with ease. Tyrone Garland and Jarell Eddie figure to battle with the newcomers for minutes backing up Hudson and Finney-Smith on the wings. However, whoever can shoot the long ball the best will likely be the first off of the bench in the backcourt. That could be Brown who has nice size for a shooting guard and plenty of range. If his shot is falling, this is a team that should be able to rebound better than they did last year and keep the turnovers down. If they can shoot better too, Coach Seth Greenberg will not miss the NCAA Tournament again.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Erick Green, Junior, Guard, 11.6 points per game
Dorenzo Hudson, Senior, Guard, 10.4 points per game
Dorian Finney-Smith, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
J.T. Thompson, Senior, Forward, DNP last season
Victor Davila, Senior, Forward, 7.4 points per game
Madness 2012 NBA Draft Rankings:
#61 Dorian Finney-Smith
Madness 2011 Men's Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#32 Dorian Finney-Smith
#90 Robert Brown
#104 C.J. Barksdale
#117 Marquis Rankin
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