BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young – plus guards Ben Hammond and Tyler Johnson, as well as forward Amani Hansberry – are scheduled to speak at the ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, NC tomorrow. Before the Virginia Tech section, I have three top questions:
No. 1: Who caught the eye of the youth among the novices?
Virginia Tech’s complex roster is once again built largely on the backs of newcomers. Just five players – Hammond, Johnson, Hansberry, forward Sin’Cere Jones and center Solomon Davis – are returning from the 2025-26 unit and only three (Hammond, Johnson, Hansberry) of those five have played more than 40% of the time. The Christian center of Gurdak was among the more noble portals of transfer; Now that he’s at Rutgers, he’s opened up a fast front and a streak of offensive rebounding and scoring.
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But who caught the eyes of the youth? Could it be San Diego State big man Miles Heide (5.6ppg, 4.5rpg at SDSU in 2025-26? Or Davis, who redshirted in the 2025-26 season while adjusting to his college workload? Or NC State transfer Musa Sagna, who started with eight rebounds in 17 minutes against then-No. 1 Duke last year and five games with seven or more boards?
Virginia’s front court is made up of mostly tried and tested options outside of Hansberry and if the Hokies can have five, it would allow the team to deal with lineup changes out of lack rather than necessity.
No. 2: What developments has Ben Hammond made in the summer – and where does the youngster think he can best keep himself?
Hammond broke out to start ACC play last season, totaling 30 points against then-No. 21 UVa. in a 95-85 overtime victory on Dec. 31. 2025. The guard raised his scoring to 13.2 points per game in year two, while distributing the ball for 3.2 assists a night. Its assist-to-turnover ratio has almost doubled from 1.2 in 2024-25 to 2.2 in 2025-26, and has become one of the focus points outside the sole distributor.
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In the final 24 games of the season, Hammond was held under double-figure points in two games, and scored 20 or more points in five games. Hammond scored four hundred and four points against Syracuse, 20 against Georgia Tech and scored more than 20 points in back-to-back games to close the season. The Rangers went 7-for-15 (6-for-9 inside the arc) for 21 points in a 76-72 loss to then-No. 13 Virgins on April 7, though 1-for-6 from high. Hammond sank seven of his 17 against Wake Forest three days later at Virginia Tech last season, pouring in 23 points in a 95-89 overtime loss.
Virginia Tech’s season ended with a 19-13 (8-10 ACC) result where the Hokies missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. If Tech is going to break that streak, it will come from external tactics and internal improvement. If Hammond can refine his game even further in his junior campaign, Virginia Tech could be in position to make its first NCAA Tournament after the 2021-22 season.
No. 3: How has Amani Hansberry improved defensively in the paint?
With Neoklis Avdalas now gone — he transferred to North Carolina — can Virginia Tech find a new go-to scorer? Hammond has flashed at points, but can he shoulder the burdens of being a primary scorer and ball-handler? Could it be Hansberry, the slightly under-sized 6-foot-9 forward who enters his second year with Virginia Tech?
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Hansberry averaged a team-high 14.3 points per game last season, serving as a split option between the four and five. This will be the first year where he is not a newcomer to the school – Hansberry spent each year at Illinois and West Virginia before coming to Virginia Tech for the 2025-26 season – but has the benefit of assistant coach Chester Frazier with him for the entire year he has been in college so far.
One area will help as much as Hansberry has developed: base discomfort. The 6-foot big man had a touchdown in five games and committed at least four assists in 14 of Virginia Tech’s 32 contests last season. Arriving at Caesius and better defending his fortifications could help him stay on the ground more consistently in the coming campaign.
He reads very well today
This article was originally published at www.si.com/college/virginiatech as Three Things We Heard From Virginia Tech’s Mike Young at the ACC Tipoff.