Busting Brackets
Fansided

Virginia Tech Basketball: Virginia Tech Hokies 2015-16 Season Preview

By Michael Bonaventura

facebooktwitterreddit

Virginia Tech Hokies

2014-2015 Record: 11-21 (2-16, ACC)
Postseason: N/A

More from ACC

Second year head coach Buzz Williams looks to drastically improve from last seasons terrible finish. After a quick exit in the ACC Tournament to Miami (FL) in the second round. Williams had a tough test, coming into his first season with the Hokies. The ACC is a tough conference to play in, with a ton of tough teams to compete with.

Newcomers

F – Tyrone Outlaw (Transfer from Lee College)
C – Johnny Hamilton (JUCO Transfer)
F – Chris Clarke (#54 ESPN100)
F – Kerry Blackshear Jr. (#89 247Sports)
G – Justin Robinson (#103 247Sports Composite)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 14-28 vs Emerald Coast Classic – The first test of the Mullin era will come at home against a local rival from a power conference. We’ll learn a lot about the Johnnies based on how they look against Rutgers. If the Baby Johnnies can’t hang with a bottom of the barrel Big Ten team, it may be time to temper expectations until next season.

Dec. 1 at Northwestern – The ACC – Big 10 Challenge is always a great test, but after The Hokies lost redshirt Junior Joey van Zegeren to Northwestern, this will be an even tougher test. The Hokies are a young team who is rebuilding, but this is an excellent opportunity to add to the win total before the ACC schedule begins.

Dec. 30 vs West Virginia – Both of these teams have young talent, but the thing that the Hokies are missing is the veteran leadership that the Mountaineers have. Williams will need to rely on the few upper-classmen that he does have. With this being his second season with the Hokies, he’ll need this win to build confidence going into conference play.

Key Players

Tyrone Outlaw – This transfer looks to to be another major piece to the rebuilding puzzle that the Hokies are putting together. Coming from Lee College, he brings speed, quickness, and a aggression around the rim that can really shut down offenses.

Johnny Hamilton – Coming from Jacksonville College, this sophomore center is a monster around the rim. He is just the type of inside force that the Hokies will need for this season and going forward. Hamilton will give Virginia Tech the inside presence they will need to keep them in games down the stretch in the ACC.

Season Outlook

I’ve been dreading this part of the process, because with so many new pieces, it’s almost impossible to make a fair assessment of the team. Buzz Williams’ second go at the ACC Conference will be just as tough as his first go around. It would be unfair to the Hokies, who are in a critical rebuilding year, to judge their progress just based off this season. This is the first step of a project that will be in place for a few seasons.

Next: Busting Brackets Season Preview: ACC Home Page

More from Busting Brackets