NCAA Basketball: Top 25 most impactful freshmen for 2019-20 season
By Brian Rauf
22) Jalen Cone, PG, Virginia Tech
This was an offseason of change for the Hokies. Head coach Buzz Williams left for Texas A&M and they’re losing their top five scorers from last season’s Sweet 16 team.
New head man Mike Young will need significant contributions from young and inexperienced players right away, and Cone figures to be one of the most prominent.
The 5-11, 163-pounder reclassified from the 2020 class to the 2019 class to play for the Hokies this year in large part because of the role they promised him.
"“Their message to me was that I can come in right away and play big-time minutes and start on the biggest stage of college basketball and have a chance to be great.”"
There are obvious limitations that come with Cone’s size but he has great quickness and the ability to burn opponents from deep. Virginia Tech is going to give him every chance to run the offense and have the ball in his hands as they don’t have many other options. Because of that, they need him to play the role of both a scorer and playmaker.
Expect Cone to put up good numbers simply due to what may be a high usage rate. The efficiency and effectiveness he plays with while putting up those numbers will play a large role in determining if Virginia Tech can be any kind of competitive this season.