NCAA Basketball: Analyzing top 8 teams for four-star 2022 wing Tyrell Ward

Virginia Tech Hokies

The Hokies have been using mainly three-guard lineups in the past couple of years, with 6’2 guard Tyrece Radford operating as their “small forward”. He’s an elite rebounder even at his size but between his inability to shoot and potentially getting mismatched on defense against bigger guards, the team would be wise to land a true small forward in next year’s class.

Virginia Tech still has plenty of guard depth but adding a player like Ward allows them to use a bunch of different lineups depending on the situation. Even if he doesn’t start at first, Ward would have a role as a freshman before growing into a key future piece for a team that looks to remain in ACC and NCAA Tournament contention.

Xavier Musketeers

Both Nate Johnson and Ben Stanley are set to come back but the Musketeers will need to find a wing for the future, which is why they’re looking to land Ward. He’d fit the team’s scheme and the program has been solid overall in the past few years but the concern here is how much head coach Travis Steele loves to land transfers, meaning that Ward may not have a clear path to immediate playing time as a freshman.

Assuming star forward Zach Freemantle is only around for another year, the roster will be set to go through a major overhaul, as there isn’t a projected double-digit scorer here for the 2022-23 campaign. It’s both an opportunity and a risk for Ward to play here but he certainly has a chance to become a future star with the Musketeers if things line up right.