Virginia Tech Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Hokies

Year 2 of the Mike Young Experience couldn’t have gone any smoother than it did in 2020-21 given the circumstances. Virginia Tech basketball went 15-7 overall and 9-4 in the ACC before earning a berth in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Things weren’t always smooth for the Hokies, either.

In December, after a 66-60 defeat of the Clemson Tigers, Cartier Diarra opted out of the 2020-21 season given things going on with Covid-19. Now, entering a new season, there’s no Diarra or Devin Radford, who hit the transfer portal and landed at Texas A&M.

The Hokies still managed an 11-5 record without Diarra’s presence in the rotation, but it certainly shrunk the lineup for them. This offseason has seen the departures of Tyrece Radford, Joe Bamisile (George Washington) and Jalen Cone (Northern Arizona), and former assistant coach Chester Frazier (Illinois) but again, given the circumstances, Virginia Tech basketball is still in good shape heading into the 2021-22 season.

Mike Young hit a home run in hiring former DeMatha High head coach Mike Jones, added a solid graduate transfer in Storm Murphy and still, there’s room for excitement with tons of talent returning.

As a new season approaches, the Hokies have an opportunity to make some noise, returning three of five starters led by Keve Aluma, Justyn Mutts, Naheim Alleyne, and an experienced cast of seven returners from a season ago. Here’s a look at the season preview and outlook for Virginia Tech basketball.