Virginia Tech Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Hokies
Projected starting lineup
The starting rotation is likely to change as the season progresses and different matchups present themselves. For now, we’ll take a look at the general starting lineup for a team with some underrated frontcourt depth in the ACC basketball ranks.
Point Guard: Sean Pedulla
Pedulla enters his junior season after posting 15.0 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.6 rpg, and 1.2 spg on 34.4 percent shooting from behind the arc across 34 appearances (all starts) in 2022-23. He’ll have a few different new faces to operate with in the Hokies offense with Mekhi Long and Robbie Beran joining the bunch. Look for his growing confidence to lead this group to some victories this year.
Shooting Guard: Hunter Cattoor
Cattoor will look to increase his production as another leading face in the Virginia Tech offense as a playmaker and scorer. He finished the 2022-23 season with 10.8 ppg, 3.7 prg, 2.4 apg, and 1.0 spg on 42.4 percent shooting from behind the arc. He’s due to have a strong senior campaign with a potential All-Conference performance on the horizon.
Small Forward/Wing: Rodney Rice
Rice finished with good numbers across just eight appearances in his freshman campaign due to injury. He put up 7.4 ppg and 3.3 rpg on 33.3 percent shooting from 3-point range in limited action this past season. With a healthy year ahead of him, look for him to contribute in a big way at the guard/wing role.
Power Forward: Mekhi Long
Long is a new addition from Old Dominion with versatility at 6-foot-7 to operate at a few different roles for the Hokies. He’s a wing-forward prospect who’s shown he can operate as a perimeter-minded forward with production of 10.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.5 spg and 1.3 apg on 35.9 percent shooting from 3-point land in 2022-23. He’s got the ability to fly around the floor and do a number of different things against some top ACC names. Justyn Mutts is a name that comes to mind when thinking of similar styles of play.
Center/Forward: Robbie Beran
Beran is another addition out of the portal who should hold things down at the center position. He’s got four years of experience under his belt from the Big Ten’s Northwestern Wildcats that he brings along with him. He should give Virginia Tech quite the two-way presence given his production. He averaged 7.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg this past year.