Preview #5: Virginia Tech Hokies

Last Season: 14-16, 4-12 ACC

Key Losses: Wynton Witherspoon

Backcourt: Virginia Tech returns the most experienced backcourt in the ACC in Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell.  Gordon and Dowdell have been used interchangeably in the backcourt with both being able to score and create for others.  Both are accomplished on the defensive end as well, giving Virginia Tech a huge advantage in the backcourt.  On the wing, the Hokies lost Wynton Witherspoon, as he transferred to George Washington, but AD Vassallo stepped up late last season to prove that he can perform at an ACC caliber level.  Backing up Dowdell and Gordon will be Markus Sailes who has been pretty average thus far in his career and freshman Nigel Munson who Scout.com had as a 4 star recruit.

Frontcourt: In the frontcourt, Coleman Collins returns hoping to put his junior season behind him.  Collins played well, averaging 14.5 ppg, but went through the loss of his father to cancer in 2006.  This season, Collins hopes to move on as he should be the focus of the Virginia Tech offense.  Helping out Collins in the frontcourt will be 6’7” Deron Washington.  Washington is an athletic, scrappy player who strives on the defensive end, but often has to play out of position at the power forward position.  Washington is pretty limited offensively, without a consistent jump shot, and often gets careless when taking the ball to the basket.  Seth Greenberg will have to find someone to step up in the frontcourt to provide depth.  Cheick Diakite has the body to contribute but is very raw, while Chris Tucker can shoot a little, but just does not have the size or athleticism to help on the boards.  Dutch import, Robert Krabbendam, is tall, uncoordinated and unlikely to help out much, while freshman Lewis Witcher may be the most likely to help, but was just a 3 star recruit despite his length and athleticism.

Intangibles: Jamon Gordon often is overlooked as Dowdell and Collins do most of the scoring.  Gordon averaged 6 rpg as a guard, and is a menace to those he guards.  Gordon is 6’3” but has a very long wingspan making him very difficult to shoot over.
Potential Breakout Player:  Jamon Gordon averaged just 11.4 ppg, but averaged close to 18 ppg in his last 7 conference games of the season.  If he focuses on scoring, Gordon could be in line for 1^st team All-ACC honors.

Summary: Seth Greenberg pretty much knows what he is getting this season, as he returns basically the same team from a season ago.  Last season, the Hokies had a number of off-court distractions, and the hope this season in Blacksburg is that the renewed focus will help improve the on-court results.  One question Greenberg will need to answer for the upcoming season is depth.  The starting five is pretty well identified, but only Markus Sailes has seen any amount of consistent playing time among players coming off the bench.  Another question Virginia Tech will have to answer is who can backup Coleman Collins?  Only Krabbendam, who has struggled to stay healthy, and Diakite have the size needed to play center in the ACC.  The Hokies have a significant advantage with a senior backcourt, and a talented center in Coleman Collins, and therefore could make a run at the ACC crown.  That being known, all it takes is for Collins to get in foul trouble for a game to be in jeopardy.  Therefore, the Hokies will lose their share of games and likely will be relegated to a middle of the pack finish in conference play.
Top Returning Fantasy Player: Zabian Dowdell averaged 15.9 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 spg in conference play last season.

Up Next: #4 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets