Virginia Tech Basketball

Virginia Tech men's basketball head coach Mike Young apologized for comments made during an NCAA tournament press conference with reporters Tuesday after he referenced Jehovah's Witnesses when explaining why his team wasn't looking ahead of their first-round opponent, the Florida Gators.

"We're not playing the Jehovah's Witness All-Star team here. We're playing the Gators, man, we're playing the Gators. I do know who our next opponent would be if we were lucky enough to win, but there's not a chance in hell you start thinking about anything, nothing—I will not clip about anything but [head coach Mike White's] Gator team, and that's the same for my team. This is it. This is one game and if you play poorly or get outplayed, I'm going to be walking out the hall after talking to you guys via Zoom, and there's going to be an NCAA representative telling me, 'Your plane leaves in 45 minutes. Good luck to you. Go get your stuff packed and get out of here.' It may not be that tough, but let's play well and play a good ballgame. Let's see what happens."

Young then issued an apology later in the day: "Earlier today on the NCAA tournament conference call, I attempted to show my respect for our upcoming opponent, the University of Florida. Regrettably, I didn't articulate that sentiment in an appropriate manner. I apologize for my insensitive remark and am sincerely sorry for anyone I may have offended."

Young has been a Division I men's basketball head coach since 2002, when he began leading Wofford. The Terriers made five NCAA tournaments under Young, who left for Virginia Tech in 2019.

The Hokies went 16-16 last year before going 15-5 (9-4 ACC) in 2020-21 en route to an NCAA tournament appearance.

Virginia Tech and Florida will be playing the opening game of the NCAA tournament's first round Friday at 12:15 p.m. ET. The Hokies are a No. 10 seed in the South Region.

Virginia Tech men's basketball player Tyrece Radford has been suspended indefinitely after being charged with driving while intoxicated and carrying a concealed weapon. 

The school said Radford was suspended "for not upholding the high standards Virginia Tech has for its students and athletes" in a statement.

Radford was pulled over by Blacksburg (Virginia) police early Sunday morning, the Montgomery County Sheriff's office told Mark Berman and Mike Niziolek of The Roanoke Times.

Both charges are considered Class 1 misdemeanors and carry a maximum of a 12-month jail sentence and $2,500 fine. Radford is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 9 for his arraignment.

Virginia Tech is ranked No. 20 in the latest Associated Press poll, and Radford is their second-leading scorer at 11.9 points per game. He was named ACC co-player of the week last Monday after helping lead the Hokies to wins over Duke and Wake Forest.

"We've got enough players in this building to continue to win," Virginia Tech coach Mike Young told reporters Monday.

Virginia Tech forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. announced Tuesday that he is entering the 2019 NBA draft, as well as the NCAA transfer portal. 

WUVT's David Cunningham tweeted a screenshot of Blackshear's announcement:

Blackshear will be a senior in during the 2019-20 season, and as a graduate transfer, he will be eligible to play immediately if he pulls out of the NBA draft.

The Orlando, Florida, native was one of the Hokies' top players last season, as he was second on the team in scoring (14.9 PPG), first in rebounding (7.5 RPG) and third in assists (2.4 APG).

Blackshear made significant strides in each of his three seasons at Virginia Tech. In addition to his impressive scoring and rebounding stats last season, Blackshear shot 50.8 percent from the field, 73.6 percent from the free-throw line and a career-best 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

He was a key contributor for a Hokies team that was ranked throughout the season and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament before falling 75-73 to Duke. Blackshear registered 18 points and 16 rebounds in the loss and scored 15 or more in each of Virginia Tech's three NCAA tournament games.

Also, Blackshear had a four-game stretch in February during which he scored 22 or more points in each contest.

There is some uncertainty surrounding the Virginia Tech program entering the 2019-20 season. In addition to head coach Buzz Williams leaving for the same job at Texas A&M, guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker announced that he is entering the NBA draft.

If Blackshear decides to return to college basketball for his senior year, he did not rule out remaining at Virginia Tech, although Texas A&M also bears watching due to his connection to Williams.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman did not have Blackshear among his top 75 draft-eligible players for the 2019 NBA draft on his most recent big board, and he did not mock Blackshear in the first round of his post-NCAA tournament mock draft either.

Provided Blackshear is evaluated similarly during the pre-draft process and opts to play one more year of college ball, he will arguably be the best player available in the transfer portal.

Virginia Tech announced Sunday that Mike Young will become the next head basketball coach after he spent his previous 17 years at Wofford.

According to Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com, he will make about $12 million over the course of his five-year contract.

Virginia Tech President Dr. Tim Sands provided a statement about the hire:

"We are fortunate to have been able to recruit Mike Young to Virginia Tech, not only because of his proven leadership and coaching ability, but because Coach Young is home in Southwest Virginia and leads his life in the true Hokie tradition of integrity and commitment to service. I look forward to the excitement and success we will enjoy as Coach Young and his student-athletes hit the court and compete to win. Laura and I are excited to welcome Coach Young and his family to Virginia Tech and Blacksburg. We look forward to sharing our campus and the many Hokie traditions that make this place home for all of us."

He will replace Buzz Williams, who left the school to take the head coaching job at Texas A&M following the season.

Young is coming off an incredible season with Wofford, leading the team to a 30-5 record, including 18-0 in the Southern Conference. The team earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament before winning its first-ever game in that event in program history.

This performance helped Young become the Sporting News Coach of the Year in college basketball.

The 55-year-old has also proved he is more than just a one-year wonder. He took over a program that hadn't had a winning season in its seven years at the Division I level and took it to the tournament five times to go with four regular-season titles.

He posted a 299-244 career record in his time with the Terriers.

With more resources at Virginia Tech, he has a chance to find even more success:

On the other hand, the bar has been raised after Williams led the school to the Sweet 16 this year for just the second time in men's program history. The Hokies have won at least 20 games in each of the last four seasons.

After losing some key players to graduation, Young will have his work cut out for him.

Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams announced Thursday that Hokies guard Ty Outlaw is eligible to play in the team's Sweet 16 game against the Duke Blue Devils on Friday after passing a drug test.

David Teel of the Daily Press provided the update from Williams about Outlaw, who was charged with marijuana possession March 21:

According to Mark Berman and Mike Gangloff of the Roanoke Times, the 23-year-old senior was in San Jose, California, with the Hokies on March 20 when a Blacksburg, Virginia, police officer smelled the odor of marijuana coming from his Blacksburg residence. Unable to make contact with anyone inside the apartment, the officer obtained a search warrant the following day, and police "seized one white pill, two yellow capsules, an electronic vape cartridge and green plant material," per Berman and Gangloff.

Outlaw was charged with a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession and is due in court April 11.

Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt told the Roanoke Times an individual can be charged with drug possession even if they are not in physical possession of the substance when it's found.

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Outlaw has spent the past four years with the Hokies after starting his collegiate career with the UNC Greensboro Spartans. He's averaged 8.7 points and 5.4 rebounds across 34 appearances (19 starts) for Virginia Tech this season.

He'll be tasked with helping slow down Duke's RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish on the wing in Friday night's Sweet 16 clash in the East Region.

Virginia Tech Hokies guard Ty Outlaw has been charged with possession of marijuana ahead of his team's Sweet 16 showdown with the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils on Friday, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

The 23-year-old was reportedly charged on March 21, which was the day before his team opened its NCAA tournament play in San Jose, California.

Outlaw's status for the remainder of the NCAA tournament is unclear. Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock said on Wednesday, per Mark Berman and Mike Gangloff of the Roanoke Times, that the school is still investigating the matter.

According to Berman and Gangloff, a Blacksburg police officer arrived at Outlaw's apartment on March 20 and noticed "a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the residence." A March 21 search warrant recovered "one white pill, two yellow capsules, an electronic vape cartridge and green plant material from the apartment."

Outlaw was officially summoned on Tuesday after the team returned from California.

After starting his collegiate career at UNC Greensboro, Outlaw transferred to Virginia Tech in 2015. The sixth-year senior has been granted a pair of medical redshirts during his career after missing the 2015-16 (medical condition) and the 2017-18 (torn ACL) seasons.

Outlaw has been a key member of the Hokies rotation this season, starting 19 games while making 34 appearances. He is averaging 8.7 points and 5.4 rebounds, shooting 45.6 percent from three-point range.

He averaged 8.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in Virginia Tech's two games during the opening weekend of the 2019 NCAA tournament.

Outlaw is scheduled to have a hearing on April 11.