Virginia Tech Basketball: Grading Virginia Tech’s Offseason Transfer Portal Haul

Virginia Tech basketball is in the midst of a much-needed rebuild. Since the Hokies lifted the ACC title in 2022. Savored moments have been hard to come by. The Hokies have marked just a 51-50 record and a 26-34 ACC record since that inaugural ACC championship.

Last season saw things as bad as they could possibly get as the Hokies embarked on a loss against Jacksonville in late November, in what was the second in a six-game streak of losses, which set the Hokies to a 3-6 start before their tumultuous ACC season lifted off.

Last year Virginia Tech finished with a bleak 13-19 record including an 8-12 conference tally.

After last season ended, the Hokies saw a mass departure of talent as Tech lost guards Jaydon Young, Brandon Rechsteiner, and Rodney Brown, center Patrick Wessler, and forwards Ryan Jones Jr., Ben Burnham, and Connor Serven.

To replenish a number of the lost talents, the Hokies had to hit the portal.

In all honesty it looked a tough task for the Hokies to be able to retool, but head coach Mike Young found his fair share of talent in Amani Hansberry, Izaiah Pasha, Jalien Bedford, and as of today, Greek talent, Neoklis Avdalas.

According to High School on SI, Hansberry played in 31 games, starting 24 last season at West Virginia, and recorded a team-best four double-doubles. He scored in double figures 13 times and recorded seven games with double-digit rebounds. 

“Amani is relentless and always around the ball,” Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young said in a news release. “He brings a rare combination of skills that will give us valuable versatility on both ends of the floor. Amani is a fierce competitor and someone who knows how to win. I look forward to coaching him.” 

Our own Taylor Bretl broke the news of Izaiah Pasha committing to Virginia Tech from Delaware.

Pasha made an impressive impact with the Blue Hens, earning the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year. He excelled in the conference tournament, where Delaware reached the finals despite being the No. 12 seed. Pasha earned All-CAA Tournament honors during this strong postseason run, averaging 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1 block per game.

In the regular season, Pasha averaged 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game, shooting 51.7% from the field. While his overall shooting percentage was strong, his three-point shooting — 33.3% for the season — offers room for improvement, something he may focus on under coach Young.

"We are thrilled to welcome Izaiah and his family into our men's basketball program," Young said. "He will make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor for us. Izaiah has great positional size, versatility and explosiveness. As good as he is on the court, he's even more impressive off the court. Izaiah is an outstanding young man, and quite simply is a terrific fit for us."

Last season, Bedford joined the UNLV Runnin' Rebels from Oral Roberts. Although appearing in 31 games for the Rebels, Bedford made only six starts. The 6-4 guard averaged 10.3 points per game, shooting 39 percent from the field and 35 percent from the three. Bedford's stint with the Rebels ended similarly to his season with Oral Roberts, with UNLV falling in the Mountain West Quarterfinals to Utah State. Bedford was one of three players to play the full 40 minutes of the contest, putting up 13 points, including two three-pointers, all the while competing with a bandaged eye.

"We're thrilled to have Jailen join the Hokies," said Young."His journey to this point has shaped him into a resilient and dynamic player. Jailen really came on strong toward the end of the season for UNLV. We believe his skillset and leadership will be invaluable to us this upcoming season."

Bedford marked the third portal commitment of the offseason and has one year of eligibility remaining.

While Avdalas will be coming to Virginia Tech as a freshman, don't let the fact, Avdalas is only 18 fool you.

Ranked as the No. 2 international newcomer in the 2025 class by 247Sports, Avdalas spent the past two seasons competing in Greece’s top-tier HEBA A1 league, first with AS Karditsas in 2023-24, and most recently with Peristeri BC. As an 18-year-old playing against seasoned professionals, he averaged 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 18.5 minutes per game across 26 contests. He recorded shooting splits of 43.6% from the field, 35.7% from deep and 70.3% at the line.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Neo to the Virginia Tech family,” said Young. “This is a huge addition for our program. Neo is a highly sought-after talent with tremendous upside. His versatility is off the charts; he can impact the game in a variety of ways and is a three-level scorer.

“Hokie Nation is going to love watching him compete, and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to coach him. Neo has the chance to be a difference-maker in college basketball, and we’re thrilled he chose to pursue that at Virginia Tech.”

While Avdalas will be coming to Tech as a freshman, he will be marked as an immediate impact player for the Hokies and will be a year-one starter for the Hokies.

If you had to rate the class of Bedford, Avdalas, Hansberry, and Pasha, that grade would easily be an A. Pasha is a dynamic guard, Hansberry is a skillful force down low, and Avdalas was a highly-sought after prospect, all to be aided by Bedford, whose experience will inevitably help the Hokies.

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