Hokies Basketball: Ahmed Hill Out Indefinitely After Partial Patella Tendon Tear

Most of the focus over the next few months will be on football in Blacksburg with the Labor Day opener less than four weeks away. However, the Hokies' football team isn't the only sport preparing for its season, with Buzz Williams and his basketball program going through offseason workouts. Unfortunately for Williams and the Hokies, one player has suffered a significant injury. Virginia Tech announced yesterday that sophomore guard Ahmed Hill had suffered a partial left patella tendon tear. Hill has had surgery, but is now out indefinitely with the sophomore guard likely to at least miss most of preseason workouts. It is still unknown at this time if Hill will miss any regular season games though it definitely seems possible. Hill had a solid freshman season with 8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and a 38.6% three-point shooting percentage in 29.6 minutes per game. A lot of things Hill did can not be counted by stats as the guard from Georgia had an impressive work ethic and toughness while playing some quality defense for the Hokies throughout the season. Hill was a consistent player in terms of the effort he put on the court on a team that had plenty of youth and some inconsistency during the season. Hill showed a lot of potential, and this injury will hurt him in trying to get playing time in a backcourt loaded with wings including Justin Bibbs, Chris Clarke, Jalen Hudson, and Ty Outlaw. Buzz Williams and Virginia Tech will look to make sure that Hill makes a full recovery even if he misses a lot of the upcoming season. However, the Hokies may consider redshirting Hill if he is out for a few months of the 2015-2016 season, and the Hokies are solid with their backcourt rotation on the wings. That seems unlikely, but Hill being redshirted can't be ruled out. The injury for Ahmed Hill is unfortunate, and the Hokies will hope that he can make a speedy recovery. The only good news is that the Hokies have plenty of depth to be able to give Hill the time he needs to make a full recovery without being pressured to get him out there sooner.