Hokies Basketball: Johnny Hamilton Suspended Indefinitely For Academic Reasons

Throughout the first 18 months of Buzz Williams's tenure as head coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies, Williams has promised a culture change that many have noticed already. This culture change has led to some of the significant roster turnover the Hokies have experienced since Williams's arrival, but no one has minded the significant changes. Today, Williams showed a part of that new culture that will make many pleased with the direction of the program. https://twitter.com/techlunchpaild/status/673187557400821760 Williams and the Hokies announced that junior center Johnny Hamilton had been suspended indefinitely due to academic issues. The Hokies have made a statement emphasizing student-athletes with the suspension of one of their main big men in Hamilton who had been averaging 4.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. Hamilton has shown a lot of promise so far this season, but the former junior college player needs to turn around his grades especially with this being an important part of the semester. For Hamilton, this suspension hopefully will be the wake-up call he needs or else more of these indefinite suspensions for academic reasons could be in his future. For Williams and Virginia Tech, they have made a strong statement that their players must actually be students first and then athletes second. Hamilton has shown a lot of potential so suspending him makes a positive statement to recruits and their families that this coaching staff has a serious interest in making sure they get an education, and aren't just athletes. It is unknown how long this suspension for Johnny Hamilton will last, but it would not be surprising if this ended up being a three-game suspension with the Hokies only having three more games before the end of the first semester. Anything longer than that could be a sign that Hamilton may not play again for the Hokies this season due to his academic issues. Hopefully, Hamilton will be able to get these issues sorted out quickly and get back on the basketball court.