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Hokies Men's Basketball: Seth Allen and Zach LeDay Have Chance to Leave Significant Legacy In Blacksburg

When Buzz Williams arrived in Blacksburg, he immediately got to work on rebuilding a program that had dropped to the bottom of the ACC with a talent pool that was subpar to say the least. Williams knew he couldn't just go the traditional route to try to rebuild the Hokies' program but also needed to bring in some experience transfers. Enter Seth Allen and Zach LeDay, the duo of transfers that the Hokies gained before Williams's first season but couldn't play until his second. Upon arrival, Allen and LeDay became valuable as practice warriors that could push their new teammates but couldn't make an impact on the floor as the Hokies once again finished last in the ACC. However, the duo finally got to touch the floor in the second year of the Buzz Williams era, launching Virginia Tech back up the ACC to relevance. Allen and LeDay were two big reasons for the Hokies' sudden return to competiveness in the ACC with LeDay playing an especially big role as probably the breakout player of the year in the ACC among non-freshman. Allen wasn't as good but there was a leadership aspect that the former Maryland transfer brought while also playing better as the season went along and doing more and more what he does best, attack the rim to get fouls and some three-point plays. Seth Allen and Zach LeDay flipped expectations upside down in Blacksburg and seemingly put Virginia Tech's rebuild ahead of schedule with the Hokies winning 20 games, having a 10-8 ACC record, making the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, returning to postseason play via the NIT, and getting a NIT victory over Princeton before losing on the road at BYU. Allen and LeDay have been the two stars on a Virginia Tech team that has the potential to make a return to the NCAA Tournament this season for the first time since 2007. No one would have thought back in 2014 that it would be reasonable to expect this team to end the drought in the 2016-2017 season but that's where we are entering this season and that's largely due to what Allen and LeDay have done. Now, Allen and LeDay have a chance to leave a significant legacy on the Virginia Tech men's basketball program this season with both ready to rise to the challenge in what is a very strong ACC that could reasonably get 10 or 11 teams in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. LeDay is seen as a top contender to be on one of the top All-ACC teams this season after having an impressive junior campaign averaging 15.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game while Seth Allen was ranked as one of the top 50 players in America by The Big Lead and is seen as a serious contender to have a big, breakthrough season in Blacksburg and end up on one of those premier All-ACC teams. Allen and LeDay both have a chance to gain some national recognition if they have big seasons and seriously exceed expectations again and while both players are very unlikely to be drafted, they both will likely have a chance to go to the NBA summer league and try to earn a spot on a NBA roster. Seth Allen and Zach LeDay have helped Buzz Williams rebuild Virginia Tech form the inside out beginning with their mandated redshirt year before stepping on the court last season and leading Virginia Tech basketball out of the bottom of the ACC and to a return to the NIT with a 20-win season. Now, Seth Allen and Zach LeDay have the chance to leave a significant legacy if they can do something that guys like Erick Green, Malcolm Delaney, Jarrell Eddie, and others couldn't do, make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. Subscribe to The Tech Lunch Pail email updates for the latest on the Hokies plus keep up with us via Facebook and Twitter.
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