Justyn Mutts Suspended For Virginia Tech's Season Opener

Virginia Tech announced today that star forward Justyn Mutts will be suspended for one game due to participating in a "non-NCAA certified event" when he had entered his name in the 2022 NBA Draft but hadn't yet decided to pull his name out of it.

It's not clear what specific event this is referring to though Mutts did participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament which seems like the likely reason as other players have received suspensions from NCAA ahead of the start of this season due to participation in that event. To be honest, the NCAA most likely needs to change this rule and eliminate the suspension aspect of something that has proven good for athletes though that's a discussion for another day.

Mutts' absence likely guarantees that Grant Basile will start in his VT debut after transferring from Wright State while Rice transfer Mylyjael Poteat seems like a strong candidate to start with Mutts out. Memphis transfer John Camden could also be a possibility along with redshirt freshman Lynn Kidd given the versatility of Basile to play the 4 or the 5.

Mutts' absence against Delaware State shouldn't make much of an impact as DSU is ranked #362 out of 363 teams by KenPom. Safe to say, this could be a gift for Tech to force them to play more guys farther down their bench and get them some early season, live game experience.