It's been a rough week for Virginia Tech Men's Basketball, but the Hokies did receive some positive news today as veteran center Mylyjael Poteat announced that he will be withdrawing from the transfer portal after entering on Wednesday, and returning to VT.
#Hokies center Mylyjael Poteat announced on Instagram that he will return to Virginia Tech for the 2024-25 season.
— Raza Umerani (@RazaUmerani) March 30, 2024
Massive piece to retain for Tech, who has seen a max exodus in recent days.
Poteat now gives the Hokies six players on their 2024-25 roster joining rising sophomore guards Jaydon Young and Brandon Rechsteiner, rising redshirt sophomore C Pat Wessler, incoming freshman PF/C Ryan Jones, and incoming SG/SF Tyler Johnson. Poteat will have one year of eligibility remaining.
This comes after Poteat had a very solid second season in Blacksburg averaging 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game while shooting 64.4% from the field and 67.1% from the free-throw line.
Poteat may be undersized at 6'8'', but he's proven to be a physical force in the paint who can finish through contact and get to the free-throw line. He's also proven to be a pretty solid defender and while he doesn't have the same ceiling as Lynn Kidd did, Poteat does show more consistency and a higher floor at times, and should be a solid starting center in the ACC next season.
He also gives the Hokies a veteran leader who understands Mike Young's system and should be able to help Tech's blend of youth and transfers fit in well to Blacksburg.
With Poteat back, that may mean the Hokies aren't worried about adding another center via the transfer portal with Wessler having another offseason to develop as Poteat's backup and four-star freshman Ryan Jones joining the Hokies this offseason. Add in the many other needs that the Hokies have and it's easy to envision that Tech will shift their focus elsewhere in the transfer portal.
