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Northwestern PF Transfer Robbie Beran Commits to Virginia Tech

Mike Young 3 VT Miami 2023 TS

Virginia Tech has made another splash in the transfer portal landing a commitment from Northwestern starting PF Robbie Beran.

Beran chose the Hokies over fellow finalists Miami and UVA after visiting Blacksburg this past Sunday. He is the third player to transfer to VT this offseason along with ODU F Mekhi Long and UNC F Tyler Nickel. He had this to say about why he chose the Hokies.

"At the end of the day, the Hokies checked every box. It’s funny how the world works. For starters, I had already built relationships with everyone on staff as they each recruited me coming out of high school (coach (Mike) Young & Kevin Giltner @ Wofford, (Christian Webster @ Tech, and J.D. Byers @ VCU). With only a year of eligibility left, i was drawn to how coach (Young) operated and utilizes his forwards. I mentioned the familiarity with everyone on staff so they detailed a personalized development plan to really help elevate my game," Beran said.

"The last and most important thing is the opportunity to win. There’s a lot of good pieces on this roster. Regarding off the court, everything else makes sense as there’s a one-year master's program with a concentration in applied animal behavior and welfare which is something that’s right up my alley considering the love I have for dogs. I haven’t even mentioned the location to richmond even though I didn’t come into this process with that in mind, it's just how the cookie crumbled."

Beran started 99 games during his four-year tenure in Evanston and was a 36% career three-point shooter.

He averaged 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game while shooting a career best 84.8% from the free-throw line this past season. His defense was one of his strengths during his Northwestern career as he had a defensive box plus/minus of 2.2 this past season which is better than any Hokie returning from last year's team.

Beran is a quality addition who you can likely expect to take on a similar minutes role for the Hokies this upcoming season and likely projects as a starting 4. It wouldn't be surprising to see him work a good amount at the 5 in more slightly smaller lineups though he is 6'9'' so there isn't much of a size drop off between him and Lynn Kidd.

Overall, his addition should create an interesting frontcourt rotation that could allow Tech to use Mekhi Long and Tyler Nickel a decent amount at the 3 with Beran or the other one of those 2 at the 4, and Kidd or Mylyjael Poteat or Pat Wessler at the 5 with Beran there at times as well.

His numbers may not be spectacular, but he definitely provides a boost in Tech's biggest weaknesses on the defensive end and on the glass where he averaged 1.1 offensive rebounds per game last season. Additionally, he is a solid three-point shooter who should fit well in a Mike Young offense that highly values being able to space the floor.

What may be most valuable is the veteran leadership he can provide given his extensive starting experience at the major conference level in the Big 10. The deep familiarity he has with Mike Young who made him a top Class of 2019 target for the Hokies, is also another good sign about how good of a fit Young feels Beran will be.

Overall, Robbie Beran may not be a superstar addition, but he's a really good fit in what Tech wants to do and elevates the ceiling of this team for the 2023-24 season.

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