Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch is reporting that former Virginia Tech starting guard Wabissa Bede will not be returning to the Hokies' program for the 2021-22 season in any capacity.
Wabissa Bede will not be with the #Hokies basketball program this season, per a source. Had considered playing or being a graduate assistant.https://t.co/l2mgzwxuZT
— Mike Barber (@RTD_MikeBarber) August 25, 2021
Virginia Tech has declined comment on the Richmond Times-Dispatch report at this time.
Bede was known for his defensive play in Blacksburg becoming one of the perimeter defenders in the country while also sliding in fairly comfortably at point guard as a distributor and initiator. He made 80 starts during his four-year career in Blacksburg reaching 3 NCAA Tournaments while averaging 3.9 points, 3.0 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game over the course of his Hokie career.
There was lots of talk that Bede would return though it was unclear whether that would be as a player or as a grad assistant with Mike Young making it clear that he would welcome Bede on his staff in some capacity. The lack of a Bede return is surprising and it remains to be seen if he's simply heading for an opportunity elsewhere in the sport or moving on to other endeavors.
With Bede not returning on the court, that sets the stage for a backcourt trio of Storm Murphy, Nahiem Alleyne, and Hunter Cattoor with Darius Maddox and Sean Pedulla first off the bench. Given Tyrece Radford's departure to Texas A&M as well, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Hokies try to push to land another guard via transfer, JUCO, or late reclassification to add some more depth this season.
We will have more as this story develops.
