There is no doubt that Neoklis Avdalas has been the Hokies' standout player thus far, with his 33 points against Providence and 14 points and seven assists against St. Joseph's. Then, in the frontcourt, Tobi Lawal and Amani Hansberry have been vital, dominating the glass and being significant matchup problems for opponents on both ends of the floor.
They'll be Tech's "big three," if you will, but sophomore wing Tyler Johnson has excelled in his role thus far as Tech's glue guy.
He had 11 points and four rebounds against St. Joe's and was a key member of the Hokies' defense, recording three steals out of 19 forced turnovers.
That came just one game after he tallied 12 points, four boards, and three steals in the exciting overtime victory over Providence. He's also been quite efficient as he has made more than 50% of his field goals in both games.
Despite being only a sophomore, Johnson has plenty of on-court experience, having started 28 games as a freshman last year. He averaged six points and four rebounds a game last season, shooting 45% from the floor. It wasn't the prettiest situation for Johnson, as the Hokies were searching for offensive productivity, and were forced to ask a lot of the then freshman during the down year. Nonetheless, he handled being tossed into the fire admirably.
Johnson is now in a lower pressure spot with Avdalas running the show and being one of the primary scoring threats plus a dangerous frontcourt duo of Hansberry and Lawal that can be threats at the rim and from beyond the arc.
That's allowed Johnson to take on a do-it-all role with Mike Young describing him as a “glue guy” for the squad who brings plenty to this team that goes beyond the stat sheet.
