Photo Credit: Liam Sment
Virginia Tech made stunning news today as the Hokies announced that star guard Tyrece Radford has been suspended indefinitely. Virginia Tech did not disclose the reasoning, but reporters have found that it is due to Radford being arrested early Sunday morning (1/24) on two charges.
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 25, 2021
A concealed weapon carry charge usually stems from not having your permit to carry present. It’s not atypical for a charge like this to be dropped in court if paperwork is presented
— Mike McDaniel (@MikeMcDanielVT) January 25, 2021
Don’t know all the details, but just for general awareness from a son of retired law enforcement. https://t.co/13BOHE6s8Z
Radford is facing two criminal charges and has paid a $1,000 bail to be released. A future court date is not currently known at this time.
It is important to note that a charge like this does trigger an automatic, indefinite suspension per Virginia Tech Athletics policy. This suspension will most likely be in place till their is a legal resolution to this situation at minimum.
This is a massive loss for the Hokies as Radford is the heart and soul of this basketball team in many ways. Radford is averaging 11.1 points and 6.3 rebounds (both 2nd on the team) plus 2.1 assists in a team high 31.1 minutes per game while shooting 53.7% from the field. There's no doubt that this takes away the slashing offense from Radford while also hurting them on the glass.
In the interim, expect to see more minutes for Hunter Cattoor, Nahiem Alleyne, and Jalen Cone with Tech needing to rely more on their three-point shooting from their backcourt. Meanwhile, Tech will need those 3 guards and Wabissa Bede to step up some as slashing guards to help preserve that diversity of offensive options in the backcourt.
Additionally, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Hokies give more minutes to freshmen Darius Maddox (who has received a steady few minutes per game) and Joe Bamisile.
We will have more as this story develops.
