Fresh off of a season in which Virginia Tech women’s basketball finished 23-10, including a program-best 13-5 in the ACC, the Hokies continue to garner more and more positive momentum under seventh-year head coach Kenny Brooks.
Securing the services of Boston College transfer Taylor Soule and Maryland transfer Ashley Owusu will certainly do just that, while returning reigning ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley and star point guard Georgia Amoore will also contribute to the cause.
Though on Thursday morning, there was a new sort of positive momentum that shifted the way of the maroon and orange, one that’ll be encrusted into the 2022-23 schedule.
There had been wide speculation that Tech had been searching for a major Thanksgiving week tournament. And for the second-straight season, the Hokies have just that, as Brook’s team will travel down to the Bahamas to participate in the 2022 Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship in Nassau against two Power Five opponents.
The two? The defending SEC champion - Kentucky, and Missouri, another strong program out of the SEC that’s coming off a trip to the WNIT.
The event will actually consist of an additional five other teams - with Utah, Alabama, Wake Forest, Dayton and Ole Miss the other lucky contestants to get to cross over international waters.
It’s the first official glimpse that we’ve gotten into the upcoming 2022-23 slate. The Hokies have yet to release any official non-conference opponents prior to Thursday morning’s announcement, so it’ll be intriguing to see what lies ahead for Brooks’ seventh season at the helm.
A return trip to Knoxville to complete the home-and-home series with the Tennessee Lady Vols still needs to take place, so there’s probably a strong bet Tech will have a chance to face off against three SEC foes before ACC play even gets underway.
The maroon and orange split last year at the Thanksgiving week San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico with a loss to Missouri State and a win over UT-Martin. So Tech will be sure to try and at least match last year’s win total down in the Bahamian islands against a level up in terms of competition.
Naturally, there’s going to be a lot of expectations surrounding this Virginia Tech team over the next calendar year. This week down in paradise, may be what tells fans how realistic those expectations really may be.
