Virginia Tech Men's Basketball team will be almost unrecognizable compared to the 2023-24 Hokies, especially after starting guard MJ Collins and rotational Mylyjael Poteat became the fourth and fifth Hokies to enter the transfer portal.
Virginia Tech sophomore MJ Collins has entered the transfer portal @On3sports has learned
— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) March 27, 2024
The 6-4 guard started 28 games and averaged 7.4 points this season. Originally from Clover, South Carolina.https://t.co/MyfqFaiOAB pic.twitter.com/EXCZjhtaXM
NEWS: Virginia Tech forward Mylyjael Poteat tells me he’s entering the transfer portal.
— 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) March 27, 2024
Poteat is a native of Reidsville, North Carolina who began his career at Rice for two seasons before spending the last two at Virginia Tech.
He averaged 6.4PPG and 3.5RPG on 64.4% from the… pic.twitter.com/wEfUr4Iw9q
Collins and Poteat join All-ACC Third Team PG Sean Pedulla, starting C Lynn Kidd, and reserve F John Camden as the Hokies to enter the portal this offseason. Collins has two years of eligibility remaining while Poteat has one.
During his two seasons in Blacksburg, Collins averaged 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 27.0 minutes per game while shooting 34.4% from the field, 27.7% from three-point range, and 82.7% from the free-throw line. He also started in 44 of 66 games over his two seasons at Tech, becoming the latest experienced player to head elsewhere.
Collins had developed into a strong defender for the Hokies and had shown growth during his sophomore season on offense, shooting 40%+ from the field in seven of his final 10 games this past season including six double-digit scoring performances.
The departure of Collins is a major surprise and comes as the rising junior was starting to find his stride as a complete, two-way player in the ACC. While he had his fair share of shooting struggles, he seemed to turn the corner and was becoming a solid starter for the Hokies. This feels like one of those be careful what you wish for departures for the Hokies.
Meanwhile, Poteat was a productive rotation guy for the Hokies during his two seasons in Blacksburg after transferring in from Rice. Over his two seasons at VT, Poteat averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game while shooting 64.3% from the field and 70.5% from the free-throw line.
Poteat may have been an undersized center, but he was a force in the paint that gave plenty of opponents while also being able to step up at times when Lynn Kidd was struggling this season. He was likely set to start at center with Kidd entering the transfer portal, but has surprisingly decided to also head elsewhere despite that potential opportunity.
Yes, this wasn't the best year for Virginia Tech but at some point, you need to have some continuity which the Hokies had the potential to have along with room to fill gaps via the transfer portal. Now, the Hokies are going to have to try to completely reload their roster this offseason heading into a 2024-25 season where the seat has started to warm for Mike Young after missing the past two NCAA Tournaments.
A significant part of the story is the fact that the Hokies are behind on the NIL and resource front for basketball, something that seems largely a choice by Whit Babcock and Triumph NIL, instead focusing on football seemingly in pursuit of a future invitation to the SEC or Big 10 given the large TV revenue gap.
Still, to see this many departures isn't a great look for Mike Young and his program especially entering an offseason where fans are growing worried about the direction of the program. Young now has a big task ahead of him in the transfer portal and may be doing so without a great NIL situation to help him either.
