Former five-star recruit Neoklis Avdalas was supposed to spend one year with Virginia Tech, help the Hokies compete in the ACC and then declare for the NBA Draft, where he’d be selected in the lottery.
Well, none of that happened. The Hokies finished 19-13, including 8-10 in ACC play. Avdalas finished his first season in Blacksburg, averaging 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Respectable, right?
There’s a saying called “box score scouting,” and it fits Avdalas to a tee. Don’t be fooled
by the respectable averages.
A deeper dive shows a player who shot 38.6% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc. He was also a 67% free-throw shooter. He averaged over two turnovers per game. And when the Hokies, who were already playing without All-ACC forward Amani Hansberry in the ACC Tournament with their season on the line, Avdalas was on the bench.
That’s right. For a good part of the second half and all of overtime in Virginia Tech’s loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament that ended its season, head coach Mike Young had lost all faith in Avdalas.
So, it was no surprise when Avdalas entered the transfer portal. Now, he has a new home. On Monday, the 6-foot-9 guard from Greece revealed his next destination would be with the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Avdalas is talented, but it never quite worked in Blacksburg. He looked overwhelmed by the step up in competition from non-conference play to league play. Perhaps going to UNC, there’ll be less pressure on him, giving him a better chance to succeed.
As far as every “analyst” on social media believing UNC just found the next Luka Doncic, they’ve probably only seen the Providence highlights.
Virginia Tech fans bought the hype and were booing him by season’s end. In fairness to Avdalas, he didn’t create the hype. But in the era of NIL, where college players are earning large salaries, criticism is fair game.
