It’s kind of sad these days that a player has to announce he’s returning when he has eligibility remaining. That’s the state of college sports these days. While the Virginia Tech Hokies have seen six players enter the NCAA transfer portal, junior forward Amani Hansberry revealed he was returning on Monday.
The Hokies received more good news on Tuesday when sophomore guard Tyler Johnson became the latest player to announce his return to Blacksburg for next season. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound native of
Orlando, Florida, saw a good portion of his sophomore season ruined by a lower leg injury. Ultimately, Johnson appeared in 17 games, making 13 starts, where he averaged 26.1 minutes per game, 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.
Johnson shot 53% from the field and 41.5% from beyond the arc.
Virginia Tech was not the same when Johnson went down just before conference play started. He was Tech’s top perimeter defender, an excellent rebounder, and a consistent shooter. I’ve seen some mock the Hokies for celebrating a player who averaged 8 points per game returning to school. They clearly didn’t watch the games. Johnson was one of VT’s top players, and the team struggled in his absence, forcing others to assume more responsibility.
Tobi Lawal and Jailen Bedford both saw their eligibility expire, but if you had asked me which players were critical for next season, I would’ve answered Hansberry, Johnson and sophomore point guard Ben Hammond. Hopefully, Hammond is next. He was a breakout star this past season and could have a junior campaign.
While the Hokies have lost some players they would’ve preferred to keep, they’ve kept the most important ones so far.
