The Virginia Tech Hokies defeated the Coppin State Eagles 88-54 on Tuesday night at Cassell Coliseum to open the 2026-27 season 1-0.
Junior point guard Ben Hammond led the way for Tech, finishing with 20 points, eight assists and a career-high seven steals. Senior guard Jaylen Curry joined Hammond in the starting lineup and scored 19 in his first game for the Hokies.
Virginia Tech shot 50% from the field, but most impressively, made 13 of 28 from beyond the 3-point line (46%). There was some excitement
about this team’s shooting ability, and Tuesday night’s win proved it has the potential to be an excellent shooting team.
The Hokies led 45-27 at halftime. While they dominated the first half, Tech firmly took control in the second. Senior forward Amani Hansberry, a preseason All-ACC candidate, had 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. He played 28 minutes and showed no ill effects from last season’s knee injury.
Head coach Mike Young showed off his newfound depth, playing 11 players in the first half alone, with 12 players seeing action.
Perhaps most surprising was seeing junior wing Tyler Johnson come off the bench. One of Virginia Tech’s top returning players, the 6-foot-5 junior does a little bit of everything. He scored 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds in 22 minutes of action.
Starting Curry alongside Hammond gives the Hokies two ball handlers and allows Hammond to play more off the ball, giving him even more scoring opportunities. One area where Young will not be happy is turnovers. The Hokies turned it over 14 times, with Curry accounting for six of those turnovers.
Another area of improvement: free-throw shooting. Tech made 17 of 26 (65%), a number Young would like to see improved.
Here was VT’s starting five and how they performed:
- Miles Heide: 20 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds
- Amani Hansberry: 28 minutes, 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
- Isaiah Elohim: 22 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
- Jaylen Curry: 27 minutes, 19 points, 6/9 FGs, 3/6 3PT
- Ben Hammond: 33 minutes, 20 points, 8 assists, 7 steals, 3 rebounds
The Hokies are back in action on Thursday, as they host the Mercer Bears.
