Top 50 Hokies Spotlight: Bimbo Coles
Top 50 Hokies Spotlight: Bimbo Coles
Virginia Tech basketball is often connected closely with the big name Dell Curry; however, Bimbo Coles passed Dell on the all-time scoring list after his four years, and he remains at the top spot to this day. His given name is Vernell Eufaye Coles. His family gave him the nickname “Bimbo” from a country song, and it stuck with him. Bimbo was a multi-sport athlete at Greenbrier Eat High School in Lewisburg, West Virginia. He was recruited in all of the sports he played in high school and eventually went with basketball at the next level for the Hokies. Bimbo was so gifted in baseball that he was selected by Phillies in 86’ out of high school and then again after his 4 years at Tech by the Angels in the MLB draft. In high school football, he was named all-state twice and once named All-American and could have certainly played football in college too.
Bimbo is the most decorated men’s basketball player Virginia Tech has seen with a list of accolades in college alone that in enviable. Virginia Tech was in the Metro Conference during Bimbo’s career from 1986-1990. He is the only player in conference history to lead the league in scoring and assists in the same season. He also boasts 2,465 points in his career which is not only the most in Virginia Tech school history, but it is the most in the now defunct Metro Conference. The Olympic team back in 1988 was composed of all college players. Bimbo had the opportunity to play alongside players such as Danny Manning and David Robinson on the Olympic team, who brought back the Bronze Medal that year. The team lacked major success in the Metro Conference and the NCAA as a whole during Bimbo’s tenure, but his individual accolades lead to his number 12 Jersey hanging in the rafters at Cassell.
Bimbo went on to be selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 1990 NBA draft, but he was immediately traded to the Miami Heat where he played for about 5 seasons. The Heat was a new franchise at this time, so there was a point where Bimbo had the assist record for the team. He went on to play for the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. He, like Dell Curry, was a bit of a journeyman in his NBA career. He was a key player for over 13 years for each of these teams and a strong ambassador for the Hokies at the professional level. Virginia Tech has a richer history on the gridiron than the hardwood, but Bimbo Coles is a historical icon for the basketball program and has his name cemented in the record books and the lore of Hokie hoops.
