Durr Ditches the Beach for Blacksburg

The Virginia Tech Men's Basketball team made a significant acquisition in the transfer portal, landing a commitment from former South Florida forward Michael Durr.

Durr, an Atlanta, Georgia native, stands at a towering seven feet tall, weighs 250 pounds, and is exactly what Mike Young had hoped to bring into his program.

A rising senior, Durr averaged 8.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the Bulls last season. He also recorded 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals against Virginia Tech in a late November matchup that the Hokies found themselves on the winning end of.

He is not a born shooter, managing only 4-20 from beyond the arc last season, but has a soft touch inside and converted 79% of his free throw attempts in the 2020-21 campaign.

Durr has started 86 of the 88 games that he has participated in collegiately, bringing a heap of experience with him to Blacksburg.

The USF product is not known as an outright shot-swatter, blocking only .9 attempts per game last season, but can slide his feet well and is very mobile for his size.

Durr's biggest contribution for the Hokies will likely come on the offensive glass, as his most recent line of 2.9 per game tops Keve Aluma's 2.5 standard, which led the Hokies this past season. He will also be able to bang with bigger opponents on the defensive end, reprieving Aluma and Justyn Mutts from this burden so that they may direct more focus towards the offensive end.

The Hokies' newest asset will not only become the largest physical presence on the roster, but he will be the first seven-footer to dawn the maroon and orange since Johnny Hamilton in the 2016-17 season. He is also the first USF player to transfer to Virginia Tech since Zach LeDay in 2015, which worked out pretty well for VT.

This pickup is a major addition to Virginia Tech's roster, as they will have a player with size and skills on both end of the court to deploy against some of the monstrous rosters in the Atlantic Coast Conference (see: North Carolina in the ACC Tournament).

Of course, Durr's arrival raises questions about the starting lineup: the two most likely options are that one of Virginia Tech's frontline members heads to the bench, or Durr becomes the sixth man. While that remains to be seen, the glaring takeaway is that the Hokies just got much more physical, competitive, and flat-out better.

The popcorn man strikes again.