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Virginia Tech Basketball’s 2025 Roster Changes: Rebuilding Hokies Revitalize Squad with Key Transfers & Commits

By Evan Bainer | October 15
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Image via @hokiesports.com

With a plethora of new talent coming into Blacksburg for the upcoming 2025-2026 season, Virginia Tech Basketball has optimistic sights set on the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia Tech’s 2024-2025 season came to a dramatic end in Charlotte, North Carolina at the ACC Tournament with an 82-73 double-overtime loss to California in the first round. The ending came as a conclusion to the Hokies’ 13-19 overall season with an 8-12 record against conference opponents.

The 2025 offseason saw a handful of Virginia Tech players leave the program via the transfer portal in addition to those who completed their last season of eligibility. The list of departures includes:

» Jaydon Young – transferred to UNC

» Brandon Rechsteiner – transferred to Colorado State

» Pat Wessler – transferred to UNC-Wilmington

» Rodney Brown Jr. – transferred to Loyola-Chicago

» Conner Serven – transferred to Mercer

» Ryan Jones Jr. – transferred to Liberty

» Mylyjael Poteat – graduated

» Ben Burnham – signed with Artland Dragons team in Germany

The newly revamped Virginia Tech Basketball Team has half of its roster made up of true freshmen. What’s more, a four-player core from the Hokies 2024-2025 squad returned to Blacksburg for another season.

The additions of several new commits and transfer players make up a Hokies roster that shows promise for the 2025-2026 season. The full roster can be found on the official Hokie Sports site.

First, here are the Hokies who are staying in Blacksburg for the 2025-2026 season:

The Returners:

Tobi Lawal

If there was a captain for the Hokies 2025-2026 team, it would be Tobi Lawal. 

Lawal led the 2024-2025 team with 372 points, 210 rebounds, 20 blocks, and six doubles, among other scoring categories. Standing at a lanky 6'8", he highlighted the Hokies in all aspects of the game, not only by knocking down three-pointers but also by attacking the rim.

Lawal showed off his athleticism throughout the 2024-2025 season as he provided electricity in his playmaking abilities within the arc. The London, England native racked up points throughout the season, posting double-digit scoring in 20 games and, among those games, tallying four games with 20-or-more points.

Since playing in his key role in the Hokies’ 2024-2025 campaign, Lawal has quickly proven himself to be one of, if not the most, dynamic players on the team heading into the 2025-2026 season. His athleticism will be a familiar sight for Virginia Tech fans when the team takes the court on Nov. 3.

Tyler Johnson

After appearing in all 32 games of the 2024-2025 season, and starting in 28 of those games, Tyler Johnson quickly became a promising young talent for Virginia Tech. In his freshman campaign, Johnson averaged 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists all while shooting 45.2%.

While his stat line may not be the flashiest, Johnson’s playmaking ability and athleticism made him a bearing force on the hardwood, as he was able to score points both in the paint and beyond the arc. One of his best performances came against California on Jan. 9 as he tallied 11 points and 12 rebounds against the Golden Bears en route to his first-career double-double showing.

Johnson will look to carry his momentum from his debut season into the 2025-2026 season as he will not only play a key role at the guard position with his athleticism, but also vie for a starting role yet again in his sophomore campaign.

Ben Hammond

Hammond burst right out of the gates in his freshman season last year for the Hokies. The shifty, 5'11" guard came onto the scene midway through the 2024-2025 season, and he continued to impress all the way through the end of Tech’s campaign.

Hammond averaged 5.6 points and 2.1 assists last season and put up a 50% three-point percentage. He also led the Hokies in steals with 35. 

The sophomore will look to carry his momentum from his freshman campaign into the 2025-2026 season. Though he will be competing with new transfer players for minutes, his proven track record in Blacksburg could help him see the court often during this upcoming season. With more talent added to the guard position for the Hokies, Hammond may have a tall task ahead of him in order to secure a starting spot throughout the season.

Jaden Schutt

After transferring to Virginia Tech from Duke prior to the 2024-2025 season, Jaden Schutt got off to a hot start for the Hokies in his first games in Blacksburg. In Tech’s first four games in December 2024, Schutt put up double-digit point totals in three of those contests. His highest scoring performance of the season came against Syracuse on March 1, 2025, where Schutt tallied 20 points in Virginia Tech’s overtime win against the Orange.

Statistically speaking, Schutt led the maroon and orange in minutes played and three-pointers made in the 2024-2025 season with 839 and 57, respectively. The 6'5" guard averaged 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists last season, all while shooting 36.7% from the arc.

With the newly-added depth to the Hokies squad for the upcoming 2025-2026 season, Schutt will likely have to fight for minutes in the starting five this upcoming season. However, his sharpshooting ability does not necessarily count him out in terms of Virginia Tech’s depth beyond the three-point line.

The Incoming Transfers:

Jailen Bedford - Transfer from UNLV

A graduate student heading into the 2025-2026 season, Jailen Bedford brings a plethora of experience to the Blacksburg squad after playing his college career at Colorado-based Trinidad State College, Oral Roberts University, and, most recently, UNLV.

During the 2024-2025 season, Bedford was the third-leading scorer for the UNLV Rebels, as he averaged 10.2 points per game while shooting 38.7% total and 35% from three-point range. He also played in 33 games during the season and averaged 23.3 minutes per game. His single-game high in scoring for the Rebels came against college basketball powerhouse Creighton when he dropped 20 points against the Bluejays.

Bedford’s experience at the college level will be interesting for Virginia Tech fans to watch. What’s more, his game facilitation from the guard position could prove rather valuable for a young Hokies team that is full of potential. 

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Image via @hokiesmbb on Instagram

Amani Hansberry - Transfer from West Virginia

Referring to himself as a “mismatch nightmare,” Amani Hansberry comes to Blacksburg as a formidable frontcourt option for a Hokies team that has, in recent years, struggled with attacking the rim. In the Hokies’ offseason, Hansberry has quickly become a favorite to make an impact in his debut season in Blacksburg.

Hansberry produced solid numbers with West Virginia during the 2024-2025 season, as he averaged 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The 240-pound, 6'8" forward thrived against other Big-12 opponents with the Mountaineers, as Hansberry posted four games with a double-double and scored 15-or-more points in seven games. Hansberry also matched his career-high in single-game scoring after dropping 19 points in games against Louisville and No. 3 Gonzaga.

With Hansberry’s track record in the Big 12 and the Hokies’ front court woes in recent years, the West Virginia University transfer makes a strong case to be an opening-game starter for the maroon and orange come November.

Izaiah Pasha - Transfer from Delaware

A notable pickup from the transfer portal, Izaiah Pasha averaged 11. 9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in each of his 33 games played for the University of Delaware in 2024. The Coastal Athletic Association’s Rookie of the Year led the Blue Hens with 132 assists, put up double-digit scoring in 23 games, and 12 games with at least five assists.

Though Pasha joins a Hokies guard group consisting of returners Ben Hammond and Jaden Schutt, the sophomore transfer’s proven track record could very well give him a leg up in terms of obtaining a starting spot on opening day.

The High School Commits:

Brett Freeman (Ardrey Kell High School, Charlotte, North Carolina)

Brett Freeman showed pure dominance at the guard position for Ardrey Kell High School during his senior season. Freeman averaged 24.2 points per game, and had two games with 40-or-more points. One of those outings was his single-game record-scoring performance as he tallied a strong 49 points. He also put up 20-or-more points in 18 of 26 games during his senior season. 

Freeman was also one of ten finalists for North Carolina’s Mr. Basketball Award, and was named his high school’s conference player of the year, and posted a school record 604 points on the season.

Freeman adds yet another piece of depth in the Hokies’ backcourt as he joins the stacked cast of guards on the roster. His high-school prowess could prove valuable as he very well could be a reliable second-team option for Virginia Tech in his debut season in Blacksburg.

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Image via @hokiesmbb on Instagram

Sin’Cere Jones (Churchland High School, Portsmouth, Virginia)

After choosing Virginia Tech over schools such as VCU, Old Dominion, Mississippi State, and Wake Forest, Sin’Cere Jones joins a slim but talented forwards group along with Lawal and Hansberry. The incoming freshman stands at 6'7" and weighs 230 pounds.

Jones finished his high-school career as a consensus three-star recruit, after being named a first-team, all-state selection in his junior and senior seasons. Additionally, he was considered the eighth-best player in Virginia and 28th-best at his position nationwide, according to 247sports.

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Image via @thesincerejones on Instagram

Shamarius “Snook” Peterkin (Mount Tabor High School, Winston-Salem, North Carolina)

Bringing his speed not only to the court in 2025, Snook Peterkin committed to Virginia Tech as a dual-sport athlete for basketball and football. The 6'3" guard dominated during his high school basketball career, where in his senior season he broke Mount Tabor High School’s record for most points in a game with 51. Peterkin was also named the CPC Player of the Year

Solomon Davis (Dematha Catholic High School, Hyattsville, Maryland)

At 6'11", 225-pound center, Maryland native Solomon Davis helps boost the depth of Tech’s frontcourt presence. Though sidelined relatively recently due to injury, his prowess while playing on Virginia Elite’s AAU team made him a standout class of 2025 commit. He committed to play for the Hokies on June 6, 2025.

Christian Gurdak (Gonzaga College High School, Washington, D.C.)

Another addition to the Hokies frontcourt, center Chris Gurdak chose to commit to Virginia Tech over schools Butler and Penn State, as well as ACC rivals Notre Dame, Clemson, and Louisville. He was also a consensus four-star recruit coming out of high school.

Gurdak thrived at the coveted Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. as he not only helped lead the school to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Championship in his senior campaign, but he also was named to the first-team All-WCAC team that same season.

Coming in at 6'10" and weighing a team-high 260 pounds, Gurdak brings some very useful physicality to the Hokies front court, especially considering the depth at the guard position for the maroon and orange.

While he may not be a day-one starter, Gurdak’s size and playmaking abilities at the five spot could prove useful for variety and depth off the Virginia Tech bench. What’s more, this size can very well help create physicality inside the paint and thus give the Hokies some variability both within and beyond the arc.

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Image via @hokiesmbb on Instagram

The International Prospects:

Neoklis Avdalas - came over from Greece

Unofficially nicknamed “The Gyro Step,” Neoklis Avdalas has been Virginia Tech’s premiere offseason signing for 2025.

The Greek phenom, ranked as the No. 2 international newcomer in the 2025 class by 247sports, showed out for Greece’s Peristeri BC, a team a part of the country’s HEBA A1 League. With the club, Avdalas averaged 7.7. Points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in only 18 minutes played per game.

Avdals will look to further develop his skills while at the college level with Virginia Tech. The international talent received attention at the NBA level and even competed at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine prior to him committing to the Hokies.

It is no doubt Avdalas will be the player Virginia Tech fans, other college teams, and NBA scouts will be looking out for as the Hokies endeavor for an NCAA tournament bid. It will only be a matter of combining the prodigy’s skills with the culture in Blacksburg in order to take the Virginia Tech Basketball program to a new level for the 2025-2026 season.

Antonio Dorn - came over from Germany

Standing at seven feet tall, Antonio Dorn is now calling Blacksburg home after playing two seasons with the Bozic Estriche Knights Kircheim from Germany’s second divisional. In his 2024-2025 season with the team, Dorn averaged 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Prior to taking the floor for the Knights Kircheim, Dorn played for Ratiopharm Ulm, which won the nation’s top-flight league, Basketball Bundesliga. He also was a member of the German team for the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship. Dorn is the tallest player on the current Hokies squad, as he towers in at seven feet tall.

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Image via @hokiesmbb on Instagram

2025 Season Outlook and Roster Predictions:

With the increased depth at practically every position for the Hokies heading into the 2025-2026 season, it is a little harder to tell who will start for Virginia Tech on opening night against Charleston Southern on Nov. 3. However, here are my predictions as to who will be starting on the court for the Hokies on opening night:

  1. Jailen Bedford
  2. Neoklis Avdalas
  3. Tobi Lawal
  4. Tyler Johnson
  5. Amani Hansberry

These selections are obviously highly subject to change, especially considering the depth at the guard position and the style of play head coach Mike Young will want to utilize given the new faces on the team. Nonetheless, Avdalas’s prowess overseas, Bedford’s and Hansberry’s strong impressions over the course of the offseason, and Lawal’s and Johnson’s production with the Hokies during the 2024-2025 season, are the reasons that this could more than likely be the starting five come game night. The strong supporting cast of players around them, however, will be enticing to watch as the season progresses.

Only time will tell to see if Virginia Tech can punch its ticket to March’s big dance in 2026.

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Having grown up in Northern Virginia, my love for sports first started with watching games at Nationals park. However, my fandom proudly extends to the West Coast as well. As my dad grew up in the Bay Area of California, his love for the A’s and Raiders has been passed down to me and has made me a lifelong fan of the two teams. 

Now I can safely say that my collegiate loyalty lies with Virginia Tech. I’m currently studying Communications at Tech with hopes of building a career in entertainment, whatever that may entail.

My favorite sports memories in Blacksburg here have been made on game days. My favorite so far was my first Commonwealth Clash experience, as I watched the Hokies destroy UVA 55-17 up in Lane Stadium North my freshman year (and also punch their ticket to the Military Bowl in the final game of the season). This will probably change, however, when Tech wins again next year.

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