Virginia Tech men's basketball stands on the doorstep of the 2026-27 season, kicking off play with Coppin State on Nov. 3.
What's locked in for the starters?
It feels like a safe bet to earmark junior guard Ben Hammond and senior forward Amani Hansberry as two of the five routine starters. Hammond averaged 13.2 points – his total rose to a team-high 14.9ppg in ACC play – in a breakout sophomore campaign, while Hansberry's season-wide 14.7 points per game paced the team. Hammond scored 30 points against then-No. 21 Virginia on Dec. 31, 2025, while Hansberry became the first Hokie since Jeff Allen in 2011 to total four straight double-doubles.
It also feels safe to place Miles Heide as one of the starters given his prior experience at San Diego State. That background gives him a leg up on Musa Sagnia and Solomon Davis, both of whom are still relatively green. Sagnia averaged 2.8 points in 12.4 minutes a game for NC State last year, while Davis redshirted under the old NCAA eligibility rules and didn't play.
What's unsettled?
I think two starting spots are still up for grabs, although the same players are competing for both. The biggest question is who starts alongside Hammond in the backcourt, which could also determine who fills the third guard spot or spills over to small forward in certain lineups. Isaiah Elohim (Florida Atlantic) and Jaylen Curry stand out to me as immediate guard options, while Oklahoma transfer Kuol Atak flashed upside in limited minutes at Oklahoma in 2025-26.
Elohim averaged 12.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game at Florida Atlantic, while Curry posted 10.1 points and 3.5 assists per contest at Oklahoma State. Atak averaged 7.0 points in just 12.4 minutes per game, shooting 41.3% from beyond the arc.
Further down, I could see Sagnia and Davis competing for the backup five – a job I think Sagnia would have the inside track to thanks to his experience from 2025-26. I could also see Hansberry playing at the 5 a fair bit, enabling Virginia Tech to use more 4-5 combinations, like Atak and Hansberry or sophomore Sin'Cere Jones and Hansberry.
What's my best bet at the starting five?
- Ben Hammond
- Isaiah Elohim
- Tyler Johnson
- Amani Hansberry
- Miles Heide
Brief Thoughts
I wouldn't be surprised if my projected starting five ends up being a little off, especially considering Tyler Johnson came off the bench in Virginia Tech's Oct. 16 exhibition against Wofford. Johnson finished with four points and seven rebounds in the Hokies' 78-76 victory in Spartanburg, S.C., while Jaylen Curry got the start and scored 19 points, matching Hammond for the team lead.
Still, I wouldn't necessarily take that starting lineup as an indication of what Mike Young plans to do once the regular season begins. Curry has a strong case for a starting role, but I could also see him becoming Virginia Tech's sixth man, providing an offensive spark off the bench.
Johnson, meanwhile, offers a different skill set with his rebounding and physicality plus experience in Young's system, which could make him a better fit alongside the Hokies' other starters. Ultimately, Young has several options to work with, and I wouldn't be surprised if the starting lineup changes a few times before ACC play begins.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginiatech as Virginia Tech Basketball Projected Rotation: Who Starts, Who Backs Up, and What's Unsettled?.