Virginia Tech hoops head coach Mike Young will have at least one more season to try to right the ship. Young was entering the final year of his contract this season, but he signed a one-year extension at the end of July. Young was one of several Hokies head coaches extended along with women’s basketball head coach Megan Duffy, swim and dive coach Sergio Lopez Miro, men’s soccer head coach Mike Brizendine and softball head coach Pete D’Amour.
#Hokies giving Mike Young 1-year contract extension. So he is no longer entering final year of his contract. Now under contract through 2027-28 season. Extensions also for Duffy, D’Amour, Brizendine, Lopez Miro. Pay hike for Robie, whose deal had been extended in Jan.
— Mark Berman (@BermanRoanoke) July 29, 2026
Virginia Tech Hoops 2026-27 Preview
With the extension, Young will make $3 million this year and in 2027-28. According to Thomas Hughes of Virginia Tech Hokies on SI, Young will receive a $2 million buyout if he is fired on or before next March 15, and $1 million if axed before March 15, 2028.
Young, who took over for Buzz Williams when he left for Texas A&M in 2019, led the Hokies to two NCAA Tournaments in his first three seasons. But the Hokies haven’t been back since and haven’t posted a winning record in ACC play the last four seasons. He is 124-98 in seven seasons with the Hokies, though just 60-70 in conference play.
Virginia Tech went 19-13 this past season, including finishing 11th in ACC play at 8-10. The Hokies are 34-44 in conference play over the last four years with two straight losing campaigns. The Hokies were only an average shooting team in 2025-26, though they did rank in the top third of the nation in 3-pointers and 3-point percentage. They had five players average double figures for the season and didn’t turn the ball over much, but had no one to take over the game offensively.
Defensively, Virginia Tech ranked in the bottom half of the country, finishing 194th in defensive rating. The Hokies also struggled to defend the paint and were not a good rebounding team.
Hokies 2026-27 Squad
Virginia Tech has 14 players on its 2026-27 roster, which is one short of the maximum allowed. It seems unlikely that Young intends to add anyone else, especially given that he carried only 14 players last season, three of whom redshirted.
While the Hokies lost three of their top five scorers from a season ago — Toibu Lawal ( Dallas Mavericks second-round pick), Neoklaidis Avdalas (transfer to UNC) and Jailen Bedford — they do return one of their top point producers. Six-foot-8 starting power forward Amari Hansberry leads six returnees and was one of the most consistent rebounders in the ACC.
Hansberry is an outstanding rebounder and efficient scorer who has improved his 3-point shooting. Hansberry is coming off a career season with 14.3 points, 7.4 rebounds (2.3 offensive) and 1.5 steals while posting shooting splits of 49.2/35.4/73.6. He produced eight double-doubles.
Five-foot-11 point guard Ben Hammond figures to be the Hokies’ full-time starter after splitting time as a starter and reserve over the last two seasons. Hammond is an excellent shooter with solid handles and a strong point-of-attack defender. He was second on the Hokies in scoring (13.2 points) while also contributing 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals with shooting splits of 43.8/43.1/86.5.
Tyler Johnson is another one of the Hokies’ top returnees and is a candidate to start on the wing. Johnson, who missed most of conference play with a lower-body injury, is a big, versatile defender, a strong rebounder, and an excellent shooter. He scored in double figures in seven of his 17 contests.
Newcomers
Young brought in nine newcomers, including seven transfers. Kuol Atak, Jaylen Curry,Isaiah Elohim, and Ethan Copeland headline the transfers.
Atak, a former top 135 recruit, is a 6-9 combo forward with real shooting gravity and offensive pop. He averaged 7.0 points and 1.8 threes on 46.5% shooting from the field and 41.3% from the 3-point line in just 12 minutes off the bench at Oklahoma last season. Could start at the three or come off the bench at either the 3 or 4.
Curry is an experienced guard who has stops at Oklahoma State and Massachusetts. He is a true point guard who likes to play with pace, pick-and-rolls, and cause havoc defensively.
Elohim, the consensus No. 46 player in the 2024 class, had a breakout season at FAU after spending his freshman campaign at USC. He projects to be the Hokies’ primary offensive threat and starter at the two. The 6-5 guard averaged 12.4 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 46.5% from the field and 36.8% from the 3-point line.
Copeland is an elite shooter with two-way ability. Copeland was one of the best shooters in A-Sun at Stetson last season, averaging 15.0 points and 3.3 3-pointers with shooting splits of 44.1/42.9/79.4. He tossed in 20 or more points nine times.
Miles Heide projects to start at the 5 for the Hokies after increasing his production each year at San Diego State. The 6-9 forward is an efficient scorer at the rim, an outstanding offensive rebounder, and a capable shot-blocker.
Hokies Projected 2026-27 Rotation
Young typically uses a rotation between seven and eight players. He occasionally will go nine deep.
Starters
PG: Ben Hammond
SG: Isaiah Elohim
SF: Kuol Atak
PF: Armani Hansberry
C: Miles Heide
Bench
6th: Jaylen Curry
7th: Tyler Johnson
8th: Musia Sagnia
9th: Ethan Copeland
10th: Sin’Cere Jones
Deep Bench
11. Solomon Davis
- Ned Hull
-
Eltayeb Eltayeb
-
James Caldarella
Hokies 2026-27 Schedule
Virginia Tech has an interesting 14-game nonconference schedule. The Hokies will host nine of the 14 non-ACC contests, with the biggest one coming against Ole Miss as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Other intriguing games are at West Virginia and on neutral courts against UCF and Iowa. In addition, they will face two of the following teams in the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic: Dayton, Minnesota, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Utah.
In ACC play, Virginia Tech will play a home-and-away series against Virginia and Boston College. The Hokies will also host Clemson, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, SMU, and Syracuse. They will travel to Cal, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Pitt, Stanford, and Wake Forest. Duke is the lone conference foe not on the schedule.
Photo Credit: Bob Donnan, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
More News
Virginia Basketball Preview 2026-27