Ricky LaBlue's personal blog
Howdy Hokies, and welcome back to another edition of Monday Mail. We’re hitting the point of the year where there is little news to talk about, but if you dig deep enough you can find some potential nuggets that are actually pivotal moments.
I don’t want to spoil the questions for this week, so let’s get to it.
Continue reading “Monday Mail: Football Culture Turning the Corner, Basketball Recruits and More”
Every solid building and every magnificent structure begins with a foundation. And every foundation begins with a single block.
That’s how Virginia Tech basketball fans need to view this offseason. Rome certainly wasn’t built in a single day, and the new version of Hokies hoops won’t be built that way either. But head coach Mike Young has his first two building blocks in place — forward Landers Nolley and guard Hunter Cattoor.
Welcome back, Hokies. Thank you for patiently waiting on this week’s Monday Mail, which is a day late. I apologize for the delay.
This week’s Monday Mail comes directly after Saturday’s “Spring Game” for the Hokies, which was nothing more than a glorified practice. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance and boy, was I disappointed. It was hard for the crowd to get excited on Saturday, thanks to the choppiness of the practice format and lack of exciting plays.
Nonetheless, Tech’s spring practice schedule is nearing its close, so it’s time to take stock of what we’ve got right now. Let’s get into your questions this week.
Continue reading “Monday Mail: A Not-So-Exciting Spring ‘Game’ for Virginia Tech”
When Whit Babcock settled on hiring Buzz Williams in 2014, Babcock was fulfilling two main objectives — ignite a lackadaisical basketball fanbase and bring in a mercenary head coach who could get the program to a competitive level.
This time around, things are different. Babcock’s two main objectives in this year’s coaching search, as I see them, were finding a coach who can build upon Williams’ recent success and a coach who could maintain the fanbase’s current level of excitement.
Continue reading “Mike Young Represents Whit Babcock’s Biggest Gamble at Virginia Tech Thus Far”
March 21, 2014 was the beginning of the greatest era of Virginia Tech men’s basketball. With the program on life support, director of athletics Whit Babcock dug deep into the Hokies’ pockets to hire Marquette head coach Buzz Williams.
Williams arrived in Blacksburg to all sorts of pomp and circumstance. A press conference in Cassell Coliseum was held for Williams to be introduced. It was the beginning of an precarious pact in which Williams and Babcock gave each other something they wanted.
Continue reading “Buzz Williams’ Uneasy Alliance With Virginia Tech Reaches Predictable End”
Normally, it would be hard to justify retiring a few jerseys from a period that netted just three NCAA Tournament appearances and one Sweet 16 berth. But for Virginia Tech, the case can be made with some ease.
For nearly two decades, Virginia Tech men’s basketball was on life support. Between 1996-97 and 2014-15, the Hokies made exactly one NCAA Tournament appearance and only four NIT appearances. Three head coaches failed to take the Hokies to the Big Dance and the only one that did, Seth Greenberg, seemingly underachieved during his tenure and left the program in tatters in 2012.
Has any position been as underwhelming as running back over the last few seasons for Virginia Tech?
Here’s a list of Virginia Tech’s leading running backs from 2003-2011: Kevin Jones, Mike Imoh, Cedric Humes, Branden Ore (twice), Darren Evans (twice), Ryan Williams and David Wilson.
Among that group are five 1,000-yard rushers and a few players who made it to the NFL. Virginia Tech’s backs may have never received a lot of national attention, but the program churned out productive starters nearly every season.
Continue reading “An Abundance of Options Offers No Guarantee for Virginia Tech at Running Back”
Welcome back, folks! Spring is dawning on most of the country and especially so here in Virginia, where the Hokies are preparing for spring football and a potential NCAA Tournament run.
With so much going on, we’re due for a Monday Mail column. So let’s dive into your questions.
Very few positions on Virginia Tech’s depth chart are settled. The uncertainty stretches to both sides of the ball and it hits nearly every single position group.
Virginia Tech’s 2019 spring practices will go a long way in settling some of the uncertainty. It’s doubtful that it will solve any of Tech’s roster questions, but we should learn a bit about what kind of Virginia Tech team we’ll see next season.
Continue reading “Five Position Battles Facing Virginia Tech Football This Spring”
Football is back, Hokies!
Well, not really. Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente hosted his first spring football press conference last, answering questions about the team’s personnel, his thoughts on the transfer portal and more.
Here are my biggest takeaways from Tech’s media availability and some of the bigger headlines surrounding the Hokies as they approach spring practice.
Continue reading “Virginia Tech Preparing for Pivotal Spring Practice Slate”