By Jimmy Robertson
BLACKSBURG – Those who love the history of Virginia Tech Athletics, and specifically Virginia Tech men's basketball, probably enjoyed listening to Mike Young on Monday morning.
He recited the starting lineup of the 1973 NIT championship team. He threw out names like Allan Bristow, Charlie Thomas, Craig Lieder and Don DeVoe and talked about how Bristow used to leave tickets for him and his dad to come to games. He pointed out places where he and his dad used to sit in Cassell Coliseum and watch the Hokies take on the likes of Memphis and Louisville during the Metro Conference days.
"As I look around, I think of all the big games I've seen in here through the years, and so help me goodness, I have felt this building shake on a number of occasions," Young said. "And to be standing over there [pointing to the Tech bench] as your basketball coach for a long time is meaningful to me. I'm so excited I can't stand it."
Young said those exact words at a news conference at Cassell Coliseum on Monday morning, one which introduced him to Hokie Nation as the new head coach of the men's basketball program. He comes to Tech from Wofford, a small school in Spartanburg, South Carolina where he has spent the past 30 seasons, including the final 17 as the head coach. He guided Wofford to five NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 10 years, earning conference coach of the year honors on four occasions and amassing a 299-244 record as the head coach.
The news conference featured a lot of questions about Young's Southwest Virginia ties, and he played up those, referring to landing the Tech job a "mountaintop experience." He gave a shout-out to former football coach Frank Beamer, who sat in attendance, and paid homage to former legendary high school football coach Norm Lineburg, a relative who also was in attendance. He made sure to single out former longtime Fork Union basketball coach Fletcher Arritt, who coached Young for a season, and his college coach, Bob Johnson, who passed away in 2009 after a battle with cancer.
Young, a graduate of Emory & Henry, displayed a nice wit Monday, saying his team went to Chapel Hill, "forget the name of the university, and won down there in late December" – a reference to Wofford's stunning win at the Dean Dome last season over the then-No. 5 Tar Heels. He referenced Tech's trip to Maui next November, saying he had only been to the "Claytor Lake Invitational." He showed an "aw shucks" Southwest Virginia charm that, for sure, is going to appeal to the Tech fan base.
Rest assured, though, Whit Babcock is paying for the former and not the latter. Tech's Director of Athletics hired the guy because he has beaten the Tar Heels, Auburn, Cincinnati, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, NC State, Wake Forest, and South Carolina (a few times) over the course of his coaching career.
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Using incredible 3-point shooting – the Terriers ranked second nationally in 3-point field-goal percentage (41.4) – they went 30-5 this past season, winning the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament game against Seton Hall. Wofford played an exciting brand of basketball, ranking in the top 20 nationally in both scoring offense and field-goal percentage.
More importantly, Young's accomplishments occurred at one of America's smallest schools (enrollment: approximately 1,700) and toughest situations, an institution lacking the resources of an ACC school like Virginia Tech.
So in other words, Young's Southwest Virginia ties … well, they were not a part of the decision.
"I have no doubt that he can make that jump [from coaching in the Southern Conference to the ACC], or certainly it's an educated decision," Babcock said. "The coaching, I don't think you can question at all, [or] the winning and not being intimidated because he's beaten those guys. Let's give somebody who has done it the right way for a long time the resources and let him get after it and see what he can do.
"The local flavor was a nice touch, but that was not a driver here."
A small group of fans panned the hire for a variety of reasons. Some of that stems from the Buzz Williams effect, as the former head coach displayed a big personality during his five seasons before heading off to Texas A&M last week, and he won, too. Some of the negativity also comes from the names being carelessly tossed out by media members and Twitter world, fueling ridiculous expectations (Jay Wright, really?).
In addition, Young's age was a talking point, but 55 hardly means one is ready for assisted living. Consider this: 11 coaches in the Sweet 16 are older than Young, including the likes of Bruce Pearl (Auburn), John Calipari (Kentucky), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Kelvin Sampson (Houston), Roy Williams (UNC) and Coach K (Duke).
Also, consider this: Bill Foster was 55 when he took the Virginia Tech job in 1991. That worked out pretty well. He led the Hokies to an NIT title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in six seasons.
"I think he still has the energy and the drive to do it, and there was something that appealed to his loyalty and this being a dream job," Babcock said. "It was for me. I thought that was great. I thought he interviewed outstanding."
"This is a step up for Mike Young," Young admitted. "We've won a lot of games at a great level, and we've beaten the North Carolina's and Purdue, but this is a different animal. I do feel a sense of a challenge and something to prove and that will be my intention every day to build toward that today, tomorrow, next week, into next year with our current team."
Talent acquisition, not age, will be the determining factor in Young's future successes. He inherits a challenging situation, as Tech's roster lost three seniors, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker made known his intentions to declare for the NBA Draft. Two other players placed their names into the NCAA's transfer portal as well.
Young planned to meet with each player individually Monday afternoon and to assemble his staff quickly – preferably before the dead period in recruiting ends Thursday at noon. He said he already had put together a detailed plan for recruiting, with the Commonwealth being a prime emphasis as well as the Mid-Atlantic, Atlanta and Florida.
"It all comes back to the same thing," Young said. "It comes back to having the right people, high-character guys, and getting your feet on the ground and working at it. That's my intention, and I'm excited about doing that."
For sure, Monday morning proved one thing. Mike Young knows all about Virginia Tech's history. Now, he's playing the most important role in both Virginia Tech's present and future, and he's finally at the place where he always wanted to be – home.