Virginia Tech’s Mike Young joins elite company with 400th career victory

In a milestone victory on January 29, 2025, Virginia Tech's men's basketball team prevailed over Florida State, 76-66, marking head coach Mike Young's 400th career win. This significant achievement underscores Young's enduring impact on college basketball, highlighting his leadership and strategic acumen.

Young's coaching journey began at his alma mater, Emory & Henry, in 1986 as an assistant coach, followed by one season at Radford as a graduate assistant in 1988-89. Then, Young embarked on a 30-year career at Wofford, where he served as head coach for 17 seasons, amassing 299 wins and leading the Terriers to multiple NCAA tournament appearances.

Since taking the helm at Virginia Tech in 2019, he has continued to build a legacy of success, culminating in this recent milestone. The victory over Florida State not only added a significant chapter to Young's storied career but also showcased the team's resilience and growth under his guidance. As the Hokies look ahead, Young's 400th win stands as a testament to his dedication and the promising future of Virginia Tech basketball.

Four hundred career wins is an impressive feat, but there are multiple games that stood out among the rest in Young’s impressive career.

First Career Win: Nov. 26, 2002 vs. Emmanuel College (80-54)

Under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Young, the Terriers posted their best season since transitioning to Division I with a 14-15 record.

Young’s first career win was a season-opening thumping of Emmanuel College, where the Terriers had 12 steals leading to 33 points off turnovers.

100th Career Win: Jan. 9, 2010 at Elon (72-55)

By his ninth season at Wofford, Young started to build a powerhouse. It was a historic season for him and the program.

Young hit his 100th career win milestone in the middle of the season with a win over Elon, 72-55, en route to winning the SoCon Coach of the Year and the Hugh Durham National Coach of Year. He steered the Terriers to a 26-9 record along with their first-ever SoCon regular season and tournament championships, as well as their inaugural NCAA tournament appearance in 2010.

The following season, Young was able to guide the Terriers back to the SoCon regular season and tournament championships, culminating with a trip to their second straight NCAA tournament.

200th Career Win: Jan. 5, 2015 at Chattanooga (68-64)

Leading Wofford to dominance in the SoCon, Young secured his 200th career win during a season in which he guided the Terriers to a remarkable 28-7 record, including a 16-2 mark in conference play. 

Under his guidance, Wofford claimed both the SoCon regular season and tournament championships and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.

Young earned SoCon Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.

First Career NCAA Tournament Win; No. 299: March 21, 2019 vs. Seton Hall (84-68)

In his final season at Wofford, Young led the Terriers to a historic 30-5 record—the best in school history—while achieving a perfect 18-0 mark in conference play.

Wofford secured both the SoCon regular season and tournament championships, earning its fifth trip to the NCAA tournament. Entering as a program-best No. 7 seed, the Terriers faced No. 10 seed Seton Hall and claimed their first-ever NCAA tournament victory with a dominant 84-68 win in Jacksonville, Fla.

Reflecting on his career at Wofford, Young finished with a 299-244 record, four SoCon regular season championships, five SoCon tournament titles, five NCAA tournament appearances, four SoCon coach of the year awards, the Hugh Durham Award and the Sporting News Men’s College Basketball Coach of the Year honor.

First Win at Tech; 300th Career Win: Nov. 5, 2019 at Clemson (67-60)

In his first game with the Hokies, Young led his new team to a 67-60 win on the road versus ACC foe Clemson.

The win over the Tigers was just the start of Young’s career in Blacksburg, but clinched his 300th career victory.

The Hokies won the game behind redshirt freshman Landers Nolley’s 30-point performance, which is a Hokie record for most points by a freshman in their collegiate debut.

Down Goes Sparta; No. 305: Nov. 25, 2019 vs. Michigan State (71-66)

In the 2019 Maui Invitational, the Hokies faced off against the No. 3 team in the country in the Michigan State Spartans.

The Hokies secured a 71-66 win over the Spartans, led by five players scoring in double figures. Defensively, the Hokies forced 16 turnovers leading to 20 points off those turnovers.

This marked the first ranked opponent win in Young’s Tech career, and the program’s first win over a top-five nonconference team since 1964.

ACC Champs; No. 353: March 12, 2022 vs. Duke (82-67)

The Hokies entered the ACC tournament as the No. 7 seed – needing to win four games in four straight days to claim the championship. 

Their tournament run began with an overtime thriller against Clemson, where Darius Maddox delivered a game-winning buzzer-beater to lead Tech to a one-point victory (76-75).

Next up was Notre Dame, and the Hokies secured an 87-80 win, fueled by five players scoring in double figures.

In the semifinals, they faced No. 24 North Carolina, dominating the Tar Heels, 72-59, behind a 20-point explosion from Maddox.

Finally, in the ACC title game, the Hokies took on No. 7 and top-seeded Duke, led by legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski in his final ACC tournament appearance. Tech, led by Hunter Cattoor’s stellar performance, overwhelmed the Blue Devils with an 82-67 triumph—the largest win margin of the tournament. Cattoor’s 31-point masterpiece earned him ACC Tournament MVP honors.

Young cemented himself amongst the Virginia Tech basketball greats, winning the program’s first-ever ACC tournament title and leading the Hokies back to the NCAA tournament for the second time in his tenure.

100 Wins at Virginia Tech; No. 399: Jan. 15, 2025 vs. NC State (79-76)

Trailing by 15 points at one stage, the Hokies mounted an impressive comeback against a formidable Wolfpack team to clinch Young’s 100th win at Virginia Tech.

The charge was led by the dynamic trio of Tobi Lawal, Jaden Schutt and Ben Burnham. Lawal posted a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Schutt added 17 points and Burnham contributed 12 points.

With just 2.3 seconds remaining and the deficit trimmed to one, Schutt was fouled and sent to the free-throw line. He sank both shots to give the Hokies a one-point lead. On the ensuing possession, Burnham intercepted the Wolfpack's inbound pass and delivered a game-sealing dunk, clinching the three-point victory and Young's milestone win.

400th Career Win: Jan. 29, 2025 at Florida State (76-66)

Behind Lawal’s fourth double-double of the season (17 points and career-high 13 rebounds) and a strong first half, defensively, the Hokies secured Young’s 400th career win 76-66 at Florida State. Schutt added 16 points on 7 for 8 shooting from the foul line.

Young became the third active ACC men’s basketball head coach to reach the milestone and ranks 35th nationally in active career wins.

After finishing their second of two consecutive road games at Virginia on Feb. 1, the Hokies will welcome the SMU Mustangs for an in-conference matchup on Feb. 5. While the contest is sold out, fans interested in seeing Hammond and the Hokies should be sure to visit SeatGeek, the official fan-to-fan marketplace of Virginia Tech Athletics. You won’t want to miss this exciting matchup!