Spotlight: Men’s basketball’s international players continuing to make impact

BLACKSBURG – Arriving from locations across the world, the international athletes on this year’s Virginia Tech men’s basketball team – Neoklis Avdalas, Antonio Dorn and Tobi Lawal – have been key contributors to the squad’s 8-2 start to the season. The trio, which contains a unique blend of defensive presence and offensive firepower, has continued to dazzle on both sides of the court while lifting the team to thrilling victories on a nightly basis. With much of the season still left to come for the Hokies, Tech fans should be sure to keep their eyes peeled for the team’s international stars as they continue to shine.  

Born in Athens, Greece but raised in Kalamata, Neoklis Avdalas has placed the Hokies in both a national and international spotlight. Standing at 6-foot-9, 215 pounds, Avdalas finds himself in Blacksburg after spending a pair of seasons alongside AS Karditsas (2023-24) and Peristeri BC (2024-25) in Greece’s HEBA A1 league. Against top talent in what is Greece’s highest tier of basketball competition, the guard averaged 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in just 18.5 minutes per game over 26 matchups. Avdalas also produced impressive shooting splits during his time in Greece, shooting 43.6% from the field, 35.7% from beyond the arc and 70.3% at the free throw line.  

Basketball is a family business for Avdalas. His father, Dimitris Avdalas, also made professional appearances as a player for Aris B.C. and Sporting B.C. during his time on the hardwood. While a member of the latter, Dimitris Avdalas would play in an exhibition against the Hokies, posting four points in the contest on Nov. 12, 1991. Further, Neoklis Avdalas’s brother, Giannos, also spent time on the floor, posting 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while competing with Panathinaikos B.C. U18 in 2021-22.  

Northwest from Kalamata is Hamburg, Germany the hometown of 7-foot Tech center Dorn. While this is Dorn’s first year in maroon and orange, the German athlete spent the past two seasons with Bozic Estriche Knights Kirchheim in Germany’s second division of basketball competition. In his second of two seasons in 2024-25, Dorn posted 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds a contest. The current Hokie also spent time as a representative for Germany during competition in the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship.  

Lawal finds himself in his second year on the Hokies after spending a pair of seasons at VCU. Prior to his arrival in Virginia, however, the London, England product was posting 14.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, three blocks and two steals while shooting 67% from the floor as a student in Lee Academy in 2021-22. The preparatory program, which has worked with international athletes from over 20 countries, was the 6-foot-8 forward’s second stop after first starting with the City of London Academy.  

Now sitting at an 8-2 record through ten games, the Hokies have found success behind the efforts of the international trio. Avdalas, Dorn and Lawal have all contributed mightily to the team’s success, including the team’s impressive 6-0 start.  

In ten starts this year, Avdalas is shooting at a 42.2% clip from the floor and a 34.7% accuracy from beyond the arc. His 12.9 points, 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game come from lengthy efforts, as his 30.6 minutes per game puts the guard as only one of four Tech men’s basketball players with 30 or more minutes per game. Avdalas’s 33-point, five-rebound and six-assist spectacle against Providence at a neutral site was in just the second game of the season, giving the international star ACC Co-Rookie and Co-Player of the Week awards. 

Alongside Avdalas are Dorn and Lawal, the former appearing in eight games while the latter has starred in six. Dorn, who has three starts, is contributing 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Lawal has been sidelined with a foot injury, but the London native is averaging a career-best 12.8 points and 10.3 rebounds as well as 1.7 blocks per game.  

With plenty of the 2025-26 campaign left to go, there’s still time to see the Hokies at Cassell Coliseum. Be sure to purchase single-game tickets in order to get in on the action!