Spotlight: Hansberry continuing to impress as conference play heats up

BLACKSBURG – Behind a mix of powerful rebounding and skillful touch around the basket, junior Amani Hansberry has mightily contributed to the success of the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team this season. In just 16 appearances, the first-year Hokie has filled the stat sheet with a plethora of impressive performances, oftentimes notching double-doubles with ease against opposing teams. As conference play begins to heat up in the new year, Hokie Nation should be sure to keep their eyes on Hansberry as he continues to take the court in maroon and orange.  

Seventh-year head coach Mike Young and the Tech basketball team announced in April 2025 that Hansberry would be joining the Hokies, the news marking Young’s first spring transfer portal commitment for the 2025-26 season. Hailing from Silver Spring, Md., the 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward would join the team from West Virginia after posting 9.8 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game in his sophomore season.  

“Amani is a fierce competitor and someone who knows how to win,” said Young, speaking on Hansberry after he joined the team this past April. “He brings a rare combination of skills that will give us valuable versatility on both ends of the floor...I look forward to coaching him.” 

Through 16 games played this season, Hokie fans can see firsthand how the true junior has become a force to be reckoned with on the hardwood. Hansberry has excelled on the offensive side of the ball, posting team-highs in points (16.1) and rebounds (9.1) per game while also adding 3.0 assists per game. The 6-foot-8 forward can also stretch the floor with his shooting, as evidenced by a 50.3% percentage from the field and a 30.9% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. 

The Maryland native’s defensive statistics are also nothing to balk at. Hansberry nearly posts a block per contest (0.9), and his 25 steals over 16 matchups sits second on the team. Factor Hansberry’s team-high 518 minutes (32.4 per game) and it becomes clear how the first-year Hokie is making an impact this season. 

Hansberry’s athletic abilities on both sides of the ball have allowed the junior to make history in maroon and orange in the 2025-26 campaign. With an 11-point, 11-rebound finish against Stanford on Jan. 7, the forward notched a fourth consecutive double-double, becoming the first Tech men’s basketball athlete to do so in fifteen years (Jeff Allen, 2011). Hansberry also became the first men’s basketball Hokie to log a double-double in the first three ACCcontests of his career, putting up 36 rebounds and 47 points in the three-game stretch against then-No. 21 Virginia, Wake Forest and Stanford. 

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior’s skill and athleticism will be on full display as Tech continues conference play at SMU on Jan. 14. Be sure to buy tickets to see Hansberry and the Hokies in Cassell Coliseum before the season concludes!