The A-10 is just a stop off for these notorious NIT participants and you may ask why do these leagues keep inviting them in?  Well, you see the Techsters have a prosperous football program and that is their selling point and it usually works.  After they saw the ACC was more than willing to welcome in Florida State with open arms  due to their success in football the Hokies now had a template to follow to get there.  Frank Broyles is well on his way of establishing this program at that kind of level and any conference would love to have them but before the ACC asks them to join this basketball program has to escape the perception that they are nothing more than an NIT school.  Will they be able to do that here?  Well, be careful what you ask for because the Techsters might be in for quite a surprise if they think they are going to walk in and dominate this vastly underrated league.  You see the A-10 might not have the Georgetowns or St. John’s or Louisville’s (which I think the Cardinals were glad to be away from the Hokies as V Tech had a way of upsetting them in big games way more than you would think they would) but it does have some damn solid programs with those Philly schools being the vanguard.  More importantly the league in this time of growth (for lack of a better term) is adding five new schools, all of whom have had some success in D-1 basketball.  They are losing two big time programs in West Virginia and Rutgers in this never ending game of musical chairs as they joined the Big East, a path the Techsters would not be immune to taking in the near future if it gets them closer to their ultimate goal.  Of those five new schools the Hokies have just as good of chance of upsetting the apple cart here as Coach Charlie Moir has a solid nucleus of players and could have as good of group of shooters as any team in the country.  Seriously!  When you shoot the ball from long-range as good as Virginia Tech does you can beat anybody on a given night as seen by some of their big-time upsets in the past but on the flip side when you have a fundamental lack of height (and to some degree speed) on a team you can do just the opposite to teams with lesser talent.  Will this be another NIT year where the Techsters surprise some bigger teams with a crazy run (winning four games by a total of five points will live in infamy around Blacksburg) or perhaps make the bigger step and get to the Big Dance again where they have not had near as much luck!  Then again in this competitive league the Hokies are going to have to do more than turn themselves around to keep up with the great dancers (and big men) of this conference. 

The Hokies do have one dominant big man who has been the anchor for this program since he left the Kanawha Valley (he went to Charleston High).  Once he stepped foot into Blacksburg four years ago Smith was the BMOC for the Gobblers with his square jawed 6’6 inch frame and his incredible ability to grab rebounds in volumes the like of much bigger and more renowned men would be proud of.  Smith or the ‘Human Pogo Stick’ as he has been dubbed is inch for inch the best board guy in the country and though his offensive game is nothing special (he gets a bunch of putbacks and dunks) he has been the focal point of whoever this team is playing since he walked onto the court at Cassell Coliseum!  He doesn’t mind the attention and loves being the man but he did not come to Charlottesville with only basketball on his mind.  This kid is going to be an engineer and no matter how high he gets drafted after this year he will not being going to the Pros-he has already made that clear.  But before he does that this man amongst boys has one goal and that is get this team to the Big Dance as personal goals and glory mean nothing to Smith-it is all about the competition and helping his team win.  Too bad because this kid is something special and if the ‘Hokies’ were a smart program (they are not) they would be promoting the heck out of this incredible (and yes he fits this moniker) student-athlete! 

On the other end of the spectrum at least as far as basketball skill set in Junior forward Allan Bristow.  ‘Disco’ is the heart and soul of this team and he does have one thing in common with Smith-they are two of the most cerebral guys on the team-but Bristow is all about basketball and Smith of course is not!  The 6’7 forward has all of the skills to be an all time great-he has a sweet jump shot, can get in and get dirty with the big boys and is one of the best passers in the country that is not a point guard.  If he had half of Smith’s physical strength and athleticism (and a little bit more foot speed) he would be dangerous.  Even without that Bristow is the best all-around player on this team (right now) and if he gets it going with his sometimes inconsistent shooting stroke he could carry this team along way. 

Speaking of shooting Moir has plenty of choices at the two guard (and the one and three) to bombard their opponents with incoming long-range shots.  Senior Glen ‘the Kentucky Rifle’ and Sophomore Dell Curry will vie for the starting lineup but either way Moir chooses he has a guy that can flat light it up from the perimeter and the other guy will be instand offense off the bench.  Combs can play a bit of the point and might get some minutes there to get him and Curry in the lineup at the same time because as his nickname can attest this kid can flat let it fly and will from anywhere.  He should start the year at the two with Curry coming off the bench primarily due to seniority and like Bristow he can carry this team for a while when he gets going.  Curry is a bit more of a defender and has more of a complete game as he led the team in steals his freshmen year here and though he is not exactly lockdown on defense gets the job done on both ends.  Mori is in good hands with either guy and he knows this.  Now who is going to get them the ball? 

Sophomore Vernel ‘Bimbo’ Coles (man this team loves it’s nicknames) showed in his first year he has the goods to be the Quarterback of this team.  Let’s not think of him as Brady though but more like Michael Vick (without the stupidity)as though Coles can (and does at times) set up his teammates with nice little dimes he is just as likely to take the ball and go the distance solo.  Coles can flat get to the hoop and has a great pullup game but he would be better suited setting up his teammates more often especially when you are surrounded with these kind of shooters.  Don’t get me wrong Bimbo can pass and might be as good as there is as kicking it out to the open three man but he just needs to do it more often and count on these terrific shooters to hit the shot.  Either way this is Bimbo’s team now and the Hokies success is more on his shoulders than anyone else on this roster! 

The final starting spot is an open battle between Sophomore Dale Solomon and junior Duke Thorpe for the power forward spot.  Solomon is a six eight 220 pound skilled low post maestro.  He is equal part strength and toughness and swirling moves to the basket plus a nice mid-range touch.  He is by far the best low post offensive option and he had a terrific first year in Blacksburg.  He almost for sure will start but Thorpe is a big time banger who gives the team a more workman like player with more skills around basket.  Thorpe, though just a tad smaller at 6’6, is better on the boards and on defense and does not take a bad shot (heck, he does not shoot outside of five feet) but he is nowhere near as good on the blocks and this team needs some offense down low so Solomon will start and should get the majority of the minutes. 

Moir should have a solid bench especially on the wings as there are more great shooters waiting in the dare I say it wings waiting to show they too can let it fly. Seniors Bucky Keller and Ronnie ‘the Spider’ Perry (yes that’s his nickname and we don’t why because he does not at all look like a spider) and Loyd King are three more guys who can let it fly and will get some minutes.  None of these guys is exactly the next coming of David Thompson athletically so they do have limits but they are gamers and will surprise you how hard they will compete.  Fellow Seniors Sumner Tilson, Bill Matthews, Bob Ayersman and Howard Pardue and Junior Wayne Robinson are the best bets for minutes up front and I would lean toward Robinson here.  Tilson (yes, his family owns a plantation), Matthews and Ayersman are only six four and though once an important part of this are battling for leftover minutes.  Matthews is a ridiculous board man ala Smith but is not big enough to defend the Laniers or even the Finkels of this league.  Pardue is six seven and though he can score he, like Perry and Keller, is not exactly going to match up with the likes of Julius Erving and Micheal Brooks physically.  And those are small forwards, not the beasts that roam the paint in this league though I will say the lack of size it at least manageable here.  If they would have went to the Big East of Conference USA with those crazy big front lines this team would be in serious trouble.  Robinson will play though as he can defend and board some and is a bit bigger and a heck of a lot more athletic.  There are a couple of terrific athletes on the wings who could give this team a lift, in more ways than one.  Junior Les Henson and sophomore Perry Young are a pair of studs who, though green, have a shot of helping this team run with the studs in this league.  Henson is infamous for hitting an 89 foot prayer as time expired to beat Florida State in the Hokies last game against their template team and forever football rivals.  This might be the last time these two teams play on the court and Henson will never have to buy a beer in Blacksburg but he can also play.  Young has even more upside and gives this team something it does not have.  Athleticism.  But Moir better be bringing in some more of his kind if he wants to keep up with them Philly schools. 

The schedule is tougher than it was in the Metro and as an Indy so not having a deep bench could hurt as they attempt to climb the totem pole here in the A-10 quickly like they did back in the Metro (of course they could not keep that going for long term which is a problem with this program).  They do have some old foes who they have a bit of a chip on their shoulder about especially the Flyers of Dayton who knocked them out of the BD many moons ago when both were fledgling Indies trying to get a shot at the title which in this case meant the big bears themselves in UCLA (and not Nirvana which is cool too).  Most of the rest of out of league games will be against local teams (primarily their Commonwealth brethren) and some ACC schools and they continue their mission to try and break into that clubhouse.  But this year will be determined by how well they do against their new A-10 brethren especially those three schools from the City of Brotherly Love and this program has the horses to compete at least their starting five.  But will this bench be able to hang with athletes it seems every school in this conference seems to have about three deep of especially and this hurts wing defenders.  WE shall see.  But with Curry and the Spider leading the way the bench is in good shape at least two spots deep but finding some more size (when your biggest player in your rotation is 6’8 that is a problem even in the A-10).  Perhaps some more quickness and ballhandling in the back court wouldn’t hurt but the one team this program does not lack is shooting.  The Hokies will live and die by their ability to hit perimeter shots and when they do lose games they will just get up and turn themselves around and that’s what it’s all about!