Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 14 No. 3 | December 2021

GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER By Jackson Didlake When Storm Murphy put his name in the transfer portal last March, he left the gym and already had a missed call. It was Mike Young. Murphy called him back immediately and the two caught up, picking up right where they left off from their time together at Wofford. “I had hoped he wanted to play another year of college basketball,” Young said. “I said, ‘You have an opportunity here to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, to get the band back together again.’” Murphy entered the portal on Monday afternoon. On Saturday night, Young was driving to downtown Blacksburg when his phone rang. It was Murphy, letting Young know he wanted to join him. The pitch was much the same from when he committed to Wofford. Murphy knew it was a place he would fit into the family culture that Young had created with a tight-knit group of guys. He could come right in and play a lot at point guard, but most of all, Murphy knew how much Young wanted him. The two had a good relationship at Wofford, which Murphy credits a lot due to knowing what Young wanted out of his point guard. “I’ve always taken pride in being a coach’s player and really helping the program,” Murphy said. “I think doing that helped our relationship.” Murphy called being a point guard “an extension of Coach [Young]” and that’s why he strives to be an excellent communicator and leader as the Hokies’ floor general. “I’ve always been a vocal guy, social, and trying to create a good culture and chemistry within a team,” Murphy said. “I think I’ve really found my voice here now and I’ve been able to click with the guys.” Virginia Tech was the spot that made a ton of sense for Storm, not having to learn a new system and being able to reunite with Young and Keve Aluma, a former Wofford teammate. “I knew I didn’t want to learn a new system,” he said. “Coming here, the familiarity was everything.” Murphy was given an opportunity to go to a place where he already knew the play calls, the spots on defense, the rotations, and everything that his coach wanted from him before ever stepping on campus. “I think we checked every box he was looking for,” Young said. “I think he saw it as an incredibly comfortable landing pad. We haven’t changed the way we coach or how we play.” Continued on page 10 8 Inside Hokie Sports