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10

Inside Hokie Sports

Coach Buzz Williams is different than

anyone I’ve ever met. I could not possibly

state that with more admiration. He is not a

saint, and he is not perfect. He would be the

first to tell you that. He is, however, the perfect

patriarch for the basketball family he has

tethered together in Blacksburg.

He describes his own mind as chaotic and

maniacally pursues improvement—in both

himself and those around him. Participation in

the pursuit is not a passive exercise, and the

buy-in demanded is all encompassing. Most

lack that will, and that’s the point. Life is, in

fact, intentionally difficult. The method to the

madness and the genius in the process isn’t

easily identified, but it is there.

The collective investment has led Tech to

its best regular season in seven years and into

postseason play for a second straight season.

I thought I’d take a crack at explaining what

makes the family function so fluidly.

Through this column, and I hope our

broadcasts, you will notice that I am

emotionally invested in this family. I make no

apologies for that, as Coach has allowed me

to narrate from the inside. I forever will be

grateful for the privilege.

“I sweat because I love my guys,” Williams

said.

Coach made that statement following a

tightly contested loss at Louisville. It struck

me as the best shorthand explanation of

the program’s success and his motivational

style. I’m in the business of catchy slogans,

but this wasn’t meant to be one. Coach is the

first to declare that nothing starts with him.

The stories of his guys are the story, but what

gets missed is that those stories have been

woven together by him—carefully curated,

the culmination bred in his blue-collar image.

Start with love of your family, work your butt

off, and never let either wane.

During the battle with the Cardinals, Coach

had perspired through his dress shirt in the

first half. He came back for the second half in

a t-shirt. In this moment, his apparel didn’t

register in his thought process. He was busy

digging—sweating for his guys. His team was

doing the same for him. That reciprocation is

absolute. It has to be.

Coach doesn’t have the basketball bloodlines

that most of his adversaries possess. Neither

do the people around him. That isn’t an

accident. He operates with a motivating chip

on his shoulder, firmly in place from years

of wedging his way into the picture, while

others insisted he didn’t belong. As a result, he

remains fiercely loyal to those who gave him

opportunities, and extremely selective as to

whom he gives opportunities. Those whom he

has are OKGs (Our Kind of Guys/Gals).

As Coach says, it starts with the kids. The

senior leaders are Zach LeDay and Seth Allen.

Each committed when “there was no evidence

to suggest they should do so.” They bought

in on faith. Cemented as stars, they remain

selfless enough to enter games as reserves, but

tough enough to carry the team on their backs

when the situation demands.

LeDay,

the

undersized

big,

gets

characterized as “a Ford F-150 with Cadillac

Escalade numbers.” That’s Coach-speak for

dependability without flash, swagger without

conventional style. Allen, a combustible spark

plug of a scorer whose magnetic personality

dominates the marquee, was deemed “the

best closer in college basketball” by ESPN’s

Anish Shroff and “a turnover machine” by

Coach—the latter playfully reminding the

player of the need for continued improvement.

Swingmen Ahmed Hill and Justin Bibbs

live together. The competition for the top

smile on the team goes through their dwelling.

They possess enough wattage to illuminate

a room, many times after their jump shot

has lit up an arena. Vastly different paths led

them to Blacksburg, but they toted a similar

foundation laid by parental influences. Hill

committed to Coach before Tech and stayed

true to the path despite a geographical detour

from the Midwest to the mountains. Bibbs, a

commitment to the previous regime, witnessed

the work and grabbed a shovel. Each possesses

an artistic soul and a personal flair. “Bibbs is

beautiful,” Coach says flatly, and “Med is the

hardest worker on the team.”

Ty Outlaw is a walking life lesson in

handling adversity. Waylaid on his journey to

the college basketball big-time with stops at

UNC Greensboro and junior college, he never

wavered. He finally arrived in basketball Oz

only to discover his heart wouldn’t allow him

to play, let alone sweat. He smiled and waited.

He recently exploited his opportunity, which

came in the least desirable fashion—a season-

ending injury to teammate Chris Clarke.

Clarke, the most athletically gifted player on

the roster, sincerely cheers for Outlaw. Clarke

knows he will be an irreplaceable part of the

puzzle in the next phase, and Outlaw is grateful

to fit perfectly into the adjusted picture.

Justin Robinson, nicknamed “Five” because

of his jersey number, has evolved into the

team’s floor general, as Coach imagined when

he made his first recruiting visit as the Head

Hokie. He possesses a disarming wit combined

with a lethal handle. Freshman Khadim Sy

with

Jon

Laaser

The Method

Leading to the Madness

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