Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 4 | March 2019

inside.hokiesports.com 11 There had been many in their lives—together and long before they got to Blacksburg. But now, an old companion of Virginia Tech basketball returned. People underestimated them. Again, only those outside of their own building. Their first game without their quarterback came at NC State, a hostile environment and home to a top-25 team. The Hokies dressed seven players. While clearly working through their new reality on the offensive end, Tech suffocated the Pack. The Hokies allowed a mere 24 points for the entire game. They became a part of history, holding State to the lowest offensive output for a ranked team in the shot clock era. My heart raced that day. It wasn’t the usual anxiety of a close game, but more adrenaline and pride. The togetherness that the remaining players showcased that day in Raleigh was something I had never witnessed. Robinson displayed a smile on his face as he became another coach on the floor and then while dancing in a walking boot during the final seconds. I emotionally tweeted after the game that, in all my years of calling games, I had never been prouder to be associated with a group. Not because they won, but because of how they competed together. Reflecting back, I feel that way more now than then. It was remarkable. The Hokies stumbled in their next two, as they continued to embrace their new roles and identity. The doubt continued from the outside, but the selflessness and determination continued to flow forth from inside. Alexander-Walker, one of the most gifted talents in the country, put on a blue collar and ground through games, oftentimes as the primary ball-handler content to create for others. Blackshear emerged as the focal point through which Tech ran literally everything, showcasing a skillset that seemed to surprise some. Hill reinvented himself as a defensive stopper and continued in his role as transition flyer. Outlaw did every bit as much damage on the glass as with his jump shot. Wilkins precociously blossomed with timely steals, rebounds and shots that represented the difference in more than one game. And Kabongo used his fresh legs and enthusiasm to inject energy at the most critical times. All the while, Bede bore the brunt of the expectation that comes with replacing someone special, and played with a poise that quite frankly made me emotional at times. Adrenaline and pride. Observers continued to gripe that the Hokies lacked the flair they had with Robinson on the floor. Maybe, but those observers missed the larger point. In a way, this was more impressive, just the watching of a metamorphosis possession by possession. Being able to witness the process by which it took place was a privilege I will never forget. The symmetry between the ways the staff created scenarios to put the guys in the best possible spots was elite. The execution by the guys was beyond that. By the time the new-look Hokies beat No. 3 Duke for their program- record 11th ACC win, you couldn’t help but be swept away. Virginia Tech stared down adversity and came away stronger. As assistant coach Jamie McNeilly told me, “They have earned the right to win games at the end of the season … it doesn’t mean that we will, but they have earned that right.” It couldn’t be truer. The Hokies not only salvaged what appeared to be a bleak situation, but they got better and hardened themselves in the process. It is still fragile, all of it. In the most positive way. Old perceptions about what is possible. Fragile. Limitations. Fragile. The possibilities. Let your mind wander. Two months ago, I wrote about not being able to predict what was ahead for this truly special group. And had I tried to guess, it wouldn’t have done justice to what transpired. As the team prepares to embark on the madness of March, there is still no sense in guessing where it will go or how it will end. Only a calloused group remains, one better for the scars they display and having earned the opportunities that wait for them. And all that remains for us is gratitude for the journey and appreciation for whom they are more so than what they have and may yet accomplish. And in that there continues to be fragility … and beauty.