Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 5 | May 2019

18 Inside Hokie Sports He pointed out places in the Coliseum where he and his dad used to sit and watch the Hokies take on the likes of Memphis and Louisville during the old Metro Conference days. “As I look around, I think of all the big games I’ve seen in here through the years, and so help me goodness, I have felt this building shake on a number of occasions,” Young said. “And to be standing over there [pointing to the Tech bench] as your basketball coach for a long time is meaningful to me. I’m so excited I can’t stand it.” Young displayed a nice wit, saying his team went to Chapel Hill, and “[I] forget the name of the university, and won down there in late December”—a reference to Wofford’s stunning win at the Dean Dome last season over the then- No. 5 Tar Heels. He referenced Tech’s trip to Maui next November, saying he had only been to the “Claytor Lake Invitational.” He showed an “aw shucks” Southwest Virginia charm that, for sure, will appeal to the Tech fan base. Rest assured, though, Babcock is paying for the former and not the latter. Tech’s AD hired the guy because he has beaten other ACC and SEC schools over the course of his coaching career, including a 20-point win over South Carolina in Columbia this past season. So in other words, Young’s Southwest Virginia ties … well, they were not a part of the decision. “I have no doubt that he can make that jump [from coaching in the Southern Conference to the ACC], or certainly it’s an educated decision,” Babcock said. “The coaching, I don’t think you can question at all, [or] the winning and not being intimidated because he’s beaten those guys. Let’s give somebody who has done it the right way for a long time the resources and let him get after it and see what he can do. “The local flavor was a nice touch, but that was not a driver here.” Some expected Babcock to go with a younger coach, considering Williams was 40 when Babcock hired him. Young turned 56 on May 1, but Babcock brushed off any talk of age factoring into his thought process. After all, 11 of the 16 coaches in the Sweet 16 were older than Young, including the likes of Bruce Pearl (Auburn), John Calipari (Kentucky), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Kelvin Sampson (Houston), Roy Williams (UNC) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke). Also, consider this: Bill Foster was 55 when he took the Virginia Tech job in 1991. That worked out pretty well. He led the Hokies to an NIT title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in six seasons. “I think he still has the energy and the drive to do it, and there was something that appealed to his loyalty and this being a dream job,” Babcock said. “It was for me. I thought that was great. I thought he interviewed outstanding.” “This is a step up for Mike Young,” Young admitted. “We’ve won a lot of games at a great level, and we’ve beaten the North Carolina’s and Purdue, but this is a different animal. I do feel a sense of a challenge and something to prove and that will be my intention every day to build toward that today, tomorrow, next week, into next year with our current team.” Talent acquisition, not age, will be the determining factor in Young’s future successes. He certainly inherits a challenging situation, as Tech’s roster lost three seniors (Justin Robinson, Ahmed Hill and Ty Outlaw), and Nickeil Alexander-Walker made known his intentions to declare for the NBA Draft. Young met with each current player individually within a few days after being hired. Most planned on thinking about their futures while wrapping up their academic responsibilities before making a final decision on their futures. “I’m on their side,” Young said. “I want what’s best for them. If it’s opportunities outside of Tech, we’ll help in any way we can, but Mike Young has made a commitment to the young men here … I want them here, and I want them to continue to be a part of Virginia Tech and our basketball program and our culture. I want them to help us win games next year and beyond.” The departures of the seniors and Alexander-Walker already made recruiting a top priority for Young and his staff. During the interview process, Babcock questioned Young extensively on recruiting, knowing that Young needed to bring in a different type of player to be competitive in the ACC. Continued from page 17 MIKE YOUNG – QUICK FACTS • Graduate of Emory & Henry, where he played from 1982-86 • Started his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater • Coached as an assistant under Oliver Purnell at Radford for a season • Went to Wofford as an assistant in 1989 and landed the head job in 2002 • Has won 299 games as a head coach • Is the all-time winningest coach in Wofford history • A four-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year • Guided Wofford to a school-record 30 wins in 2019 • Led Wofford to its first ranking in the AP poll (2019) • Sporting News National Coach of the Year (2019) • Finished third in the voting for the AP Coach of the Year award (2019) • Had a 100 percent graduation rate for players who finished their eligibility at Wofford Mike Young, flanked by wife Margaret (right) and son Davis, said he looked forward to the challenge of continuing the recent success of the Virginia Tech men’s basketball program.