Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 2 | October 2018

18 Inside Hokie Sports Robinson holds the keys to the car, so to speak. The Hokies’ lone All-ACC selection (second team) a year ago, he started all 33 games and averaged a team-best 14 points per game. He also led the team in field goals (323), free- throw percentage (78.2), assists (185) and steals (41). More importantly, his ability to lead from his point guard position is critical. His teammates feel a different comfort level around him. As does the head coach. “There are so many talented point guards around the country, for sure, but when 5 [Robinson’s number] has the ball, I’m at peace,” Williams said. “It doesn’t mean that we’re making the shot. It doesn’t mean we’re getting a shot. But if 5 has the ball, I’m comfortable, and I think our players have that same level of comfort. Not always is something good going to happen, but it trends in that direction. That’s an un-quantifiable characteristic, particularly for a point.” Hill averaged 10 points per game and gives the Hokies elite perimeter shooting—he shot 41 percent from beyond the 3-point arc last season. Clarke was arguably the league’s best sixth man, averaging 8.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Outlaw returns after missing the entire 2017-18 campaign with a torn ACL. He, too, provides elite shooting—he shot 48.7 percent from 3 in 2016-17. His ability to produce that season after Clarke went down with a knee injury was the primary reason that the Hokies made the NCAA Tournament. In a sense, Outlaw is the top “recruit” in this year’s recruiting class—an experienced guy with the ability to replace some of Bibbs’ departed production. “He’s improved his skill set, but he makes the game easier for the other four guys around him because of his ability to spread the floor,” Williams said. “You always have to be aware of where he is. If he has 10 toes to the rim, he’s, in words that coaches use, a knockdown shooter. The whole thing is him getting 10 toes to the rim and getting those toes on the floor, so that he can get them to the rim.” The remainder of the returning players includes post players Kerry Blackshear Jr. and P.J. Horne and perimeter players Wabissa Bede and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Blackshear could be the most important player on the roster, as the lone player taller than 6-7. He started 32 of 33 games and averaged 12.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Horne averaged 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds as a freshman and figures to play a more prominent role this season. Bede averaged 2.5 points per game in 28 games, but he, too, figures to play more this season after averaging 8.3 minutes per game. Expect that number to get into the 20s this season. Alexander-Walker, a 6-foot-5 forward, may have the most potential of any Tech player. He started all 33 games as a freshman and averaged 10.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He shot a respectable 45 percent from the floor and 40 from beyond the 3-point arc. Alexander-Walker participated in two prestigious camps this summer—the Nike Skills Academy and the Chris Paul Elite Point Guard camp. He has the ability to join Robinson as an All-ACC player. “He’s impacted our program in many more ways than just a player,” Williams said. “I think the example that he set for our program, for all of us, as a worker is superb—to the point, and I catch myself saying it to him a lot, ‘Have you thought about going to the movies any? What INA ROW For Continued from page 16