Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 2 | October 2019

inside.hokiesports.com 17 season preview men’s basketball 3 What can fans expect from Jalen Cone? Cone, a 5-10 freshman guard fromWalkertown, North Carolina, was a top 100 prospect out of Walkertown High School, according to ESPN. Amidst much fanfare, he committed to and decided to enroll early at Tech, graduating from Walkertown a year early. He’ll be battling with freshman guards Hunter Cattoor and Nahiem Alleyne for playing 4 Who will emerge in the post? Tech wasn’t a great rebounding team a year ago even with Kerry Blackshear Jr. in the lineup—the Hokies ranked ninth in the ACC in rebounding margin—and now the roster lacks size and proven ability. Freshman John Ojiako, a 6-10 forward, stands as the tallest player, and 6-8 graduate transfer Branden Johnson from Alabama State adds to the post after averaging 4 points and 4 rebounds per game last season. Hopefully, the Hokies get more from returning post P.J. Horne, a hard-working 6-5, 230-pounder with 57 games of experience under his belt. But hanging on the boards this season probably requires a collective effort. 5 Can the Hokies overcome a lack of experience , particularly in a brutal conference? Tech’s roster includes just five players who played for the Hokies last season and features six players who haven’t played a minute of college basketball. Outside of Bede, Horne and Isaiah Wilkins, the Hokies have little to no experience. Only four players—Bede, Horne, Wilkins and Jonathan Kabongo—have played against an ACC team. Nothing says a team can’t win with young players, but those guys need to be talented and execute at a high level for success, particularly in a league in which many preseason polls include four ACC teams in the top 15. time, and he may alternate between point guard and shooting guard, but at either position, he brings explosiveness and scoring ability. He averaged 26 points and 6.6 assists per game as a senior in 2018-19 and a whopping 35.5 points per game as a junior. He will make a few mistakes as a freshman, but he should be fun to watch. P.J. HORNE