Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 13 No. 2 | October 2020

18 Inside Hokie Sports 99 Bradley Drive Christiansburg NRV Mall 540-381-8100 www.holidayinn.com/cburgnorth Full Service Restaurant Bar & Grill Game Day Catering. Dine in or Room Service Welcome Back HOKIES ! The winning continued at Wofford with Aluma’s arrival. He played in 33 games as a freshman, averaging a modest 2.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game during a season in which Wofford won 21 games. As a sophomore, he improved, starting 34 of the 35 games in which he appeared and averaging 6.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He helped Wofford to a perfect 18-0 Southern Conference record, the Southern Conference tournament title, and a school-record 30 wins. “That was the best year of experiences with that team,” Aluma said. “That was just an amazing thing to be a part of. Going undefeated—we were such a good team. We were doing hockey subs [substitutions]. There was no selfishness. It was fun and great to be a part of.” After the 2018-19 season, Young left to take the job at Virginia Tech. Shortly thereafter, Aluma decided to follow his coach and transfer to Tech. Yes, he wanted to test his skills against the ACC’s best. But Wofford played tough nonconference schedules, and Aluma held up well in those games. So improved competition wasn’t his issue for leaving. Like with a lot of players who transfer because of coaching changes, he wanted to play for the man who recruited him, developed him, and believed in him. “One-hundred percent,” Aluma said. “I was definitely not thinking that I was going to leave or that Coach was going to leave. I just expected everyone to stay there and for us to try and have another successful year. But when we started to see stuff on the ESPN app and all that, that Mike Young was possibly going to take that job, I was shocked, but it led to this opportunity for me. I’m definitely grateful.” Aluma spent last season sitting out to meet the NCAA’s transfer requirements and simply adjusting to a different world. Wofford’s student population consists of around 1,800, while Virginia Tech’s sits at 34,000. A hike across Wofford’s campus takes around five minutes, whereas Tech features a rather sprawling campus, with the Drill Field as its heart. On the court, Aluma served as a scout-team member for the Hokies, while also getting ahead academically. Tech’s staff often lamented not being able to insert the 6-9, 235-pounder, but they certainly expect big things from Aluma this season. Actually, they hope he becomes an even better version of the player who scored six points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Wofford’s second- round NCAA Tournament loss against vaunted Kentucky in 2019. That game opened a lot of eyes, but Young urges caution at lofty expectations. HIS FUTURE Continued from page 17 I thought the year off would be invaluable for him physically, and it has been. I love his game, and he was very good for us in practice last year. Chester Frazier [a Virginia Tech assistant], if I heard him say it once, I heard him say it 50 times, he would make us so much better right now. He had a year in the smokehouse, as I refer to it, and he will be better because of that experience. I’m really excited about what he’ll bring to our roster.  Tech head coach Mike Young on Keve Aluma