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

inside.hokiesports.com 19 @PrestonsRestaurant @InnVirginiaTech 540.231.0120 | www.InnatVirginiaTech.com 901 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (inside The Inn at Virginia Tech) Reservations recommended. A delicious game-day tradition. B EFORE THE GAME OR AFTER, Preston’s Restaurant is a delicious place for a new game-day tradition. Start with our fresh breakfast. Order lunch or dinner from our mouth-watering menu of seasonal cuisine. Sip on hand-cra ed cocktails or a selection from our award-winning wine list. And don’t forget the Valley’s best brunch, every Sunday at Preston’s. Make Preston’s Restaurant your game-day tradition. “I can tell you right now, if you think he’s going to average 16 points in the ACC next year, you’re wrong,” Young said. “He’s not that kind of guy. But his toughness and his athleticism, his second jump … he’s a really good shot blocker, and his work on the glass—I thought when I brought him here, he’s another piece of the puzzle. He was a piece of the puzzle down there, and he’ll be the same here. “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.” Aluma is excited, too, even though the COVID-19 pandemic continues, leaving lots of uncertainty in the sports world. Tech started practicing Oct. 14, and like other college basketball teams, hopes to start competition Nov. 25. The staff and the players remain optimistic about the season—both playing it and enjoying success. Tech will feature a much different team. Young added size in the offseason through the transfer market, an all-conference type guard in Kansas State graduate transfer Cartier Diarra, and some young prospects on the perimeter—all of whom go with last year’s young returners. “I think we’ve got a lot of good pieces,” Aluma said. “I’m just excited for us to get out there and start practicing and doing all those little things.” Suffice it to say, Aluma’s transformation finds itself nearing completion—the former high school soccer standout turned basketball player now finishing his career in a coliseum where his natural father twice played and playing for a staff with two people (Ace Custis and David Jackson) who actually played against his natural father. The coincidence certainly is striking. GETTING TO KNOW — KEVE ALUMA Q: Who is your favorite NBA player? KA: Obviously, I like Lebron [James of the Los Angeles Lakers]. I think he’s the GOAT [greatest of all time]. But I also like Andre Iguodala [Miami Heat guard] or Bam Adebayo [Miami Heat center]. Those two guys are my favorites. Andre is like that 3-and-D type of guy [3-pointers and defense], and Bam is the new model for a center. He’s really good and super young, so I always like watching him play. Q: If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be? KA: Maybe Lebron. I don’t know why. He’s just the first guy that came to my head. Q: What’s been your most memorable moment as a player? KA: Definitely when we won the SoCon [Southern Conference] and the Seton Hall game [Wofford’s first-round NCAA Tournament game in 2019]. Those were the best two memories. With Seton Hall, it was more the atmosphere of just playing in the tournament against a team we had never played before. I like how it was set up. It was exciting. Q: What’s been your favorite thing about Virginia Tech? KA: If you’re comparing, at Wofford, you could walk everywhere. But I like that it’s bigger here. There’s tons of people on campus … I like that it’s big. It’s a bigger, exciting campus. Q: If you could change any moment in your life, what would it be? KA: I’d go back and play the last four minutes of that Kentucky game again and try and get a ‘W’ [a 62-56 Wofford loss]. It definitely hurts. “It’s kind of a small world,” Aluma admitted. For sure. Only a few short years ago, he got his kicks in on the pitch. Now, he’s hoping that he—and the Hokies—get their share of thrills on the court this season.