Trevor Thompson will transfer from Virginia Tech at the conclusion of the spring semester.
As a freshman forward, Thompson averaged 5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 16.2 minutes per game this past season. His father told Mark Berman of the Roanoke Times that Thompson will seek his transfer, and that Buzz Williams has granted the request.
However, Twitter is ablaze with rumors that Marquette commit Malek Harris will follow Buzz Williams to Virginia Tech. Harris is a 6-7 small forward from Illinois. He is the #104 overall recruit in the country by 247Sports, and the #77 prospect by Rivals.com.
Harris is listed with scholarship offers from Marquette, Auburn, Creighton, DePaul, Iowa, Kansas State, Missouri, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue and Saint Louis. At this point there is no confirmation that Harris will flip to Virginia Tech, though many Marquette sources consider it likely.
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Not sure if Maurice Kirby will ever play significant minutes for the Hokies! Watching him in warm ups before games he does not look athletic at all, hope I am wrong!!
Does anyone know what really took place in the meeting between Buzz and players regarding TT. From what has been printed, it seems there has to be more facts that we not aware of.
I don’t like the sound of how we lost Thompson. Sure hope we do not have another hot head with poor people skills.
I’m sure you would make a great coach at VT. Did you apply?
like Tony Bennett?
how many folks did he show the door in Cville before UVa was winning games, titles and playing in the sweet 16
Its Buzz’s team now
The ink on Buzz’s VT contract is not even dry yet and VT people are already creating doubt of what kind of people he recruits ie, Harris. Please don’t make judgement on this one recruit, take a look at all the others who he has recruited. Also, Marquette is going through a administrative overall with a new president and athletic director to hired.
Regarding Thomas, if one doesn’t want to play for a coach then go somewhere where there’s coach you want to play for. Buzz made a statement to his team, recruits and the Hokie Nation. He wants people who want to be a student athlete at VT, play his brand of basketball, play in the ACC and bring a positive to VT as a school and as a basketball team at the highest level possible.
AMEN !!!!!!!
I think Thompson did the smart thing after the comment Williams made in the team meeting . I realize he wanted to get started but that was not necessary . Thompson improved all year and if he was soft he didn’t show it on the court . Also he is smart . Good luck Thompson I think you were going to get a raw deal
Unless I read it wrong, the soft comment came from when BW was recruiting TT the same time VT was recruiting him. So that played into why TT came to VT. But now the situation is TT would be playing for BW anyways, but TT and his dad aren’t happy with that. I’d rather have a kid on the team who says “Oh, yeah? You think I am soft? I’m going to come out and prove you wrong!” rather than someone who says “You think I am soft? Well I’m going to go play somewhere else. I don’t know where, yet, but it will be somewhere they will say good things about me!” I liked TT’s size, physical ability and performance down the stretch, but he’s basically shown that he isn’t mentally tough, so I say let’s not give it another thought and move on!
I think Trevor has screwed up. Best of luck anyway. None of us know the reality of Malek Harris’ situation, so we need to give him the benefit of the doubt. I think few of us come from situations similar to the athletes we pass judgement on. People can change.
First casualty losing Thompson. That hurts. Buzz is going to have a thin bench which doesn’t go well with his usual style of using 8-10 players in a game.
Doesn’t hurt all that much. 6’9″ Maurice Kirby, who redshirted this past season, will be available next year. I’d have liked to have kept Thompson. He had potential. But we’ll be OK without him, especially if we can replace him on the roster with a Top 100 recruit.
Here is an MU link with some Harris info:
http://www.anonymouseagle.com/2013/10/5/4806234/marquette-basketball-recruiting-malek-harris-suspended
Does anyone with knowledge of the situation think that Luke Fischer might transfer from MU to VT? He is a 6’11 (FWD/CTR) freshman “homesick” txfr from Indiana U and sat out the Fall 2013 semester at MU. I think he just sits out Spring 2014 and can play anywhere this Fall? He is 20 mi. from home (Germantown, WI) and 720 mi. from Blacksburg, VA:
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/goldeneagles/homesickness-brought-germantowns-luke-fischer-to-marquette-b99184125z1-240191061.html
Sorry he is sitting out this Spring and then Fall semester I think.
Will be interesting to see if we can also reel in any WF, BC, or Auburn recruits/players. Buzz will be like Loeffler on steroids in terms of aggressively pursuing guys. This is a new dawn for VT athletics. Book it. It may also foreshadow a move to the SEC within 10 years, but that’s another story for another day.
Yea, SEC basketball is so much better than ACC. Get a clue
Well, right now both the SEC & ACC have 1 team in the Sweet 16, if you count Louisville as ACC & both conferences have the chance of getting two more in the a Sweet 16. So I’d say their close.
Whenever someone says “book it” u kno that s clue not to read further. Go Hokies!
Well they have 3 teams in the Sweet 16 and ACC has, 1, if VA wins. So right now its clear SEC is superior.
Can one really evaluate relative conference strengths by which teams are in final 16 in one particular year. To that I say rubbish.
Good grief, another we are leaving for the SEC post?
You were no doubt ecstatic when we gained ACC admission. And now you’re ready to kick the ACC to the curb?
Okay, I love the Williams hire. But why, all a sudden, is it ok to bring a recruit like Harris. I feel like we’re being hypocrites here.
Are you serious as why is it ok to bring in his recruits? One….why is it ok for our players to leave? (answer. new coach). Two…..because players commit as much to the coach as they do to the school…maybe more. If the recruit wants to play for the coach…and hasnt signed a LOI like Harris…why not? He hasn’t signed a LOI….he has not committed anywhere. I hope we get all of them…that keans they love the man
I think he’s referring to how Harris has been suspended from play by his own school and has some “baggage”.
Harris was suspended for 11 games his junior year and all of his senior year for disciplinary reasons (broke school’s honor code). Harris could not get along with his high school basketball coaches.
“He (Malek Harris) was a discipline problem that the Sandburg coaches could not abide. We’ll see if Buzz can handle him.” From Michael Hunt of Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Sounds very similar to Percy Harvin.
jboyhoklie! Can’t believe you would say something so naive as to why a recruit would follow the coach who recruited him. Get real dude. This is a business. Not the rec soccer league.
And this kid has some MAJOR DISCIPLINARY BAGGAGE!! Didn’t play his entire senior year?
Hope VT’s entrance folks say no, unless there’s some MAJOR revelations.
Didn’t seen to bother Marquette, Auburn, Creighton, DePaul, Iowa, Kansas State, Missouri, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue and Saint Louis. If coach williams wants him and thinks he can get him in line, who are we to say no?
Geez, stuff happens he’s just a kid. Let’s label him a ” problem” for the rest of his life and be done with it. Because we all know how little people change, develop, and mature from when they’re 16-17, right? Smh
Agreed…I love how we always want to be this discipline police and the ultimate judgement of all of these kids. As said, it did not bother the other top teams…..Florida is fine with the sec player of the yr that had some baggage issues. Let our coach decide…from everything I read he is a super human being above everything…so he can make those decisions based on information he gets . not rumors we don’t even know of.
Actually, it did bother Marquette. Disagreements over recruiting and MU’s standards of conduct were some of the issues between Buzz and MU. Superstar athletes in HS do not get suspended for 1 1/2 seasons for “stuff happens.” I hope Buzz has good info on this kid and instills the discipline expected at VT.
Hope new Coach BW considers, even emphasizes, character issues for potential recruits. Don’t want to see Hokie BB adopt a win at any cost attitude.
If you want to play big time basketball, you better be aggressive with recruits. Don’t label me a hypocrite, I don’t have a problem when others do it to us. It’s business.
A lot of Hokie fans think we should be a top ten roundball school but want the program model to be Duke or Stanford instead of Florida, Louisville, Syracuse or UNC – not going to happen here anytime soon. Shouldn’t we be happy enough to have a top 30 team featuring Top 50-100 recruits like Finney-Smith (oh he can’t play ACC level, good riddance), Montrez (so long sucker, we don’t need you if you don’t want to play for a great guy like JJ) or Malek (oh my, he may be as awful as that swine Percy Harvin). If our wonderful new coach, who everyone loves now, thinks he can handle and teach a kid, why don’t we just trust him to do the job.
Wow…didn’t see Thompson’s transfer coming though. That hurts our core of Fr…maybe Kirby will fit with Buzz’s physical style more anyhow
really hate losing Trevor. I thought he showed a high upside in terms of potential. I wish him well but wish he would stick it out and win over Buzz.
Here we go. The recruiting begins. A top 100 from rivals to Tech. Yay!!!
Try reading the background on this kid before saying “yay”.
Agreed, but many times kids grow up when they…well grow up. Let’s hope that Buzz can bring him into line and that our program can benefit.
I don’t care how much trouble he was in HS. I want to win games period. I want Elite Eights and Sweet Sixteens and if that’s how you do it then lets go. If the kid gets in trouble here then deal with it when it happens. Do you guys want to run with the big boys in football and basketball? Then let the big boy coach do his proven winner thing!!!
agree with bkelly. let the coach do his thing. And yes I say yay, even with some baggage. recruiting is key in football and basketball. unless you have 4 and 5 star recruits you ain’t winning . . . period.