Buzz Williams Targets Several JUCOs for Virginia Tech

As we mentioned yesterday, DeShawn Freeman will visit Virginia Tech this weekend. We learned today that Buzz Williams is also involved with two other JUCO prospects, one of whom will also visit Blacksburg over the weekend.

Today’s news was originally dropped by Brad Winton of JUCORecruting.com.

https://twitter.com/JucoRecruiting/status/588381894678462464

https://twitter.com/JucoRecruiting/status/588401156084273152

Here’s a quick look at both of those guys.

W Mychal Mulder, 6-4, 190

Mulder is a wing prospect who is a hot commodity right now. Indiana head coach Tom Crean attended the national JUCO tournament to watch him in person. He has picked up offers from schools such as Wichita State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, and a few others. He is one of the most sought after JUCO guards in the country.

Here are Mulder’s stats from this past season…

PPG: 15.7
RPG: 6.4
3Pt: 88-of-190 (46.3%)
FT: 82-of-102 (80.4%)

Obviously he’s a good rebounder for his size, and he’s an excellent shooter. He can shoot it as well as Adam Smith, but he’s bigger, a more versatile defender, and he can score in a larger variety of ways.

It’s not clear whether the Hokies have offered or will offer Mulder, but they are at least exploring the possibility of adding him to their roster. I’m not sure how far that flirtation will go. I’m also not sure if they are looking to add him as a replacement for Adam Smith, or because they expect more turnover among their wings.

Here is a highlight clip from Mulder’s freshman season…

C Johnny Hamilton, 7-0, 220

Hamilton is a 7-0 center from Jacksonville College. He is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. He’s very raw offensively, but a good rebounder and an excellent shot blocker. I’ve mentioned him in articles in the past as a player that could be available for the Hokies.

Here are his stats…

PPG: 9
RPG: 8.9
Blocks: 112

Nine points per game isn’t a big number, and nobody should expect much from Hamilton offensively at the Power 5 level. However, he’s a good rebounder, and he’s outstanding from a shot blocking perspective. In 26 games this year he blocked 112 shots.

Hamilton doesn’t have the back to the basket offensive game of Satchel Pierce, but he’s much more athletic, a better rebounder and defender, and a much better shot blocker. I could see him playing major minutes at center next season. He is listed with offers from Oklahoma State, ODU and SMU, along with interest from South Carolina, Indiana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri.

Here are some Hamilton highlights from two months ago…

Take Both Bigs, If Possible

I believe Buzz Williams would take both Deshawn Freeman and Johnny Hamilton if he could get them. Freeman would add a scoring element to the post that wasn’t there this past year, while Hamilton adds rebounding, size, defense and athleticism, which are also things the Hokies don’t possess in the post.

Here’s a copy and paste from our TSL Pass article from yesterday on Freeman…

“Freeman is an excellent undersized power forward prospect who has been at the top of my board for quite awhile now.  Tech watched him late last spring, but then his recruitment went silent, so I assumed the Hokies were out of it, thus I don’t think I’ve mentioned him in any articles.  If Rothstein’s Tweet is true, and Buzz can land Freeman, he’s the likely starter at power forward for the next two seasons.

As a sophomore at Hutchinson this past season, Freeman averaged 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.  He had numerous double-doubles, and he’s been a hot name on the JUCO recruiting trail for quite sometime now.  247Sports ranks him the #15 prospect in the JUCO ranks.

Freeman is listed with offers from Arizona State, Tennessee, Rutgers and a few others.  He visited Arizona State in August, but Herb Sendek was fired.  He also visited Rutgers back in December.”

Technically speaking, the Hokies only have one open spot available right now. However, it’s possible that more spots could open up in the near future. I’m in favor of adding both a power forward and a center to this class, whether it’s Freeman and Hamilton, or other guys that we haven’t heard of yet.

Mulder would certainly be a nice addition as well, though right now the #1 focus should be on the interior.