2009-2010 Tech Talk Live Notes for 2/8/10

Tech Talk Live (football and basketball season)

When: Every Monday from 7:00-9:00 during football season, 7:00-8:00 during basketball season.

Where: Click here for a list of radio stations, and to find the link for listening to the show on the Internet (look to the right on the hokiesports.com page that loads when you click the link). You can see the show in person Bull & Bones Brewhaus & Grill in Blacksburg.

The
new Tech Talk Live show is broadcast from Bull & Bones Brewhaus and Grill in
the First & Main shopping center in Blacksburg, and TechSideline.com is
pleased to welcome Bull & Bones as sponsor of our Tech Talk Live Notes. Bull
& Bones Brewhaus & Grill is a brewpub with both an upscale dining room
and a separate sports bar with a casual dining area

• Call Ahead Seating: 540-953-BULL(2855)
• Hours: Sun.-Sat. 11am-2am, Sun. Brunch 11am-3pm

• Greenberg joked that the Hokies were able to beat Clemson and save a lot
  of made field goals for the next game.
• The atmospheres for the UNC and Clemson games were huge. They came with a
  lot of passion. The fans stayed with the team even when they couldn’t score
  a basket early against Clemson.
• Greenberg was excited to see less Carolina blue in the crowd this year.
  That means Tech fans are excited to see the Hokies play.
• Tech actually took part of their practice time on Monday and Tuesday to
  prepare for Clemson. With just one day between the two games, it had to be
  done.
• Shooting free throws in the new practice facility is a big improvement.
  There are more baskets to shoot on, so the team can get in more free throw
  practice in less time. It’s really helping. (Editor’s note: VT is #1 in the
  ACC in free throw shooting in conference games with a mark of 75.9%.)
• Each player has to make 100 free throws each day, and they keep track of
  how many shots it takes them to get to 100.
• Dorenzo Hudson was down on himself after the Clemson game after scoring
  just five points. Greenberg grabbed him and held him up in front of the team
  and told them “This was a great game because somebody stepped up for
  Dorenzo after he’s been stepping up for everyone else.” Hudson was just
  worn down. He came in and shot at 9am on Saturday and again in the early
  afternoon. He works so hard that sometimes he wears himself down. Greenberg
  held him out of practice on Monday.



• J.T. Thompson brings great toughness off the bench. He brings energy. He’s
  attacking the basket hard and he’s pretty good at trapping ball screens.
  He’s a very experienced player. It’s nice to bring a junior off the bench
  who has been there before.
• Terrell Bell is really rebounding well for his position. He has replaced.
  A.D. Vassallo’s production on the boards, and that’s important. He made a
  couple of huge threes (2-for-2) against Clemson.
• The Clemson game was very unique. Both offenses were offensive. Both teams
  put everything they had into defense.
• The line for students to get in the game went almost all the way to Main
  Street, down Washington Street. It wasn’t exactly warm outside either. That
  was very impressive.
• Jeff Allen is playing terrific right now. The biggest thing is that he’s
  playing with a smile on his face. He’s really excited right now.
• Tech has four more weeks of basketball. They’ve got to keep getting
  better. They can’t get caught up on winning. They have to remember how
  they are winning. They are winning because Terrell Bell is hustling to block
  shots, because they have guys who are rebounding out of their area, they are
  playing great defense, etc.
• Erick Green has played really well the last two games. He’s more
  confident. He’s getting Tech into their offense and he’s playing good
  defense. These were big games, and he responded. He’s not even making shots,
  which is a major strength of his game, and he’s playing well despite that.
• Oliver Purnell chose to play halfcourt defense for most of Saturday’s
  game, mostly because Virginia Tech crushed their halfcourt press last year.
• Allan Chaney isn’t practicing full speed yet, but he’s conditioning and
  shooting. He’s shooting the ball very well.
• Defensive transition was huge for this past week. Carolina and Clemson
  like to get down the court, but the Hokies were very good in getting back on
  defense.
• Seth Greenberg’s Top 5 states for college basketball this season: 5)
  Kansas, 4) New York, 3) Ohio, 2) Pennsylvania, 1) Virginia.
• NC State is interesting. When they shoot 40% or better from three-point
  range, they are 14-0. When they shoot 29% or less, they have not won a game.
  Tracy Smith is a very tough matchup in the low post. He tortured Duke.
• Tech can’t let Scott Wood get going. He lit up Florida State for 31
  points.
• In the past, NC State has gotten Virginia Tech to react to them. That has
  to change. The Hokies have to be more aggressive offensively. NC State has
  lost four in a row and they are due for a win. They lost to Florida on a
  halfcourt shot. They won at Marquette, they won at Florida State, and they
  blew out Duke. They are a capable team.

• It’s exciting to win a Super Bowl. It’s a beautiful thing. The city of New
  Orleans is a lot like the Hokie Nation. He hasn’t gotten a lot of sleep
  since the game ended.
• Drew Brees is a great leader. He puts in the work. He’s right up there
  with guys like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
• This Saints team had a similar chip on its shoulder that the Hokies played
  with in the 1990s when Prioleau was in Blacksburg.
• Prioleau has played for a lot of teams during his 11 year NFL career, and
  it feels great to finally be part of a Super Bowl winner.
• Prioleau joked that the men’s basketball game is 12-0 at home and he
  hasn’t been able to come to a single game because of the playoffs. He should
  probably just stay away.

Monday was Day 1,899 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.