Virginia Tech freshman guard Joe Bamisile announced on Twitter on Monday evening that he would be entering the transfer portal.
https://twitter.com/rexjoee/status/1374110836420194312
Bamisile, a top 100 guard from Richmond, was noted as Mike Young’s top recruit in the 2020 recruiting class. He originally committed to Northwestern, but signed with the Hokies out of Monacan High School in Chesterfield.
Injuries forced Bamsile to miss his sophomore and senior seasons of high school, and as a result he was still a very raw player when he enrolled at Virginia Tech, with older and more experienced players getting most of the playing time in the Hokies’ backcourt. He appeared in 13 games for Tech, averaging 3.5 points per game. His best game came on February 6 at Miami when he scored 11 points in 25 minutes following an early injury to sophomore guard Jalen Cone.
Mike Young now has two available scholarships for the 2021 class, which already features point guard Sean Pedulla.
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Really not surprising and with the lack of development I saw over the course of the year in his game, albeit with little playing time, I don’t think he was ever going to be a fit in our system. When on the court he reminded me of that one really athletic kid on my son’s team who looked so dynamic due to his athleticism but at the end of the game had very little impact because he just didn’t know how to play. I hope he finds a good spot and wish him nothing but the best going forward.
As the Florida game unfolded, and the intensity of the contest ended in OT, I reflected that Bamisile never entered the game. For such a heralded recruit to not be considered for playing minutes this late in the season, told me that the coaches did not trust him or believe he was ready. It is unfortunate that he is not more patient, as the athleticism is obvious, and this VT basketball team is not that athletic. I hope he stays and reconsiders after consideration with the portal.
Called this one months ago, not surprised. Unfortunately his big injury before coming in set him back too far, and his potential ceiling has been lowered it seems. Never seemed comfortable when he got in the game and always seemed a bit reckless to me like he was trying too hard or just could never shake the new guy jitters. I feel for him and must have been a tough decision but our program will not miss him moving forward.
testing the portal doesn’t necessarily = transfer, does it?
No but a guy like Joe can go play at most mid majors or low majors right now, like a Richmond or ODU.
Neither UR nor ODU are steps up. Which elite program will offer him a full ride, Duke, UNC?
Not sure he’s looking for a step up. More like he wants to step on the court more. Players like to play. Sorry to see him leave but if he’s not happy, it’s time to move on. I hope he finds a place that suits him.
This one is going to hurt. Not next year but the year after when Storm, Aluma and Mutts leave.
Is there more to this story than has been reported? Did CMY push him out because he wasn’t a good system fit? Even if he wasn’t a great defender we certainly need the offensive fire power.
No it’s not. Trust MY and staff to bring in good players. If the kid is not happy as a Hokie then he needs to find out where that is and we need to find the next kid who wants to wear the orange and maroon and COMPETE.
Really, you’re projecting us hurting from this in 2 years? Give Coach Young a little respect and credit please and take your whining somewhere else. We didn’t need Joe this year, we don’t need him next year, and we’ll be perfectly fine without him long gone in 2 years. The story is Joe B wants to start and play more and thus far he hasn’t proved he’s good enough to earn that here, pretty obvious and simple explanation. No ill will or harm done by MY whatsoever.
I’m tired of Hokie fans wishing kids well who quit on our team, Football or Basketball. He committed to Tech. He didn’t keep up his end of the bargain. I’m not gonna wish a kid well who does this.
What bargain? Have you ever left a job for a new one?
Lighten up my man. He committed to Tech, and everyone welcomed him with open arms. He has decided that it wasn’t a good fit for whatever reason and is moving on. Why not wish him all the best and get on with your life. This isn’t the end of the world my Hokie brother, have some context of where this fits in the big scheme of things in life and get on with having a great day!
This! He seemed like a good teammate and wasn’t on TV complaining about it. Best of luck to him. I just know he’ll be scoring 20 ppg for someone else soon (isn’t that the way it works?)
Lighten up Francis! These guys commit to a school that offers them a scholarship (on a year to year to year basis!) At the end of the day, the school could pull that scholarship at any time. Nothing is set in stone for these kids. They have choice.
He was such physically promising guy. My guess is that we really don’t have time to wait for him to develop and need to get better faster than he can provide. This team played above it’s head this year due to good coaching, high character players and the fact the it was a weird season.
We need a difference maker right away or we might not make the Dance next year.
In the past we’d have killed to get a guy like Bamisile, but perhaps now we can’t really wait to keep him around. Part of the reason is that Buzz left and empty warehouse of a program and MY had to to plug and play to keep us at a high level. Once Bamisile adds some polish he will be a guy we wish we had, but I can certainly understand either his or Young’s thought process.
Wrong attitude! The portal has changed everything. Some for the better & some for the worse. You may as well get used to it because it’s not changing anytime soon, I don’t think.
OK – I don’t get it – if he is a really good player why did CMY not play him more?
Not confusing. His current level of play isn’t that effective. The sad thing is that he has a really high ceiling. All of our games were coin tosses this year, we didn’t really have the luxury of letting him play through his learning curve.
Not the usual number of buy games to get experience.
Bring in the next guy…
I wish Joe well but it stings to have a top 100 recruit bail. I trust CMY’s judgment about who to have on the floor, and when. Having said that, it would’ve been nice to at least have had an opportunity to see what the young man could do. I watched virtually all televised VT games this year and hardly recall even seeing Joe on the court. With Jalen Cone’s injuries down the stretch, and the streaky long range shooting of all our healthy guards, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to suggest that Bamisile could’ve gotten a bit more PT in February and March. C’est la vie. In Mike, I trust.
Maybe if we played more games in February and March we would have seen more of him. I enjoyed watching him play. He may be very, very good down the road.
Fortunately for him and unfortunately for VT, he can transfer to any other ACC school and play next fall.
If you haven’t already, you should listen to the tech talk live with Joe Bamasile. This is not your average college student and I was truly excited for his potential as a Hokie, not just on the court but long after.
Good luck to you Joe but dang, this one stings.
I’ve found a option for replacement!
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/31113561/former-five-star-recruit-walker-kessler-transferring-north-carolina-tar-heels-men-basketball-team-one-season%3fplatform=amp
Kessler would start anywhere next year. Including UNC.
Damn Bam! This hurts man! All kinds of talent and we didnt rush you after big surgeries – you coulda been the next Bimbo Coles of VT in a year or two. Good Luck man – but this hurts!
Dang!
Next Man Up!
Ugh. Well if he can’t grasp the system in a full system he’ll do someplace like Texas Tech or Florida where they just play AAU style offense. The issue will be most coaches who don’t run an offense DO demand excellence on D.
Darn I liked his game just wish that talent could’ve fit into CMY’s structure
*full season that is
I don’t think anyone has ever said he is not a talented player, just that he seems erratic and does not want to make a commitment to a team. Maybe he should take up golf or tennis where he can shine on his own.
Booo. I really think Bam is going to blow up in a good way. He has tremendous athletic talent. I wish him well and I’m sure Coach Young and staff will maximize that extra scholarship next year:
Happy trails to you…………….until we meet again!!!!!! The portal wins again so who cares? Not good for the college game of bb but again who cares?
this was coming for a while. i got a tad roasted for posting as such but still, i hoped my info then was wrong.
wish him well. im not sure he’s a great fit in CMY’s system. frees up anothe4 spot, which i hope goes to a transfer big.
Yeah..I knew this was 99% certainty of happening (barring a change of mind last second) in Dec. 3 schools in 3 yrs of HS, abd skipped Sr yr when he opted for late surgery and could have returned in Jan. He pretty much burned the bridge everywhere he was. Freak talent. Roasted kids in HS, at Nike camp and in VT preseason camp, didn’t fit system well.
You stacking up a case for prosecution?
3 schools in 3 years- par for course these days. Could have come back in January from Major knee surgery and put potential pro career at risk to play HIGH SCHOOL BALL🏀😂
All I saw and heard out of the kid was joy and maturity- great lively bench-mate.
This guy has success written all over him- unfortunately for us it will be with another high profile team.
Wow. The “portal” makes a mockery of “commitment “.
Amen, Brother …
I’d actually say that college football mocked “commitment” long before the portal came about. This stuff no longer shocks me.
Not surprising. And okay…as long as Maddox and N’Guessen stay (and everyone else). Assuming Diarra doesn’t return, we can have competition for playing time along with ample minutes available.
Bam’s Skill set has nothing to do with Maddox or N’Gussen.
He is a dynamic athlete who can score on the drive and from behind the line. Add to that his long reach and explosion and you have the perfect 3.
Those minimizing this loss will realize by mid season next how they have mid judged Bamisile. He’s going to start or be first off bench for Florida or another of that caliber.
No one is judging Bam Tallahassee. He decided to leave for whatever reason. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. It is what it is with this ridiculous portal that will be the beginning of the end for big donors to give big bucks for zero commitment.
Nah, many people who post get butt hurt and want to turn negative on a kid because his coach demonstrated that he won’t fit in until 2023…responses like the one above saying he’s lazy and a quitter cause he took a proper amount of time off to heal a major injury in high school.
Mike took a calculated risk keeping Bamisile parked on the bench. He obviously put winning the short term vs development for 2-3 years out. I understand wanting to win now but the elite coaches develop young talent while in the process of the season. Bamisile got bread crumbs for PT and wasn’t allowed to walk on the court during his first ncaa.
You have to earn playing time. We don’t get to see practice but when he was in the game he wasn’t a guy where you would say, “damn, he should be playing more” (with the exception maybe of the Miami game). Don’t get me wrong, he has talent and potential, but he is raw and his decision making isn’t where it needs to be. For sure I would want him to stay, but hope he finds a better fit at the next school and also wish him the best in the future.
I think it is pretty well said when talla says “he took a calculated risk” which is probably true. The risk might have worked out, and in this case it didn’t for Bam, did for making the NCAA. Would have liked to have had both, but didn’t happen.
Maybe trust the successful head coach with his players? You’re talking like you know everything going on behind the scenes. There’s a lot we don’t see. In Mike Young we trust.
But not here. Best of luck to him.
Goodbye Joe. We barely knew you. Good luck. This frees up another opportunity for Mike.