Old Dominion’s Mekhi Long Commits To Virginia Tech

By: David Cunningham | Managing Editor
Mekhi Long is the latest transfer to join Mike Young’s squad at Virginia Tech. (Old Dominion athletics)

On Tuesday, Virginia Tech and Mike Young picked up a commitment out of the transfer portal from Old Dominion’s Mekhi Long. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

A 6-7, 200-pound product of Bryans Road, Md., Long spent three seasons in Norfolk with the Monarchs. He’s a multifaceted player who can handle the ball, spot up from the perimeter, get to the rim, rebound and play solid defense. As a senior in 2022-23, he averaged 10.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

He started 29 of ODU’s 30 games this season, finishing with 11 double-doubles. In late January and early February, he had a stretch of five straight Sun Belt outings with a double-double. Long crossed paths with Virginia Tech this season, too, back in Charleston, S.C. in November. He had 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Hokies edged out the Monarchs, 75-71.

Long is a solid addition on the glass. He ranked 158th in D-I in defensive rebounding percentage (21.4%) and seventh in the Sun Belt (21.6%), per KenPom.

With his versatile build, he got to the foul line often this year, finishing with a free throw rate of 51.5%, which ranked 109th nationally. His rate in Sun Belt play (50.7%) was seventh-best in the league. For comparison, Mylyjael Poteat and Justyn Mutts were the only Virginia Tech players above 30% in 2022-23.

Long scored 770 points, grabbed 613 rebounds and dished out 100 assists in his first four years of college, and he shot the ball better as he gained more experience.

As a freshman, he hit a 33% clip from the floor. That jumped to 40% as a sophomore, 43% as a junior and 44% in his senior season with ODU. His 3-point shooting took a jump in 2022-23, too. After making 24 of his 86 attempts (27.9%) in his first three years, he was 28-of-78 (35.9%) from distance as a senior.

Long started his career at Rhode Island. He has some in-state ties, though — he spent some time at Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va., just north of Harrisonburg off I-81. According to 247Sports, he was a top-15 player in the Commonwealth out of high school.

With Long’s addition, Virginia Tech has three open scholarships for the 2023-24 season. That does not include Grant Basile and Hunter Cattoor, who have the option to use their COVID years and return to Blacksburg.

The updated scholarship breakdown with the addition of Mekhi Long. (David Cunningham)
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  1. @cc

    what is “a free throw rate”? if Mutts and Poteat were our only above 30%, i am not understanding.

    “With his versatile build, he got to the foul line often this year, finishing with a free throw rate of 51.5%, which ranked 109th nationally. His rate in Sun Belt play (50.7%) was seventh-best in the league. For comparison, Mylyjael Poteat and Justyn Mutts were the only Virginia Tech players above 30% in 2022-23.”

    he sounds like a solid pick-up statistically; but i do not know nor have seen his game.

    it’s funny: during the odu game where we struggled, i noted in my mind how well their guards played and tormented us to a near loss. and wondered then if one of them might be avaialble in the portal at season’s end for us. now we get a forward/wing from odu?! strange co-inkydink?

    2. Free throw rate captures a team’s ability to get to the free throw line. Free throws attempted divided by field goals attempted.

      For comparison…

      Mutts: 99 FTA, 322 FGA – 30.7% FT rate
      Long: 124 FTA, 242 FGA – 51.2% FT rate

  4. He’s a skilled, consistent, grown-man player. Gotta have a few of those to get to Sweet 16. We need another player like that and Basil’s and Cattoor to come back. And maturity/development of consistency from existing players… to have any hope of getting to Sweet 16. Hard to understand why with our enrollment, facilities and fan-base, we’ve never made anything approaching a serious run at the title, never made a final 4. Maybe it’s because we’ve never had (or kept) an elite coach.

    1. Being in the middle of the ACC without being a member for 50yr meanwhile meandering from independence and 3 different conferences during that time did not help. And yes, the right coach could have been here at anytime and had success but that was never very probable.

      2. Why complain, we are coming up on 20 years as a proud member of the ACC, and it has been a great ride for Virginia Tech athletes and fans. Your comment doesn’t make any sense whatsoever in this day and time.

    2. In 1967, VPI was an overtime loss to Dayton from the final 4. Dayton lost to UCLA in the finals. We were an independent then and VPI had only 600 female students that year, double from the previous year. Fred CHE 70

  5. Nice Pick-up!!! Hey David, can you do the same breakdown for the women too? Thanks!

  6. I’ve gotta think that he’s the 1 year plug in for Mutts. Note, not that he’d duplicate or replace Justyn’s game, but similar size, power and potentially production.

    1. I also like that he sounds like he is the missing piece for when shooting goes dry in that he can take it to the rack off the dribble and get to the foul line.

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