Tech Talk Live Notes for February 10, 2014

Ramon Williams (Assistant Coach)

James Johnson was out recruiting on Monday night.  He wanted to see a specific prospect whose game was originally scheduled for Tuesday.  However, the game got moved up to Monday because of the incoming weather.

It’s been a tough stretch for the team.  They are still fighting as the Pitt game showed, and it’s up to the coaches to keep their spirits up.  Injuries have hurt the situation, as well as youth in the backcourt.

Every possession counts, and Tech made some mistakes on a few possessions against Pitt that ultimately cost them the game.

Playing slower on the offensive end is the best way to win right now.  It helps the players stay fresh, particularly Devin Wilson who is asked to play so many minutes as a freshman point guard.  The coaching staff doesn’t want to play that way long term, but right now it’s the best strategy because of youth and depth.

Williams and his twin brother both played at VMI.  His brother Damon got in foul trouble once, and they switched jerseys at halftime.  The refs never found out, and neither did his head coach.  They ended up winning a close game.

The 2016 recruiting class is very strong in the state of Virginia.  The Hokies are already recruiting that far out.

Williams feels like the current freshmen are good, and he believes the 2014 class is a good one too.  They just have to keep it going on the recruiting trail.

Not being able to play this year has been very tough for Malik Mueller.  He took it personal.  He’s working hard to help Tech next season.

Tech uses their 5-man to set the screen at the top of the key because teams usually don’t switch on centers.  You can run pick and rolls because of that and try to create high-low action.

Tech has been rebounding well out of the 2-3 zone the last two games.  They aren’t shooting the ball well so they are focusing on trying to get offensive rebounds.

Williams hopes that the week off can get the team healthier.  It should do everybody some good.

Miami is still the defending ACC Champs.  The Hokies will have to come out ready to play and ready to execute.  Like Tech, Miami will play some matchup zone and mix in some man-to-man.  It will feel good to get back home.

Rob Harris (Director of Basketball Operations)

Harris has fallen in love with Tech in his first year on campus.  He was blown away by the atmosphere all the way back to football season.

The Ops guy does a little bit of everything.  All the little things matter on the day to day running of the program.  He does thinks like breakfast checks every morning, talking to the players, and helping them develop into a family.

On a typical day, Harris is up at 4:30am.  He gets his workout in, breakfast is at 7:30am, and they talk about what they learn and all the little things.  They meet as a staff after breakfast, and it can last from an hour to two hours.  After that they get ready for practice and meetings, going over the scouting report, etc.  He gets home around 6:30 or 7 at night and then does it all again the next day.

There was an icestorm the weekend of the Miami game back in December.  He got a call that said Tech wouldn’t be able to fly back because of an icestorm in Virginia, so they had to stay an extra night.  All those little details fall on the Director of Basketball Operations.

When things are going perfectly, Harris loves his job, but it can be stressful at times.  You have to adjust on the fly.

Harris thinks Tech took a huge step against Pitt.  That is a very good team, and Tech fought them tough.  This is a very young team and they are growing each day during practice.

Tech will take a day off on Tuesday, and then get back to the grind on Wednesday and get ready for Miami.

Monday was Day 3,363 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of The Commonwealth Cup.

2 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Finally a home game that’s not at noon on a Saturday when it’s not the holiday break. I hope fans/students will show up in force Saturday to support the team and their efforts last week vs. Pitt.

  2. Thanks for the good article and up-dates. being a long time Hokie fan, It’s hard not to feel sorry for the situation that our BB team is in. I want to see them get better as a team but still want a change in Leadership. Just a sad time for all.

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