Tech Talk Live notes for November 10, 2014

Buzz Williams

Tech needs a good four days of practice before Friday’s game.  The Hokies are a little behind because they have such a young team.  He expects Maryland-Eastern Shore to do some gimmicky stuff on defense to try to throw Tech off.

The Hokies will work on special situations this week, such as sideline inbounds, needing a three-pointer with the clock winding down, etc.  No team has all their stuff in at this point, but it’s important to install that this week.

Malik Muller has to play within himself and try not to do too much.  He has to bring energy and have a high level of concentration daily.  He’s had a really good couple of weeks.

Justin Bibbs needs to be the leading rebounding guard ever to play as a freshman for Virginia Tech.  He needs to protect the ball and guard the opponents’ best player.  Buzz loves Bibbs on both ends of the floor.

Ahmed Hill plays really hard and wants to please.  He has to play clutter-free mentally.  He can’t dribble too much now because he wants to do too much at times.

Jalen Hudson is as talented as anybody in the program.  He has to be in the top tier of toughest guys in the program in order for his talent to be seen.

Satchel Pierce has a lot of potential.  He’s needs to understand exactly what it takes to be successful at this level.

70% of Tech’s roster have yet to play 50% of their careers.  It’s a very young team.

Signing Day is Wednesday.  Coaches are allowed to text and call as much as they want right now.  He can talk about the recruits next week.  He feels good about the class right now.

Shane Henry has to play with great energy and chase after every rebound.  He has to play stronger than he really is.  He’s probably a little more 190 now, but he’s not quite 200 at this point.

Buzz loves Joey van Zegeren.  He wants him to play meaner.  Joey is way more talented than he gives himself credit for.  He needs to play with more confidence.  He’s a really talented player who is fun to coach.

Adam Smith has to be a two-way player.  He can score, but he has to play on both ends of the court.  He can score in a variety of ways, and he knows how to get space.  He has to be able to guard on the other end.

Tech has to make sure they don’t burn Devin Wilson out.  He has to play a lot, but they can’t burn him out.  He needs to create open, easy baskets for the team.  He needs to make free throws, otherwise it’s pointless to get fouled.  He has to make sure he doesn’t get out of control when going to the basket.

Greg Donlon brings great energy each day.  He does a great job in practice.

Christian Beyer has great basketball IQ.  He gets the best out of his God-given ability.

Will Johnston is as tough as you can be.  He is mean and demented.  It’s almost like being on the floor is an escape for him.

Williams didn’t think Tech was as good in their second scrimmage as they were in their first.  The team responded well after watching film, and they had a good practice on Monday.  It helps to be able show them film of how they played.

Ace Custis is an assistant coach at Maryland-Eastern Shore.  Williams joked that he had to bar Ace from open gym in Cassell this summer.

Frank Beamer

Tech had a Monday practice today, and they usually take Mondays off.  That gives them an extra practice this week, and hopefully that will help on Saturday.

Jonathan McLaughlin will have surgery on his ankle soon, and he is out for the season.  The injury was much worse than the coaches originally thought.

Wade Hansen will step into the starting lineup.  He is athletic and tough, even though he doesn’t have much experience.  He’ll give it the best he’s got.

Marshawn Williams and Jerome Wright looked good on Monday.  They both looked healthy.

Losing two offensive linemen for the season (and now a third) has really hurt the Hokies.  Along with playing 21 freshmen, things have been up and down.  They have to keep working to get better.

Tech would like to play on their own terms a little bit more rather than playing from behind.  Beamer thinks the Hokies are getting better.  Michael Brewer played well against BC, and Brenden Motley had a good practice on Monday.

Mark Leal has always been a team guy, and Frank Beamer completely understands his situation.  He had a chance to take a good job, and he did it.  That gives Motley a chance.  He was #1 after the spring, and he’s a shame he was hurt in August.  Beamer likes his height and athletic ability.

Tech hasn’t thought too far ahead about Shai McKenzie.  Right now they are just working on his rehab.  They’ll discuss his status for next season with Shai and his family before the season begins.  Beamer thinks there will be enough time to rehab, but if it’s in his best interest, they would certainly be open to redshirting him.  That would also put some space between McKenzie and Marshawn Williams.

Beamer is happy with how recruiting is going right now.  Overall, this is the best recruiting staff that he’s ever had at Tech.  It’s a well-organized effort.  He couldn’t be more pleased right now.

Beamer would be open to an early Signing Day, since so many guys take visits over the summer and commit early.  He thinks quite a few guys would sign early.  However, for football it’s tough to say exactly what the right day would be for an early Signing Day.

Duke is a very good team, and they are well-coached.  They have good players.  Anthony Boone takes care of the ball, and they are about 50-50 between running and throwing.  Their defense is really solid and they have a terrific punter.

Beamer has always thought that if Duke improved their facilities they would be no different than Stanford.  He sees a bright future for Duke because they are finally improving their facilities.

Tech is working like heck and they need to get a win this weekend.  A win is exactly what this team needs right now.

5 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. I turned down a scholarship at RPI in 1994 to play OL at Buffalo (then 1-AA). Go Bulls! Nice to see Tech getting that DIII talent.

    1. I should probably add no disrespect to Hansen – some guys are late bloomers. I knew a dude at buffalo that grew 5 inches in college and walked on in the NFL. Played for Cleveland, Cincy, and Miami.

  2. IF the rumors that I heard about what Buzz said at some of his visits to coaching clinics, then I lost a bit of respect for him. I heard through the grapevine that he asked why he was talking to High school coaches etc, an was basically not being a good person. I hope the rumors are not true.

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