I want to propose some lofty yet realistic predictions for next year's team. I'm going to number them, so comment which numbers you could also see happening. Let me also preface all this by saying: I truly see Nolley leaving as an "addition by subtraction" situation. As we saw by the end of the year, the entire team stepped up the less he played. Great scorer, but could also be a black hole on offense. We don't need a guy taking 15 shots per game if he's shooting 25% when we can get better looks at a higher percentage. I'm also making these predictions under the assumption Carter Diarra indeed suits up for us and does not enter the draft AND we're able to get a grad transfer. So anyways, here we go.

1. We win 21+ games. We won 16 games this past year. Given team experience, a strong offseason, players developing IQ and strength and chemistry, plus our stud freshmen, I see us finding AT LEAST 4 more wins next year. We easily could've had 3 more wins this year when you look at OT losses, last second-losses, and last-second misses to tie or win.

2. We have 5 players average double figures. Possibly my loftiest prediction of all these, but consider this: last season, we had 6 players average at least 6.5 PPG, Cattoor being the one at the end with 6.5 and Nolley at the top with 15.5. Take away Nolley and the ball moves much better, no question, players get better looks, and the offense flows much better. I see Cattoor actually being the one who becomes a 13-15 PPG kind of guy. I have a ton of excitement for his game as a seasoned sophomore. Horne, assuming he doesn't have another prolonged cold streak will have a big senior season, probably right at 10 PPG. Radford really came on at the end of the year and he's essentially a walking double-double. Alleyne, now at the age of other college freshmen with a full season under his belt, will have confidence and experience and a more trigger-happy approach. Cone came on at the end too, and a good offseason of strength and speed training will help him. That's Cattoor, Horner, Radford, Alleyne, and Cone that I could see all averaging 10 PPG. Shoot, we could even have another player contend for double figures, be it Diarra, an improved Ojiako, or Bamisile or Maddox if they're as good as advertised. Bamisile to be continued...

3. Joe Bamisile is a one and done. This will be the one that has the most negative contention. For some reason, our fan base is absolutely blood-thirsty towards anyone who predicts we have players leave after a year, as I predicted all year with Nolley. My thoughts were NBA, but he did leave, so I'm not entirely wrong...lol. I've heard two things about Joe Bamisile from a family friend whose son played against him consistently in the AAU circuit: 1. He's a great kid and teammate. Let's let that factor into the NBA discussion. He's not here for the wrong reasons, like others. What I've heard is that he's SUPER quiet. He outworks everyone, doesn't get caught up in social media (check out his Twitter - he's just not one of the social clout kids), and breathes the game. You know who else was like that? KOBE!!!! I digress. But...2. My connection has told me Joe is by far the best player he's seen in AAU. For reference, his son (I'm not disclosing names) plays in national tournaments weekly. (This particular kid isn't necessarily someone who will suit up for a D1 school but from the bench, he and his dad have both said Bamisile is the diamond in the rough that will have a long career in the NBA).

4. Mike Young wins ACC COY. I thought he should've won this past year. It seems every year VT has a viable candidate, Leonard Hamilton or Larranaga for some reason swoop in and steal it. If we get 21+ wins as I predict, Young takes ACC COY.

5. Ojiako begins to receive serious attention from NBA scouts. I don't know how I can quantify this, and I want to throw his name into the double-figures prediction as well, but I think as of right now, even including Nolley, this past year's team's best NBA potential player was Ojiako. When I look at centers, I look at two things: the way they run the court and their ability to anticipate opponent's next moves. Ojiako runs like a guard. Seriously: he's quicker than people realize. Long, clean strides. He's not awkward. And he's still learning the game. From a strength standpoint, he's about 20 pounds away from being NBA-ready physically. He's a specimen and I feel like he's got what it takes to translate to the NBA as a post force. Sort of in the realm of DeAndre Ayton or Bam Adebayo.

6. We finish top 5 in the ACC. Roy bought an incredible upcoming cla$$. They'll be great. UVA loses Diakite and Key, I think that alone drops them 3-4 spots. Duke will be good as usual. Louisville and FSU lose a lot too. The ACC will be down, it might be a chance for us to not only land in the top-half, but slide into the top 5. This isn't as much as us being a great team as it is us taking advantage of a down league.

Just some thoughts! Would love to hear yours!