Texts are nice. So are direct messages and national TV interviews and confetti flakes and cheers from the traveling fans in the big city.

But there’s something about coming home that brings on the next-level feelings. Virginia Tech’s coaches and players experienced that Sunday evening when they stepped off the bus in Blacksburg as freshly minted ACC Tournament champions.

There they walked through a sea of cheering, chanting folks wearing the same colors as their own.

There they found another moment to treasure in a journey full of them.

“Where else in life will you ever experience something like that, where you get off the bus and people just want to be close to you?” Tech post player Justyn Mutts said Monday. “People just want to come up, shake your hand, take a picture with you. It’s all a blessing to me

“There were, it seemed like, thousands of people there, all huddled around. Everybody just wanted to share in our victory. It’s almost like a victory for the whole city.”

And beyond. Anyone who’s ever worn a Virginia Tech T-shirt could revel in this, and it’s not over yet. Tech’s NCAA Tournament foray begins Friday against Texas in Milwaukee.

Virginia Tech is a football school. As such, it does large-scale events awfully well. Big crowds, big noise, big passion. ESPN’s “College GameDay” has credited its early football visits to Blacksburg two decades ago for helping that show evolve into the Saturday morning staple it is today.

But folks around here know a special basketball team when they see one, too. And this is one of those.

“This fan base, they’re proud,” said Tech coach Mike Young, who has the uncommon long-term perspective of having grown up just 15 minutes away from this campus. “They have high expectations. They want you to win, they expect you to win. And when you do win, they’re going to applaud you.

“That environment’s been created over there in Cassell, Wednesday night, 9 o’clock, whoever we’re playing. It may not be to the brim, but it’s loud, it’s boisterous. They’re great people, and I certainly feel a real kindship to this fan base because of my background.”

Kinship is the perfect word, because that’s what the Hokies have now. Their gift to the community – a maiden ACC Tournament title, complete with victories over the top three seeds – has created overwhelming pride that’s easy for the players to see.

“It’s so much bigger than ourselves,” Mutts aid. “That’s what we realized. There were kids in that crowd. There were little kids coming up to us. Older people – I’m not saying they’re old, but older-than-me people – were there.

“It’s so much bigger than the 12 guys on the court, the 48 people in our program. It’s so much bigger than just that. It’s everybody.”

Including former players. Young heard from dozens of them in the 48 hours after they cut down the nets, from recent-vintage stars such as Justin Robinson to program pioneers like Allan Bristow.

“So many great, great players that love this school, that love this program,” Young said. “I’m sure I’ll hear from many more as we move along.”

No doubt, because the Hokies aren’t done.

Young said he was a little surprised that Tech received a No. 11 seed. He’d surveyed a few folks he trusts after the game on Saturday, and they’d all predicted something in the 7-9 range.

“I think it’s also pretty evident had we not beaten Duke, we wouldn’t have gotten in, which I scratch my head a little bit,” he said. “But we’re playing. We’re in. We’ve got a chance to play good basketball again and advance, so let’s see what happens.”

The community will be watching. If there was any doubt before, Sunday’s stroll off the bus took care of that.

“Honestly, it just makes you want to go harder, knowing that people are relying on you,” Mutts said. “People respect us. People are so supportive of us. You don’t want to let anybody down.”




[Post edited by squarerootofone at 03/15/2022 07:29AM]