A Look Ahead to the 2007-08 Hokie Hoops Team

By: Chris Coleman | Lead Analyst and Columnist

Virginia Tech just lost five seniors off the 2006-07 basketball team that
helped them reach the second round of the NCAA tournament. They have to replace
a lot of experience, especially at the guard position. There is still much to be
determined in the offseason, but in the wake of Tech’s best hoops season in over
a decade, here’s a very early look at the 2007-08 basketball team.

The Hokies will lose a lot of experience off this year’s team, especially in
the backcourt, where Tech had two senior starters and a senior backup. Here’s a
look at how the minutes were distributed this year, and how much they have
returning next season.

Minutes
Per Game in 2006-07, and Minutes Returning
Player Mins
/ Game		 Position Returning?
Zabian Dowdell 33.8 G No
Jamon Gordon 31.6 G No
Deron Washington 28.0 F Yes
A.D. Vassallo 25.3 F Yes
Coleman Collins 24.3 F No
Markus Sailes 15.3 G No
Lewis Witcher 13.1 F Yes
Cheick Diakite 12.8 F Yes
Nigel Munson 11.1 G Yes
Robert Krabbendam 7.4 C Yes
Chris Tucker 5.1 F No
Marcus Travis 2.1 G Yes
Terrance Vinson 1.7 F Yes
Total Minutes 211.6
Returning Minutes 101.5

The Hokies are losing four of their top six players. They’ll be awfully young
next year, although their overall talent level should be up. The Hokies have
reached the point where almost every scholarship player on the team, especially
those coming in later this year, was recruited by other ACC schools, or by
schools from other high-major conferences.

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