Looking back with: Bimbo Coles (Part 2 of 3)

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Correction from last article:  You may recall that in Part 1, I wrote that Bimbo committed to Tech on Saturday, Jan. 25th, 1986, then saw VT beat Memphis State in Blacksburg on Monday, Jan. 27th. That was in error. The Jan. 27th game was in Memphis, and VT lost 83-61.  The following Saturday, on Feb. 1st, one week after Bimbo verbally committed, VT beat Memphis State 76-72. The error occurred because I was looking at a schedule in the Nov. 12, 1985 basketball preview issue of The Hokie Huddler, and it had the home and away dates reversed. The correct schedule is linked here.


Bimbo Coles gave Hokie fans a lot of high-flying highlights in his sophomore season of 1987-88.
Bimbo Coles gave Hokie fans a lot of high-flying highlights in his sophomore season of 1987-88.

At the end of Bimbo Coles’ 1986-87 freshman season, with the Hokie basketball program just having been put on probation for two years, the multi-talented athlete had his plans set to quit hoops and switch to football. Bimbo was an all-state performer in football in high school, and at 6-2, 185, had the size to play corner or safety. A season in the weight room, training for football, would probably have put him over 200 pounds, and with his athleticism, he was an excellent football prospect.

Fate and interim head basketball coach Frankie Allen had other ideas.

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