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

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When Bimbo Coles and the Hokies started the 1988-89 season — Bimbo’s junior year — they were full of promise. They were coming off a surprising 19-10 season. Bimbo had led the Metro Conference in scoring the previous season and had been named the Metro’s co-player of the year, along with Louisville’s Pervis Ellison.

By making the 1988 Olympic men’s basketball team, Bimbo had taken the measure of himself against the best that college, the NBA, and the world had to offer. The experience let him know that he was capable of playing at the highest levels, and he returned to Blacksburg with renewed confidence.

Tech was returning five of their top six scorers, including Bimbo, Wally Lancaster, Quinton Nottingham, Greg Brink, and Eric Sanders. The only loss from the top six was Tim Anderson, a 9.0 ppg scorer and a valuable, scrappy rebounder who was declared academically ineligible and transferred.

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