Hokies Hire Former Assistant James Johnson as Head Basketball Coach

What a strange two weeks it's been.

James Johnson was just beginning his new job as an assistant coach at Clemson when Seth Greenberg was unceremoniously fired in a move that baffled the entire college basketball world.

Now, after being spurned by a number of potential suitors with "bigger" names, Tech athletic director Jim Weaver wiped the egg from his face just long enough to find Johnson's phone number and get him to come back to Blacksburg.

Let it be clear, I think Johnson will be a good choice. He was Tech's top recruiter during his five seasons under Greenberg. He was the lead recruiter on Robert Brown, C.J. Barksdale, Cadarian Raines and Erick Green. The team, not surprisingly is very excited with the choice.

 Erick Green tweeted, Yessss I’ll be back next year  and Cadarian Raines added via the often non-sensical social platform, I'm happy as hell right now!! #Hokies.

Much of the rest of the team expressed similar sentiments, so it would appear the bulk of the current players will remain at Tech which was becoming a serious question mark the longer the search for a head coach continued.

         

Johnson hopes to step out from the shadow of his deposed

 predecessor.

Johnson is a Virginia native and played his college ball about an hour away from Blacksburg at Ferrum College.

He knows the area well having been an assistant at Ferrum, Longwood, Hargrave Military Academy, Old Dominion and George Mason just in the Commonwealth alone. There were also stops at College of Charleston, Penn State and Elon.

He has loads of experience as an assistant at schools of various sizes and locations and his local knowledge and connections in the mid-atlantic should help Tech keep recruiting on roughly the same level as under Greenberg.

Speaking of Seth, he had this to say regarding Johnson in last year's basketball media guide:

“JJ is the elder statesman of our staff and is tremendously invested in Virginia Tech basketball. He is one of the elite recruiters in all of college basketball and a terrific on-floor coach. His genuine concern for our student athletes and their development both on and off the court is well documented. He is a head coach waiting to happen.” — Seth Greenberg

Time will tell how things work out for JJ, but given the horrible position the program was put in by the athletic department's timing, this is probably a best case scenario.

Tech simply wasn't going to attract a big name, certainly not the people rumored to be involved. The job is hard to begin with and Jim Weaver just proved what kind of support at a successful hoops coach can expect at Virginia Tech if things turn slightly sour.

To those concerned that Johnson wasn't Tech's top choice, fear not. Seth Greenberg was at least Weaver's fifth choice during the last coaching search (names like Lon Kruger and Jim Baron come to mind). He lucked into something with Seth, and may just do it again.

No thanks to timing.

Seth Greenberg Fired In Awkward Press Conference

Seth Greenberg was fired Monday during a bizarre press conference that was scheduled before the coach was even notified that his “contract had been terminated”.

The second-winningest men’s basketball coach in Virginia Tech history was let go after a nine-season run in Blacksburg and a 170-123 overall record.

Greenberg’s most impressive feats were his 61-67 mark in ACC play and three victories over the No. 1 ranked team in the country (Duke, UNC, Wake Forest).

He lifted Tech a notch or two as he stewarded Tech’s transition into the ACC, but things had stalled a bit and Greenberg was not without his faults as a coach.

That said, the callousness with which this firing materialized is surprising.

Greenberg deserved to know last week when athletic director Jim Weaver was suddenly overcome by an epiphany that Seth isn’t on the same page with him and the Tech athletic department family.

You can’t praise Tech’s family atmosphere in one breath and then cut ties with a coach who was doing his job, hosting a recruit the day you fired him.

If nothing else, it makes the athletic department look like a bunch of bumbling fools trying to jack up the website hits by teasing the presser for a fired coach.

Jim Weaver may not have thought this out

At best it’s inconsiderate and unfair, at worst it’s a calculated, cold-blooded move.

It’s hard to say any of this is calculated though. Many surmised that Weaver must have had someone ready to take the job already by making this move a month after most coaching moves occurred.

That doesn’t appear to be the case so far and that’s no surprise.

Some 40 schools have hired a new coach already this offseason. As Ken Pomeroy tweeted yesterday, “If you're firing your coach on April 23, that coach better have done some Brad Greenberg-type stuff. Otherwise, awful move.”

That is of course a reference to Seth’s brother Brad who got in some trouble during his brief stint as the head coach just down the road at Radford.

There’s never been anything to indicate Seth cut corners. He was aggressive in recruiting and had to work harder than a lot of coaches to overcome the various obstacles Tech faces in an area dominated by ACC flagship schools like Duke and North Carolina.

Seth Greenberg was exactly what Tech needed for a time, a firey, brash personality who wasn’t afraid to stick his nose in the face of Coach K and to challenge the ACC elite.

The players bought in and realized Virginia Tech wasn’t just a bottom of the league program as many had predicted, but a team capable of finishing in the top third.

It’s no surprise that over time Seth’s personality wore thin with people. Blacksburg isn’t used to big personalities. We’re used to ‘aw shucks’ Frank Beamer and the rock and stability of the football program.

Seth Greenberg is one of the most demonstrative and entertaining coaches to watch.

Still, I will remember Seth for the excitement and energy that he infused in a dormant program.

I loved his sometimes brutally honest media relations and can’t wait to see him on ESPN. He will instantly be their best analyst when they or some other network hires him.

He has two ACC Coach of the Year awards, one NCAA Tournament appearance and a plethora of NIT bids to show for his time storming up and down the sideline in Cassell Coliseum.

Many of the most exciting athletes in Hokie hoops history have come through during Seth’s time, and he leaves having helped build a beautiful multi-million dollar basketball practice facility that has helped make Tech’s facilities relevant.

Say what you will about Greenberg, love him or hate him, he gave Virginia Tech everything he could and did a great deal to advance the program.

If you can’t see that, you’re certifiably insane.

Hokies Hosed...Again

Naturally, when my colleagues and I emerged from our battered sedan after a 350-mile journey Sunday evening, we didn’t expect to be greeted with bad news.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised, but once again in it’s infinite wisdom, the NCAA Tournament selection committee decided Virginia Tech just wasn’t good enough to be invited to it’s “dance”.

“Keep in mind there’s 10 committee members, and we all have different criteria,” tournament selection committee chairman Gene Smith said recently.

At best, a curious statement from a man chairing a committee that claims to have 15 quantifiable criteria they look at each season.

If I can be so bold as to read into that statement, I think he meant to say that each member can approach and interpret the criteria in a different way. Still, that doesn’t sit well with me.

Why isn’t there a clearer set of criteria? Why can’t we have any consistency in what the committee values most? One season it’s how you finished the year, others it’s your team’s strength of schedule or their “body of work”.

There’s enough hyperbole floating around the selection process to burst a dozen bubbles, but not nearly enough concrete answers.

As is stands now, the NCAA Tournament selection committee is nothing more than a Politburo, secretly meeting behind closed doors deciding the fate of everyone in the land.

Much like the Soviet system where holding a government office wasn’t a requirement for leadership on that committee, supreme basketball knowledge isn’t a prerequisite for appointment by the NCAA.

The committee is made up of athletic directors and conference commissioners representative of the top programs as well as the “lower-tier” schools from smaller conferences, but at best, any given year only half the members have some kind of significant basketball experience.

It just doesn’t feel right to me. For many years, I’ve felt that the NCAA Tournament is one of the most democratic way to decide a champion in sports.

Every team, at least in theory, has a say in who’s crowned No. 1. If you win, you are allowed to continue regardless of what anyone says. That is of course if you’re in it to begin with.

And so, I won’t fill out a bracket for myself this season. I’ll make picks for our dog Remus based on which mascot he prefers and then I’ll never look at them again.
I’ll avoid the bars and quickly change the topic of conversation whenever it comes around to the “Big Dance” regardless of whom I’m talking to.

The television set will be disappointedly set to ESPNU where I’ll closely follow the Hokie Invitiational (NIT) with as much anticipation as I can muster, and then once our season is over, I’ll lock myself in my room until no one mentions basketball again.

Or perhaps, I’ll just move to Russia.

Jarell Eddie: Future Hokie Star

Jarell Eddie is a 6'7", 210-pound small forward from Concord, NC. He's rated highly by all the recruiting services and is part of an excellent recruiting class coming in next season for Seth Greenberg.

All those player rankings and "star ratings" are nice, but I like to see a kid play before I dub him "the talisman".

For those unfamiliar with the word, talisman is used on occasion by soccer announcers to indicate a special player. It could be defined as, "Something that apparently has magic power" or as, "Anything whose presence exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings or actions."

After watching this video, Jarell's got the goods folks. Just take a look.

NIT ROUND 1 Preview: Duquesne @ Virginia Tech

Former Atlantic 10 foes Virginia Tech and Duquesne meet Wednesday night in Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, VA. Like most NIT games, this one has some interesting story lines.

No. 7 Duquesne (21-11, 9-7 Atlantic 10)










Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart has done a tremendous job turning around the Dukes program just a few years removed from tragedy.

Everhart returns to Cassell Coliseum where he was once a player for the Hokies. There’s no doubt this game means a little extra to him.

The Atlantic 10 is quickly dismissed as just a mediocre conference by most, but in reality it’s a strong league and potentially the best of the “mid-majors”.

The Dukes are one of five A-10 squads with at least 20 wins this season. Among the others are No. 22 Xavier and Dayton, two teams that made the NCAA Tournament and were both defeated this season by Duquesne.

The Dukes predominantly run a four-guard lineup that can distribute, shoot and play pesky defense. Several key players are guards/forwards with good length who can rebound, pass and score quite effectively.

Senior guard Aaron Jackson sets the pace for the Dukes. This season Jackson averaged 18.5 PPG and 5.8 APG to go along with nearly 2 steals per contest.

Another versatile player is sophomore guard/forward Bill Clark (13.2 PPG, 5.1 REB, 2.8 SPG). Clark is 6-5, Jackson is 6-4 and guard/forward Melquan Bolding (9.6 PPG, 4.4 REB, 1.1 APG) is also 6-4.

Sophomore forward Damian Saunders compliments that group at 6-7. Saunders averaged 13.3 PPG this season to go along with a team high 7.7 rebounds per contest.

Clearly, Duquesne’s “small” lineup isn’t that small. The smallest player who gets significant time is freshman guard Eric Evans (9.5 PPG, 2.2 APG) who is 5’11”.


No. 2 Virginia Tech (18-14, 7-9 ACC)








Clearly, the Hokies will have their hands full against the Dukes.

Their lineup presents Tech with some match up issues and it will be interesting to see who they go with in this one.

Duquesne likes to shoot from outside to the tune of 24 three-point attempts per game, making 35 percent.

Seth Greenberg will have to decide what personnel best suit the situation. If he uses a “big” lineup including likely starters senior Cheick Diakite (6-9) and sophomore Jeff Allen (6-7), it makes the Dukes tougher to defend on the perimeter.

Of course since Duquesne lacks a true big man, Tech could try and pound the ball low and take advantage in the post, hoping the Dukes won’t hurt them too much from outside. This chess match should be interesting.

Sophomore guard Malcolm Delaney is coming off what Greenberg called the best game of his career, a gut-wrenching 79-76 loss to No. 1 North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Friday.

Delaney had a double-double with 17 points and a career high 10 assists. He saw things develop before they happened on offense and played tough, aggressive defense. The Hokies will rely on Delaney as usual to be a catalyst for things.

Finally there’s A.D. Vassallo. The senior currently resides in eighth place on Tech’s all-time career scoring list. He needs just 9 points to move into sixth place and pass Bob Ayersman (1957-61) and Zabian Dowdell (2004-07).

Vassallo from his freshman to his senior year has improved as much as any player in the country. His game is well-rounded and though he defense can still be suspect at times, look for A.D. to give his best effort in this one.


PREDICTION

This game will be very close. The Hokies are virtually incapable of blowing out opponents and the Dukes are a very talented basketball team who will be ready to pull the upset.

The Hokies have history on their side however. Tech is at home where they are 10-5 this season. Tech is also 5-0 all-time against Duquesne at home and they lead the series 7-5.

The NIT has also been very kind to the Hokies over the years.

In the friendly confines of Cassell Coliseum Tech is 10-1 all-time in the NIT. Overall, the Hokies boast a 20-7 record in the tournament, winning it in 1973 and 1995.

Again, this will be a good game and should be close throughout. Ultimately, the Hokies have just a bit too much firepower.


Duquesne 72
Virginia Tech 75

Another Sad Loss For The Hokies

It’s not your typical story of inspiration and it doesn’t have a happy ending.

After battling cancer for nearly 4 years, former Virginia Tech basketball player Allen Calloway passed away Sunday morning in High Point, N.C., he was 25 years old.

In 2005, Calloway was diagnosed with alveolar soft part carcinoma, a rare soft tissue disease that was found in Allen’s left calf. The cancer was inoperable, interwoven as it was with blood vessels, and eventually spread to his lungs and later his brain.

Enduring treatments that left him weak and nauseous, he put up a bold front continuing to work towards his degree and trying to help his teammates. He was always quick with a smile and filled with laughter. He exhibited courage and maturity that belied someone so young, and so unfairly targeted by a disease that knows no bounds.

Calloway played in nearly every game his first three seasons in Blacksburg. His most successful year on the court coming in the 2003-2004 campaign when he was second on the team in blocked shots and averaged 3.7 points per game and 2.9 rebounds.

During his senior season, weakened by treatments, he was limited to just 7 minutes of game action. Despite not being able to play, Calloway continued to cheer on his teammates as he served as a pillar of strength. Somewhat fittingly, he made the only shot he attempted that season.

In the spring of 2006, Calloway developed brain tumors that required three surgeries. He managed to persevere and join his class at graduation ceremonies that May, later completing work on his degree in residential property management.

The Hokies will honor Calloway by wearing a special patch on their uniforms the rest of the season, a fitting tribute to a great Hokie.

"Allen's spirit was very special," head coach Seth Greenberg said. "He was just a joy to be around. Allen Calloway made everyone's day better. ... He was an amazing, amazing young man."