For the third time since their college basketball season ended, the Virginia Tech Hokies see another player enter the NCAA transfer portal. First, it was sophomore guard Izaiah Pasha, followed by freshman guard Neoklis Avdalas.
On Tuesday, freshman center Christian Gurdak became the latest name to enter the portal.
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Gurdak, a 6-foot-10, 260-pound freshman center from Charles Town, West Virginia, first played high school basketball at Paul IV in Chantilly, Virginia, where he was a teammate of Hokies guard Ben Hammond. Gurdak then transferred to Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., where he blossomed into a four-star recruit, before signing with the Hokies.
Gurdak appeared in 31 games as a true freshman for the Hokies, making 10 starts. He averaged 17 minutes, 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. His best performance came in Virginia Tech’s ACC-opening triple-overtime win over Virginia on New Year’s Eve. Gurdak scored 17 points and pulled down 19 rebounds.
This is a particularly tough blow for head coach Mike Young. He first offered Gurdak as a freshman and watched him develop throughout high school. As a freshman, Gurdak gave the Hokies some solid minutes and showed glimpses of becoming a solid ACC center. While no one will know all the details of why a player leaves, but this probably comes down to NIL. Gurdak has probably already received an offer bigger than the one he expected to receive from Virginia Tech.
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There’s no tampering, right?
Don’t blame the player. This is college sports. Avdalas was always expected to go. Most probably saw Gurdak as a player that Virginia Tech would’ve preferred to retain, alongside Hammond, Tyler Johnson and Amani Hansberry. However, Gurdak’s exit is probably not the last one. Even if Young can retain Hammond, Hansberry and Johnson, what type of roster can he put around them?
For years, fans said, “Let’s put all the resources into football.” It looks like that wish has come true, as this offseason for Young’s Hokies could look as bad, if not worse, than the one two years ago. Last year, Tech should’ve earned an NCAA bid. It didn’t. Now, the Hokies are looking at another bottom-of-the-ACC roster, while the rest of the league gets more resources.
