Virginia Tech Basketball Projected Rotation: Who Starts, Who Backs Up, and What’s Unsettled?

Virginia Tech men’s basketball stands on the doorstep of the 2026-27 season, kicking off play with Coppin State on Nov. 3.

What’s locked in for the starters?

It feels like a safe bet to earmark junior guard Ben Hammond and senior forward Amani Hansberry as two of the five routine starters. Hammond averaged 13.2 points – his total rose to a team-high 14.9ppg in ACC play – in a breakout sophomore campaign, while Hansberry’s season-wide 14.7 points per game paced the team. Hammond scored 30 points against then-No. 21 Virginia on Dec. 31, 2025, while Hansberry became the first Hokie since Jeff Allen in 2011 to total four straight double-doubles.

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It also feels safe to place Miles Heide as one of the starters given his prior experience at San Diego State. That background gives him a leg up on Musa Sagnia and Solomon Davis, both of whom are still relatively green. Sagnia averaged 2.8 points in 12.4 minutes a game for NC State last year, while Davis redshirted under the old NCAA eligibility rules and didn’t play.

What’s unsettled?

I think two starting spots are still up for grabs, although the same players are competing for both. The biggest question is who starts alongside Hammond in the backcourt, which could also determine who fills the third guard spot or spills over to small forward in certain lineups. Isaiah Elohim (Florida Atlantic) and Jaylen Curry stand out to me as immediate guard options, while Oklahoma transfer Kuol Atak flashed upside in limited minutes at Oklahoma in 2025-26.

Elohim averaged 12.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game at Florida Atlantic, while Curry posted 10.1 points and 3.5 assists per contest at Oklahoma State. Atak averaged 7.0 points in just 12.4 minutes per game, shooting 41.3% from beyond the arc.

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Further down, I could see Sagnia and Davis competing for the backup five – a job I think Sagnia would have the inside track to thanks to his experience from 2025-26. I could also see Hansberry playing at the 5 a fair bit, enabling…

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Publish date : 2026-10-30 23:00:00

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