Wanted to share some things I had seen come up on Twitter and reading some of the boards to clarify what's going on with the Hoops team right now.

First, a couple observations:

1) youre seeing exactly why having a balanced full roster is just as much of a weapon as having 1 or 2 NBA-level talents. VT is going to be a tough out. They have a distinct style of play that teams will need to prepare for AND they can beat you in multiple ways.

Youre facing a big team who scores lots in the paint and on put-backs (USF)? Ok cool, heres Aluma, Pemsl, Mutts and (eventually) Ojiako...have fun.

Youre facing an athletic team that plays 4-out and spreads the floor (Villanova)? Ok cool, here's a ton of talented wings who can switch 1-4 and a center in Aluma who can play in space.

Youre missing 2 rotation players due to injury? No worries, youre still 2-deep at the respective positions. How many games last year is VT ok without both Cone and Ojiako?

Observation #2:

I figured with 7 (6 and a half really) new faces that VT would hit reset and build everyone together. This would mean VT would take some lumps early in the season, but would make for a more linear development of the new faces.

Instead, VT decided to put MORE of the system in place (new sets, new actions, new reads, more felexibility for some) and restrict the minutes of the new faces instead. This means VT will be more competitive early and likely have a higher ceiling late in the year...BUT it means the new faces are going to have a very steep learning curve and might not scratch their potential in Year 1 (or maybe late in the year if theyre especially astute)

It should come as no surprise, knowing that was the mindset that VTs first starting lineup was 5 system vets (Bede, Cattoor, Alleyne, Radford, Aluma) and then when they had to play a second big against USF and Villanova they went with the only 4-man with college experience in Mutts.

VT looked lost for significant stretches when Diarra, Bamisile, Mutts/N'Guessan are on the floor together. That doesnt mean those players arent good. They just dont have any clue how to get their looks within the system yet. So theyre looking for the simple reads only, which happen to be the easiest to take away.

Observation #3:

A very positive sign that this staff is very good at player development. Aluma played 26 min per game as a soph at Wofford and averaged 7 ppg. Went 0-for-1 from 3 and didnt shoot much otherwise. Just put backs and dump offs. He's well on his way to averaging 17+ ppg in a similar amount of minutes.

That might be written off as an anomaly if you couldnt look at others woth similar improvements. Last year PJ Horne became a shooter. Mutts has looked serviceable as a shooter despite never being one earlier. Bede has looked better shooting this season. Radford has looked much better this season. Cattoor seems more confident in his shot.

Player development is what sky-rocketed Gonzaga to elite status. They now bring in 4 and 5 star kids regularly, but they still take underrated kids and turn them into very very good players to complement their stars. Years ago though, it started with player development. They raised their program's level by recruiting the right fit and then making them better players. There are positive signs of that at VT now.

Name a player under Buzz or Greenberg who got significantly better from start to finish of their careers...I'll wait.

I saw some chatter that VT doesnt have playmakers. Which is a bonkers thing to say. It wasnt on this board, but before it creeps into this board let's address it...

VT has a ton of playmakers, but this system makes all 5 players a playmaker at any given time. They "playmaking" doesnt come from taking 3-4 dribbles and getting into the lane as the typical fan think of when they think of a "playmaker". Rather, the playmaking comes off the pass, off the screen, reading the screen correctly, setting the proper screen and then ultimately delivering the ball where it needs to go.

#1 thats precisely why a traditional PG isnt needed in this system. Everyone needs to be a PG, and it means the decision-making is shared and not on the shoulders of one player who needs to dominate the ball.

#2 the returning players are much better at making the correct reads on those screens, and the shots they get from them are more open than they were last season. How many times last season was Nolley shooting a contested 3 at the end of the clock. How many contested 3s have you seen this season at ANY time during the possession?

Finally, this team is nowhere near a finished product. 60-65 ppg isnt going to cut it some nights in conf play. Theyre gonna need the players who are a bit more skilled (Diarra, Bamisile, Maddox, N'Guessan) to come along and help on the nights when theyre in a scoring battle. Ill be interested to see how Cone has done from year 1 to year 2 on his reads, but he also cant be on the floor in multiple lineups or for long stretches.

If this squad comes back next year and sees a similar jump in their understanding of the system I truly believe theyll compete for an ACC title and well into the 2nd weekend of the tournament. Keep enjoying the players this year, theyre more talented and have a better understanding than last years group and theyre much more versatile in their style of play. But there will be some ups and downs still. Theres too many new faces for there not to be.