2005 Virginia Tech Hokies Basketball Preview

2005 Virginia Tech Hokies Team Preview

Virginia Tech has a starting five made up of four well-honed juniors and a tough, muscular sophomore forward. Although the bench is slight, the starters are a versatile group that can play head-to-head against the very best.

Three of this year’s starters scored double digits consistently last season. Leading Hokie scorer Zabian Dowdell is poised to better his 14.4 PPG at the guard position. Dowdell, cool under pressure, is joined by equally talented guard Jamon Gordon who hit 10.9 PPG, grabbed 5.1 RPG and contributed 4.1 APG last year.
Forward Coleman Collins, another junior, threw in 11.4 PPG while averaging 7.0 RPG. Collins, who mixes it up under the glass, has a soft, sweet shot that hits 45.2% of the time. He rounds off the top three Hokie scorers.

That leaves Virginia Tech with a scoring gap perhaps best expressed by their average point output of 68.5 points a contest—not enough to be a force in the ACC. This year is even direr since the Hokies no longer have guard/forward Carlos Dixon who pumped in an average of almost 14 points each game.
Last season as a first year starter Deron Washington averaged 7.9 PPG. Washington is a gutsy player capable of controlling the inside and of inspiring the entire team. If he can develop into a shooter able to hit from any part of the court and into a playmaker that can find open teammates, he’ll be invaluable to this team.

At 7’0” sophomore center Robert Krabbendam may be ready to bloom. In the final month of last season, he became a powerhouse under the basket and chances are with some experience and confidence, he’ll be effective for most of this season. This can be a big positive for the Hokies who have struggled under the hoop.

The Hokies have not made it to the NCAA Tournament since 1996. Chances are they make a run for it but, once again, fall short. Then again if Washington and Krabbendam can notch it up, they could be a Cinderella team.

For more info on the 2005 Hokies check out the official Virginia Tech athletic site.