Just one week ago, Hokie Nation was still frantic over the hiring of former Wofford coach Mike Young as the new head basketball coach at Virginia Tech. The fan base thought athletic director Whit Babcock should make a sexy hire after the previous five seasons under Buzz Williams.
Oh, and there were those who said Young would be overmatched and hire a bunch of his buddies from the Southern Conference.
Well, on Wednesday, Virginia Tech announced it had finalized Young’s coaching staff and it’s quite impressive. Christian Webster was on Williams’ staff the last three seasons and Young wisely retained the former Harvard standout. Webster is a riser in the coaching ranks and relates well to the players. He has strong ties in the Maryland/Northern Virginia/D.C. region.
It's official!
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) April 17, 2019
Meet our three assistant coaches ⤵️
Antwon Jackson, @CoachWebbie & @CoachFrazierKSU
» https://t.co/T22zgqCxHX#ThisIsHome | #Hokies pic.twitter.com/KIkOFw46Ld
Chester Frazier comes to Blacksburg from Kansas State. Williams, 32, spent the past seven seasons working as an assistant coach under his former coach, Bruce Weber, with the Wildcats. Frazier was instrumental in the development of several All-Big-12 players and the Baltimore native is someone else with strong recruiting ties to the region. Frazier played his college basketball at Illinois from 2005-09.
The final addition was announced on Wednesday in the form of former Cincinnati assistant, Antwon Jackson. Jackson spent the past seven seasons working for Mick Cronin at Cincinnati, helping lead the Bearcats to a 183-59 record and seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Jackson is the most experienced of Young’s assistants. He began his college coaching career in the 2000s with stints at William & Mary and UMass. Prior to that, Jackson spent time coaching high school in Maryland and Virginia. Much like Frazier and Webster, he also has strong ties to the region.
When Young spoke about his lack of familiarity with AAU Basketball in his presser, most grumbled that he was overmatched. Instead, Young knew he needed to surround himself with coaches who not only were familiar with Tech’s recruiting footprint, but who also had strong ties to the AAU programs in the Mid-Atlantic. Webster, Frazier and Jackson accomplish just that.
Not only did Young hire some young and hungry coaches who could recruit, these guys are also well-renowned teachers, too. Another bonus with this staff is its ties to former signee, Anthony Harris. Harris was granted a full release when Williams left, but insisted he would still consider the Hokies. Since that time, Young has visited Harris and things certainly sound encouraging about getting Harris back in the fold. Harris does have visits scheduled with North Carolina and Indiana, but this staff certainly has made Harris a major priority.
So, Hokies, what do you think of the new staff? The vibe certainly feels much different today than at the same just one week ago.