While the Hokies’ Men’s Basketball program has gotten several good pieces of news recently, what with the commitment of Jalen Cone, and the decision of Wabissa Bede to return to the program.

With those two players in the fold, as well as six returnees, and getting a commitment from former Wofford pledge Hunter Cantoor, a transfer in Wofford big man Keve Aluma (Who is applying for a petition for immediate eligibility with the NCAA), and adding a graduate transfer in Alabama State big man Branden Johnson, the Hokies now have near a full complement of players for next year (11 players as of now), and be at least somewhat competitive.

But, the key is and has always been about keeping Kerry Blackshear Jr.

While Blackshear has kept his options open by applying as an early entrant for the NBA Draft (Which he withdrew from on the day of the deadline), as well as entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, he has yet to decide where he wants to attend school to pursue a graduate degree, and play basketball next season. Per reports, his decision is not expected soon. There are, however, plenty of suitors for the big man’s services, and most of the names that are continually being thrown around are SEC schools. As A Sea Of Blue reports, Blackshear supposedly visited Florida yesterday, and is also being recruited by at least Kentucky, Tennessee,Texas A&M, Michigan State, Arkansas, and surely many other schools around the country, as he’s basically the unanimous #1 graduate transfer on the market.

While Blackshear has not “announced his intentions to transfer,” contrary to the report in the Rocky Top Talk, it is clear that at the very least, he is considering every possibility for his future, including transferring out from Virginia Tech. One thing that he is not considering anymore, according to Rivals’ Corey Evans, is to go professional overseas.

While the Florida move would make sense--as Blackshear is from Orlando—as would the move to Kentucky, a powerhouse program with a coach who may be able to further develop aspects of his game for a run at the NBA Draft next year, probably the biggest kick in the gut would be to see him follow former coach Buzz Williams out the door to a now loaded Texas A&M team, as Buzz didn’t engender much goodwill with the manner in which he left, or by then essentially taking Virginia Tech’s 2019 recruiting class with him.

While there is still hope for the Hokies to retain one of the best players in school history, it is clear that they will have to fend off plenty of suitors to do so. And the reality is, IF Blackshear is to return, Tech will have an excellent chance to return to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth-straight year. However, if he ultimately decides to go elsewhere, in all likelihood, it’s going to be a rough, character-developing type of year, the likes of which the program saw under both Buzz Williams and Seth Greenberg in their first years respectively.

For all the news, including a breakdown of Blackshear’s excellent 2018-19 season, and going over some game tape to demonstrate how much he means to the Hokies, be sure to check back in with us at Gobbler Country.

GO HOKIES!!!