Virginia Tech basketball: Hunter Cattoor to return for one more season

The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team received some good news Tuesday when senior guard Hunter Cattoor revealed he was back for one more season with the Hokies.

Cattoor has played four seasons for the Hokies, but the Orlando native has one year of eligibility left thanks to the “free COVID year.”

The 2022 ACC Tournament MVP has played in 119 games for the Hokies, averaging 9 points per game for his career. He is a career 42% 3-point shooter and would have had plenty of attention if he’d entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Fortunately for head coach Mike Young, he gets a key member of his backcourt back in 2023-24. With Cattoor’s return, the Hokies will have their presumed backcourt of Cattoor, Sean Pedulla and Rodney Rice as the starters, with MJ Collins coming off the bench.

The Hokies lost forward Grant Basile, who chose to play professionally in Italy, but are scouring the transfer portal for a replacement. With some of the top options gone, the Hokies hope players already on the roster, such as UNC transfer Tyler Nickel, help fill Basile’s void on the offensive end.

Cattoor averaged 10.8 points per game last season but missed several games with a shoulder injury. Cattoor was missed as the Hokies struggled badly in his absence. In addition to his shooting ability, Cattoor has been Virginia Tech’s top defensive player.

Welcome back, Hunter.