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Written by Shamus Williams
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Tuesday, 12 December 2006 |
COACHING STAFF
No news is good news on the coaching front for
the Hokies. Head coach Frank Beamer was quoted as saying he feels
more turnover is coming for the Hokies in the coaching ranks. So
far though, nothing has happened, and that is great news for the
Hokies. I still expect the Hokies to lose at least one coach, but
it looks like the time has passed for Bud Foster to get a head coaching
position. Foster would be a great asset to any program, but it is
a sigh of relief for Hokies fans to know that he is staying.
Imagine how good the defense will be next year, with all the big
players and Foster coming back next year.
INJURY UPDATES
It looks the Hokies will be at full strength
for their appearance in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl against Georgia.
Ryan Shuman is expected to start at left guard, after missing the last
few games with a knee injury. Branden Ore is also expected to
start after injuring his ankle in the win against Wake Forest.
Beamer said the rest was probably the best thing for Ore. Usually
Tech likes to use a two running back system, but this year it has been
Ore all the time. Look for Beamer to use Kenny Lewis and George
Bell to get more carries, even with Ore back, as Beamer would probably
prefer to see Ore more healthy for next year, rather than use him a ton
and win this game.
HOKIES BASKETBALL
The men’s basketball team has had a rough go
of it at the beginning of the season. The Hokies, who were
expected to be able to win close games this year with seniors, have
failed miserably in trying to close games out. They blew a
nine-point second half lead against George Washington and a missed dunk
by Coleman Collins killed any shot at the Hokies winning the
game. They have followed that loss up by winning the next two
games against Old Dominion (a good basketball team) and Appalachian
State. The Hokies need to win their next two games if they want
to continue their NCAA tournament dreams alive. They play Wake
Forest at home on Sunday and then travel to New York City to play Seton
Hall in MSG. If the Hokies can win both of them, the next three
are very winnable, and they could head to Cameron Indoor 11-3, with a
huge chance to be a tournament contender. If you ask me, I think
the Hokies will beat Wake, but lose another close game to Seton
Hall. The Hokies are a NIT team, with NCAA talent. They
need to find a way to close out games, and figure it out quickly.
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Virginia Tech 