There’s a good chance you’ve heard of Neoklis Avdalas if you’re either a basketball fan or a Virginia Tech fan. Avdalas, a 6-foot-8 guard from Athens, Greece, pulled his name out of the 2025 NBA Draft and committed to head coach Mike Young and the Virginia Tech Hokies.
That’s right. Avdalas could have skipped college and gone in the NBA Draft. While he wasn’t a projected first-round pick, several teams believed Avdalas could have gone in the second round. However, he chose the college route, with the hopes of becoming a future lottery pick. Avdalas likely could have gone anywhere, but loved his time in Blacksburg and committed to the Hokies.
Avdalas arrived recently and has been practicing with his new teammates. Only 19, Avdalas has been playing professionally overseas for the past four years. Despite his size, Avdalas is a point guard and is a phenomenal passer. The sky is the limit for Avdalas as a scorer. He’s been on teams where he hasn’t had to be the lead scorer, despite being very capable.
For the Hokies next season, the offense will flow through “Neo.”
Virginia Tech has been sharing recent practice clips on social media, giving fans a glimpse of what to expect from Avdalas.
The Hokies never promote the basketball program like this when football is just getting underway. They’ve been aggressive in attempting to sell season tickets. That’s great. Here’s some more advice: With NIL now legal, Tech should be selling those No. 17 jerseys in every color, beginning now. Avdalas can be a superstar. The Hokies need to get behind him.
Basketball season is less than three months away. While head coach Mike Young has received bad news just before the season on more than one occasion, let’s hope for nothing but good vibes over the next few months.