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Virginia Tech’s Ben Emelogu leaves program

By Satchel Price

Jan 11, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Ben Emelogu (15) shoots the ball against Boston College Eagles forward Ryan Anderson (12) during the second half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Ben Emelogu (15) shoots the ball against Boston College Eagles forward Ryan Anderson (12) during the second half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports /
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Virginia Tech guard Ben Emelogu, the team’s captain during the 2013-14 season, has left the Hokies’ basketball program this summer, reports Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He’s the fourth player to leave the team since the end of the season, when the school hired Buzz Williams to replace the fired James Johnson.

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Emelogu, a rising sophomore, was one of the Hokies’ starting guards as a freshman last season. With good size at 6’5 and 205 pounds, he provided the team a big, raw perimeter defender who could also hit some three-pointers. He averaged 10.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season, and also shot 37 percent while averaging five three-pointers a game.

As one of the brighter spots during an ugly season for Virginia Tech, which went 2-16 in ACC play to finish at the bottom of the conference, Emelogu was supposed to help get the Hokies back to respectability next season. He was one of the reasons the team struggled so badly in conference games, scoring in double digit on just two occasions, but showed glimpses of being a quality player.

Instead, Barber says it’s unclear whether Emelogu will even continue playing college basketball. The 19-year-old has been back in his native Grand Prairie, Texas, this summer instead of spending time with the team, and may be hanging up his jersey rather than transfer to another program.

It’s bad news for Virginia Tech, which has now lost four players this summer. Junior forward Marshall Wood and freshmen centers Maurice Kirby and Trevor Thompson also left the Hokies since the end of the season, leaving the team a bit thin entering Williams’ first season.