The Virginia Tech Hokies men’s basketball program has lost its fifth player this offseason, as forward C.J. Barksdale informed officials that he will not be a part of the team next season, according to Mark Giannotto of the Washington Post.
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It’s been a busy summer for the Hokies, who fired head coach James Johnson at the end of last season and replaced him with former Marquette coach Buzz Williams. Since then, the program has lost five players, and will now enter the 2014-15 season with just five scholarship players back from last season.
Beyond Barksdale, Trevor Thompson, Marshall Wood, Maurice Kirby and Ben Emelogu have also left the school. Thompson and Wood are heading to Ohio State and Richmond, respectively, while Kirby is heading to Coffeyville Community College. Emelogu hasn’t committed elsewhere yet but SMU, Tulsa and Rice have shown interest.
The school certainly didn’t expect this a few years ago, when the 2011 recruiting class was hyped as the greatest in school history, as Giannotto points out. Now, only one member of that group remains with the program, and the past few years haven’t exactly been an era of success for the team.
Last season, the Hokies finished 9-22 as Barksdale began the season on suspension for violation of team rules. He “never committed himself to conditioning like former coach James Johnson and his staff would have liked,” Gianntto says. It’s also unclear whether issues with the new coaching staff, which was officially announced this week, led to the decision.
Williams has been quick to reload the roster, adding numerous transfers and freshmen recruits to the mix for next season. So while the team will miss Barksdale, it’s clear a new era is beginning at Virginia Tech.