The college basketball season came to an end on Saturday for the Virginia Tech Hokies, who lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second round of the NIT. Now, the offseason has arrived and roster moves begin.
Two Hokie players entered the NCAA transfer portal on Tuesday. First, 6-foot-8 sophomore forward John Camden revealed he is entering the portal. Camden, who transferred from Memphis to Virginia Tech two years ago, has two years of eligibility remaining.
The Downingtown, Pennsylvania, native appeared in 37 games for the Hokies over the past two seasons, totaling 55 points. Camden played in 23 games last season and will play in 14 games in 2023-24.
On Tuesday, senior center Lynn Kidd also entered the transfer portal. After playing at Clemson during the 2020-21 season, Kidd transferred to Blacksburg where he spent the next three seasons.
Kidd appeared in seven games at Clemson and 10 in his first season with the Hokies. However, he played an even more prominent role in the 2022-23 season, appearing in 34 games and starting five. He averaged 5.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG in just over 12 minutes per game.
In 2023, Kidd became a full-time starter for the Hokies and developed into a good player. Kidd started 33 games at Tech, averaging 13.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg and shooting about 67 percent from the field, 11 percentage points better than the next player in the ACC.
Kidd has one year of eligibility remaining. Kidd, a 6-foot-10-inch native of Gainesville, Fla., should have no shortage of suitors in the transfer portal.
The loss of Kidd is worse than the loss of Camden. Camden will need to step down to play consistently. As for Kidd, his next stop will likely involve NIL. The big man will receive his compensation in the transfer portal. Some are blaming head coach Mike Young for Kidd’s departure, but that’s foolish. Young acquired Kidd raw from Clemson and helped develop him into a borderline All-ACC player.
Kidd was perhaps the most improved player in the ACC during the 2023-24 season. What is his ceiling? Kidd is limited to some extent as he doesn’t offer much separation from the basket. However, there is still a lot of room for him to grow.
Virginia Tech’s roster will look a lot different next season. The Hokies will add a pair of freshmen. Hunter Kattore was disqualified and Kidd and Camden left. It wouldn’t be surprising if others enter the transfer portal. Young needs a strong springboard to find quality players in the portal. The Hokies need a starting big man and a pair of scoring guards in the portal. It will be difficult to find all three players as there is expected to be a lot of player movement again in the offseason.
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