Two more Virginia Tech men's basketball stars are jumping into the transfer portal.
Tech standout Sean Pedula announced on Twitter Wednesday that he is entering the transfer portal.
Fellow starting guard MJ Collins has entered the portal, the university announced Wednesday.
But Pedula, a third-year student, may not end up going to another school. He said in a tweet that he is entering the portal “with strong consideration of returning to Virginia Tech for his final year.”
Tech starting center Lynn Kidd and backup forward John Camden previously entered the portal.
If Pedula were to leave, Tech would have to replace all five of this year's starting pitchers. Starting guard Hunter Catur and starting forward Robby Beran were graduate students entering their fifth and final year of eligibility this year.
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Pedula averaged a team-high 16.4 points and a team-high 4.6 assists this year, making him third-team All-ACC.
”[Becoming an all-conference player was the result of] “I remember, not since I came to Virginia Tech, but just getting into college and getting a Division I scholarship meant so much to me,” Pedula said. said this month. I remember training at 5 a.m. with his father and brothers. I would go to the gym, shoot when I didn't want to, and stay up when I wanted to sleep. ”
Pedula, who averaged 32.2 minutes per game this year, was invaluable to the Hokies with his scoring and ball-handling ability.
Pedula was asked this month if he felt any pressure because of how important he is to the team.
“That's just part of my role,” he said this month. “Pressure? Maybe there's more pressure at some points than at others. But I want you to hear a lot.” [of] myself. …I can now handle pressure better. I think last year was worse than this year in terms of how I handled pressure. That's a tall order to ask of me, but I think I'm ready for it. …I think we could have handled some games better, but we still have a lot to look forward to and I think we improved a lot this year.” ”
The Oklahoma State native had 148 assists and 104 turnovers this year. He made 53 3-pointers and averaged 4.3 rebounds. He stole a team-high 37 bases.
Last year, he averaged 15.0 points and 3.8 assists as a sophomore. He made 67 3-pointers that season.
If Pedulla leaves, Tech will be without its top three scorers on the team this year. Kattoa averaged 13.5 points and Kidd averaged 13.2 points.
Collins averaged 7.4 points, 2.7 assists and 29.6 minutes as a sophomore this year. He shot just 34.3 percent from the field, but scored in double figures in five of his team's final six games.
“He shot the ball well in the second half,” Tech coach Mike Young said after this month's NIT win over Richmond. “I'm proud of him. He had some real struggles in November and December. … He persevered there and stayed the course and played very, very, very good basketball for quite some time here. I’ve been playing.”
Collins scored in double figures for the first time this season, scoring 20 points in a win over Louisville in December. He had 18 points against North Carolina and 17 points against Duke. He scored 15 points against Notre Dame, Florida State, and Richmond. He scored 13 points in the win at Louisville.
“I was hired as a scorer,” he said after the win over Richmond. “My teammates believe in me, my coaches believe in me, my parents believe in me, and most importantly, I have confidence in myself. Sometimes I go through… 'Now I know I'm happy.' Then. ”
Collins averaged 4.1 points as a freshman last year.
