Wofford’s Mike Young named new head basketball coach at Virginia Tech
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Mike Young has been named head men’s basketball coach at Virginia Tech. In his 17 seasons as head coach at Wofford College, he built the program into a Southern Conference powerhouse.
Young, a native of Radford, Virginia, spent the past 30 years at Wofford. This past season was one for the record books, as the Terriers were 30-5 overall. After running the table for the Southern Conference regular season title (18-0), the team won the SoCon Tournament for the fifth time in the last ten years. In the NCAA Tournament, the Terriers were a seventh-seed – the highest by a team from the Southern Conference since the field expanded to 64 teams. A win over Seton Hall sent Wofford to the second round, the league’s first NCAA Tournament victory in 11 years. They were defeated by second-seeded Kentucky 62-56 to end the season.
Along the way in 2018-19, the team reached unprecedented heights. The team was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time ever and was ranked #19 heading into the NCAA Tournament. The 30 wins were the most in school history and included a 21-game win streak. Young was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth time, earned Sporting News National Coach of the Year honors, and finished third in the voting for AP Coach of the Year.
“Mike Young has been an exceptional member of the Wofford community and a transformational coach for our student athletes over the past 30 years,” said Wofford College President Dr. Nayef Samhat. “While we will miss him, we wish Mike and his family the very best, and we look forward to continuing his legacy of success on and off the court.”
Under Young’s leadership, the Terriers’ resume included impressive non-conference wins over the likes of Auburn, Cincinnati, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Purdue, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Xavier and Wake Forest.
The success Young achieved on the court has complemented his emphasis on academics. Every player who completed their eligibility at Wofford graduated.
“After 30 years of working with Mike, it is hard to imagine him being gone,” said Wofford College Director of Athletics Richard Johnson. “However, we knew that this was the one job that could possibly lure him away. Mike grew up within 30 miles of Blacksburg, so this is returning home for him. To have the opportunity to coach at the highest level, in the best basketball conference in the country was simply too good to pass up.
“Mike has witnessed it all at Wofford,” continued Johnson. “When I hired him as my assistant coach in 1989, he was a graduate assistant at Radford University. He was an integral part of our move to NCCA Division I and eventually the Southern Conference. His accomplishments here are too numerous to mention, but suffice to say, the Wofford basketball program is light years away from when Mike first set foot on campus. Please join me in congratulating him as we celebrate his dedication to his craft, to Wofford and the realization of a lifetime dream.”
Young ends his career at Wofford with a record of 299-244 (.551), including 175-24 (.581) in Southern Conference play. Young’s 299 wins rank second in Southern Conference history and first in school history. During his distinguished tenure, he has seen many players go on to play professionally. He has coached Olympian Mike Lenzly, All-Americans Noah Dahlman, Brad Loesing and Fletcher Magee, four Southern Conference Players of the Year, and 22 All-Southern Conference selections.
Wofford College will begin the search for a new head coach immediately.
From Woffordterriers.com