Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Mike Young finally received some good news Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Mairijael Poteet announced he is withdrawing from the NCAA transfer portal and returning to Blacksburg.
Poteat posted the following message on his Instagram:
After talking with my family and coaches, I decided there was no place I wanted to spend my final year other than Blacksburg. Hokie Nation is special to our coaches, fans and community. This is just the beginning. Please look forward to. This is home!
A native of Reidsville, North Carolina, Poteat spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Rice University. He transferred to Virginia Tech two years ago. In the 2022-23 season, Poteet averaged about nine minutes per game, 3.4 PPG and two rebounds per game.
Poteat did even better last season, averaging 15 minutes per game and increasing his scoring (6.4 PPG) and rebounding (3.5 RPG).
The 6-foot-9 senior was one of Tech's key reserves along with Tyler Nickell and often gave Lynn Kidd a break. In fact, Poteat was one of the most impressive players on last season's roster. He had great effort on both ends of the floor and made clutch buckets at times.
Unfortunately, Sean Pedula, MJ Collins, and Nickel remain in the portal. Lynn Kidd immediately signed with Miami after entering the portal. Hmm… how could it have happened so quickly?
Pot-Eat isn't a star, but he's improved each season, and head coach Mike Young deserves credit for hanging on to Pot-Eat. Young still has a lot of work to do to fill some scholarship spots on his roster next season.
