Virginia Tech men's basketball is just days away from opening its 2026-27 season against Coppin State on Nov. 3, and the Hokies have plenty of offensive firepower returning to Blacksburg.
Mike Young brings back two of his top scorers from last season in Amani Hansberry and Ben Hammond, while several transfer portal additions could provide immediate contributions.
With that in mind, here's my prediction for Virginia Tech's three leading scorers this season.
One of Virginia Tech's more intriguing offseason additions, Elohim arrives in Blacksburg after spending last season at Florida Atlantic.
The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 12.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with the Owls, shooting better than 46% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. Those numbers should translate well into Young's offensive system, particularly with opposing defenses having to key in on Hansberry and Hammond.
Elohim also gives Virginia Tech another player capable of creating his own shot, something that could prove valuable when the Hokies struggle to generate offense. I don't necessarily expect Elohim to become the team's leading scorer, but averaging somewhere around 11 to 12 points seems entirely reasonable.
Hammond might have the strongest argument to finish atop this list.
After averaging just 5.6 points per game as a freshman, Hammond took a significant step forward last season, averaging 13.2 points and 3.2 assists. His production was even better against ACC competition, where he averaged a team-leading 14.9 points per game.
Perhaps most impressively, Hammond shot 43.1% from beyond the arc and 86.5% from the free-throw line, establishing himself as one of Virginia Tech's most dependable offensive weapons. With another offseason of development under his belt, I expect Hammond to continue improving.
The biggest question is whether opposing defenses will make life more difficult for him now that he's an established scoring threat. Regardless, I wouldn't be surprised if Hammond ends up leading the Hokies in scoring.
This feels like the safest prediction of the bunch. Hansberry averaged 14.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season, establishing himself as Virginia Tech's most consistent presence in the frontcourt.
The senior also earned preseason second-team All-ACC recognition, and there's little reason to believe his production will decline entering his final collegiate campaign. Hansberry should once again be one of Young's primary offensive options, particularly around the basket.
With Hammond, Elohim and several other scoring threats surrounding him, opposing defenses might have a more difficult time concentrating their attention on Hansberry. That could create additional opportunities for the senior to improve upon last season's numbers.
Ultimately, I expect Hansberry and Hammond to battle for the team scoring lead throughout the season, but I'm giving Hansberry the slight edge.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginiatech as Predicting Virginia Tech Basketball's Top Three Scorers for 2026-27 .
