Virginia Tech’s roster overhaul has brought in plenty of new faces for Mike Young’s seventh season, but one transfer stands out as a sneaky fit: Oklahoma forward Kuol Atak.
The 6-foot-9 Atak arrives in Blacksburg after two years with the Sooners, and his profile is easy to see working in multiple ways. He gives the Hokies size, a real perimeter threat, and enough defensive range to matter on the other end. Last season, he averaged 7.0 points in 12.4 minutes per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and 41.3% from three.
That shot is the calling card. Atak made 43 of 104 attempts from deep last season, and about 82% of his field-goal tries came from behind the arc. Virginia Tech lost Jaden Schutt to the transfer portal - Schutt is now at Kansas State with former Hokies guard Brandon Rechsteiner - so there’s a clear opening for another dependable outside option, even if Atak brings a very different build.
He already flashed what he can do in Oklahoma’s Dec. 29 game against Mississippi Valley State, when he drilled six threes in a career-high scoring performance. The Hokies also got an early look at that skill set during their Oct. 19 open practice, where Atak hit multiple perimeter shots, including a contested three at the end of the scrimmage.
There’s more to his game than shooting, too. In that same practice session, Atak used his 6-foot-11 wingspan to jump passing lanes and bother opponents defensively.
That blend of shooting and versatility gives Young another piece to mix into his frontcourt plans. Amani Hansberry is expected to play a major role at power forward, while Miles Heide could be the starting center, which means Atak may begin the season in a reserve role. Even so, he gives Virginia Tech a floor-spacing forward who can fit next to either Hansberry or Heide, depending on the matchup.
At Oklahoma, Atak showed enough flashes to suggest there’s more in the tank, but Virginia Tech will need him to do it consistently if he’s going to carve out a bigger role.
If he can keep making shots, hold up defensively, and help Young shuffle lineups on the fly, the Hokies may have landed one of the more undervalued players in the portal. And if his production grows with his minutes, he won’t be flying under the radar for long.
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