Hammond's ACC Honors Boost Hokies' Core

0:00On April 21st, Virginia Tech rising juniors, Tyler Johnson and Ben Hammond earned spots on the ACC's 2025-26 All Academic Team, announced Tuesday. Both just committed to return for the 2026-27 season, joining forward Amati Hansberry to build a solid core for the Hokies. Hammond blew up in his sophomore year, starting 18 of 32 games and topping Hokies scores in ACC play at 14.9 points per game. He led the team in minutes, played in three-point shooting percentage while ranking high in the league for free throws at 86.5% assist to turn over ratio and steals. That steal game stood out. He tied a program record with six-ending-win at Syracuse, coming in second league-wide at two per game. Fans still buzz about his role in those gritty moments, boosting team morale through tough ACC battles. His career-high 30 points came off the bench in a three-over-time upset over number 21 Virginia

1:01on New Year's Eve, going 16 of, 18 from the line and playing 42 minutes. First Hokie to drop 30 on the Cavaliers since Eric Green back in 2013. Hammond drained 3s at 43.1%, with seven gains of three or more, and picked up CSC Academic All District Honors in March. With these guys locked in, Hokies fans got plenty to build on heading into next year.