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CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 10: Virginia Tech Hokies guard Neoklis Avdalas (17) during the ACC Men's basketball tournament between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Virginia Tech Hokies on March 10, 2026 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Michael Malone landed his first portal transfer yesterday when Neoklis Avdalas committed to the Tar Heels. The 6’9” sophomore is a big get for UNC. Depending on your ranking site of choice, Avdalas is one of the top 25 players in the transfer portal this season. Generally listed as a guard, he averaged 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for Virginia Tech last season. His overall shooting numbers are modest, hitting 38.6% of his shots while making 31.4% of his shots from long distance.
Avdalas’s freshman season probably didn’t go as smoothly as he (or Hokie fans) hoped. He came into the 2025-2026 season as a potential one-and-done with some professional basketball experience in the EuroLeague under his belt. Some mock drafts at the beginning of the season had him as a first round pick. He started off strong in the non-conference portion of Virginia Tech’s schedule, scoring 33 points in just his second college game against Providence. He followed it up by dropping 30 on Western Carolina in December.
However, Avdalas seemed to struggle to adapt to conference play once the ACC season started. His shooting dropped significantly in conference play, and he seemed to struggle finding his shot. He shot 28.1% from three-point range in ACC games and ended the season with a five-point showing in Virginia Teach’s ACC tournament loss to Wake Forest.
If you’re looking for signs of optimism, there are a few. He’s clearly talented; the things that showed up on tape that had Virgina Tech coach Mike Young raving about his potential didn’t just disappear. It’s worth noting that Avdalas also played multiple positions in Tech’s offense; he played point guard, small forward and power forward just across his last five games with the Hokies. It’s possible he benefits from a different system and coaching staff, particularly one that is more oriented to the professional game.
Finally, KenPom has a feature that compares a player’s season to a former player’s season as a way of comparison. One of KenPom’s comps for Avdalas’s 2025-2026 season is Harrison Ingram’s final season at Stanford (2022-2023). We all know how Ingram’s next season (in Chapel Hill) turned out.
How do you think Avdalas will do in Carolina blue?
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