BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech men’s basketball head coach Mike Young announced Thursday that guard Ben Hammond will be returning to the squad for his junior season in 2026-27.
Hammond stepped up his play in his second season in Blacksburg, starting in 18 of 32 games and leading the Hokies in scoring in ACC play at 14.9 ppg. The sophomore guard saw his numbers increase in 2026 in all categories as he led the team in minutes played, 3-point field goal percentage and was amongst the league leaders in free throw shooting (fourth at 86.5%), assist to turnover ratio (tenth at 2.2) and steals (second at 2.0). He tied a program record with his six steals in an ACC game which he did in Tech’s win at Syracuse.
Hammond willed the Hokies to an upset victory over No. 21 Virginia on New Year’s Eve in a three-overtime thriller. The point guard scored a career-high 30 points, including 20 after regulation to help Tech upset its rival. Hammond finished 16-18 from the free throw line, setting career totals in that category in addition to his 42 minutes played off the bench. With his 30-point performance, he became the first Hokie to score 30 against the Cavaliers since Erick Green in 2013.
The Hokies’ most accurate 3-point shooter this past season (43.1%), Hammond had seven games with three or more triples.
He was named to CSC’s Academic All-District Team in March.
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