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Bright and early on Saturday morning, the halls of the Hahn Hurst Basketball Practice Center were alive with the sounds of basketball knowledge. There is nothing unusual with that scene.

However, this Saturday morning, a new group of individuals were gaining the knowledge, as the inaugural Hokies, Hoops & Heels event began at 7:30 a.m. A great turnout of approximately 100 women were divided into groups and shown every detail of what makes Virginia Tech Basketball so special.

“It was great getting a feel for what the players’ everyday life is about,” Andi Parron said. “This gives you a great appreciation for how hard they have to work”

More than just shooting free throws and seeing the locker room, this group of Hokies were embedded into every facet of the program. When it was all over, the participants had a new, enlightened view of what the players and coaches do.

“The life of a college basketball player; it’s not just what’s on the court,” Kristy Hudson said. “We learned about things that we don’t really see. The getting up early, the schedules and the time commitment that it takes to be a student-athlete.”

The passion and commitment of the coaches, staff and players were on display for the more than four-hour clinic. Coach Buzz Williams showed a side that is not often seen.

“When I saw Buzz’s schedule and how he truly does schedule every little bit of his life. He had the date on there of the day he asked his wife to marry him. That was awesome!” Tina Merritt observed.

After the tours and the individual instruction and involvement, the participants were able to watch a practice for the team. Although the “clinic” was over, few in the crowd headed for the exits. Some even had their husbands, who were NOT allowed at Hokies, Hoops & Heels, come join them. And it was evident that the campers were doing the instruction at that point.

In the end, the participants took away so much from the experience. This community-building project of the men’s basketball program achieved its goal and more. A new group of Hokie fans now know that this is a special team, with passionate and dedicated individuals.

“I did not grow up in a sports family,” Sarah Perks said. “I have been to the women’s football clinic before and was interested in coming to this. I feel like I understand the sport a lot better now. There are a million steps that go into going out and playing the game that we got to see today. We didn’t know what happens behind the scenes. It’s not just as simple as people think it is. It’s a lot of hard work; a lot of team work.”

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