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It’s summer time in Blacksburg and most Virginia Tech students are looking at time away from school, relaxing at the beach or earning some cash working hard. Some are in summer school, some are doing internships and others are traveling.

Put Justin Bibbs in that final category. Bibbs knows that he will be taking one trip this summer, and he hopes it will lead to quite an adventure.

Bibbs has been selected to participate in the USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team training camp that will take place June 12-26 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This trip into the Rocky Mountains could lead Bibbs to the isle of Crete later in the month.

“The international travel really excites me,” Bibbs said. ”If I make the team, I’ll be going to Greece for about a month, and that will be something I’d always remember. I’m really just excited about the whole thing.”

He is one of 24 players invited to the camp, which will whittle down the group to a 12-member team that will head overseas at the end of June. Sean Miller of Arizona will coach the team, and his younger brother, Archie, the head coach at Dayton, will assist him along with Ed Cooley, the head coach at Providence. The head of the selection committee is Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim of Syracuse.

Making the team is no certainty, but Bibbs is up to the task. He knows that it will take a lot of hard work, both in Colorado Springs and here at Tech’s Hahn Hurst Practice Center prior to his trip to the mountains, and Bibbs is very aware that the location of the tryout camp is different.

“I’m really looking forward to the trip out there,” Bibbs said. “The altitude is going to be crazy. It’s going to be hard to play in, but I’m definitely excited about the opportunity. I’ve been working out a lot, trying to get my wind. I’m going to work hard to not get tired due to the altitude.”

Bibbs knows that, regardless of the outcome, the camp will be beneficial to him in the future. He understands that it takes a special effort to compete at this level of play.

“Learning how to compete with the top players will be a great benefit from this camp,” he said. “I’m going to take what they do and incorporate that into my game. There is going to be a lot of people watching.”

He also understands that while, if fortunate enough to make the squad, he would be taking a business trip. But it would be a business trip to Greece.

“The international travel really excites me. If I make the team, I’ll be going to Greece for about a month and that will be something I’d always remember,” he said. “I’m really just excited about the whole thing.”

The trip to Colorado Springs, and hopefully, on to Greece would be a perfect cap to a world-wind first 12 months as a Virginia Tech Hokie. A lot has happened this year, and Bibbs has taken a lot of time to soak it all in.

“I’m really focusing this summer on being more assertive on both offense and defense, but most importantly, in the weight room,” he said. “I need to get bigger, and get some quality ‘Jackson Time’ [a reference to David Jackson, who oversee men’s basketball strength and conditioning]. The main thing I’ve learned about Virginia Tech the school is its real nice and quiet and peaceful. It’s a real safe place. They really stress family, and that really stuck out to me.”

Basketball has opened a lot of doors for the thoughtful young man from Dayton, Ohio, and he appreciates everyone who has helped him get to this point. This prestigious invitation is just the first of many new, exciting chapters of his life that being a Hokie has afforded him.

The young man who quickly became a crowd favorite in Cassell Coliseum and a respected player throughout the league knows that all must be in balance, and he is just looking forward to many new adventures and experiences in the coming days, weeks and months.

“I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been at Virginia Tech, especially from Coach [Buzz] Williams,” Bibbs concluded. “I learned about pushing through barriers. I’ve really just learned so much.”

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