Everything From Virginia Tech Forward Tobi Lawal At ACC Tipoff On Tuesday

Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal spoke to the media at the ACC Tipoff on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Mar 11, 2025; Charlotte, NC; Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal (1) with the ball as Cal forward Lee Dort (34) defends. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal spoke to the media at the ACC Tipoff today; here's the entirety of what Lawal had to say:

making our rounds 🎬💡👀 pic.twitter.com/lnLu9TDggm

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) October 7, 2025

On the pillars for the program and who has the best "chain game":

"I feel like we put in a lot of work just making sure we're just spending time with each other knowing we're a very versatile group and we're skilled. So just being able to put those pieces together on and off the court just makes it easier for us to gel on the court. To the second question, I'm not going to answer that. [Editor's note: Lawal was smiling.]"

On what Lawal has learned about Amani Hansberry in terms of what he brings to the table and what his game is about from experience with him in practice:

"I mean, he's versatile. He's a Swiss Army knife. That's what I call him. There's nothing on the court that he can't do. Playing with someone like that makes it easy, especially when you understand that he can do everything. So he just takes the load off of everyone else. Like if you need him to get the rebound and push and initiate offense and connect, he can do that. If you need him to pick and pop, he will light up a shot. He can do that. If you need him to make a pass, he can do that. You know what I'm saying? So it just takes a load off everyone and makes it easier to play in the flow."

Q. Coach Young mentioned his enthusiasm and excitement about this season. Having been with him last year, do you notice a little extra bounce in his step this preseason?

"I mean, not just him. Me and the other coaches too, because obviously in practice sometimes they get carried away watching us play for a while, because it's fun to watch, because everyone is playing well, you know, connected. The emotions get high. You know, the energy in the gym is high. You can really get lost in like just watching us play and having fun, to be honest, because it's a battlefield out there and we're competing every day, going at each other. You know, iron sharpens iron, so we're just getting better every day."

Virginia Tech men's basketball has an exhibition against Duquesne on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. ET. Its regular season kicks off against Charleston Southern on Monday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. ET. Both games will be in Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.; the game against Charleston Southern will be available for viewing on ACC Network Extra.