Izaiah Pasha Is Finally Getting His Chance At Virginia Tech

Pasha will likely see more minutes in the coming games for Virginia Tech. Read more below.

Izaiah Pasha looks to dunk the ball against UMES on 12/14/2025 | Virginia Tech Athletic

In the first 11 games of the season, Izaiah Pasha certainly didn't get the start he wanted. He played in just eight games throughout those first 11 and averaged just under six minutes per game. The only games in which he played 10+ minutes were two games the Hokies won by more than 30, and their 18-point loss to VCU in the Bahamas.

In those 11 games, he had scored only 12 points. To some's surprise, Pasha's impact was minimal.

"Izaiah Pasha, transfer from Delaware, who's playing good basketball," head Coach Mike Young said back in September. "I think I've got three [point guards]. Not two and a half, three. And I think if that's1 the biggest problem I've got, I'm okay."

Pasha committed to Virginia Tech from the transfer portal in April, less than a month after entering it. Last year, as a true freshman at Delaware, Pasha was the CAA Rookie of the Year and started in 33 of Delaware's 34 contests. 

In the portal, Pasha was rated as a top 120 player and a four-star transfer. A lot of Virginia Tech fans were thrilled to see him land in Blacksburg after such an impactful true freshman season, which is why it was such a surprise to see him not make much of an impact early on.

On Sunday, Dec. 15, guard Jailen Bedford was unavailable for the team due to an upper respiratory sickness that Young disclosed after the game. They expect to have him back when they face off against Elon on the 20th.

In Bedford's absence, Pasha saw time — a lot of it. The sophomore guard played 27 minutes and scored seven points while dishing out six assists and giving Virginia Tech a lot of passing ability when he was on the floor with Neoklis Avdalas and/or Ben Hammond. 

"He made the most of it now," Young said after Pasha's breakout performance. "To build on that, we've got Elon next week before we head to a break. And he'll be in there early... But that's what happens. You prove yourself and don't turn it over. Share, make the right play, compete defensively, you get another bite of the apple."

The news came as a surprise. Bedford plays an average of just over 22 minutes per game. There weren't just 22 minutes left due to Bedford's sickness. Sure, there were some. Some was eaten up by Schutt, who played just three minutes above his average. Some was eaten up by Tyler Johnson, who also played a few minutes over his season-long average. 

Most of those missing minutes, and more, were taken by Pasha. "I'm just grateful," Pasha said after the game. "Staying humble and just happy to take advantage of my opportunity."

Adding another swing guard/wing to the rotation only makes Virginia Tech better and deeper, and that's exactly what Izaiah Pasha brings to the table for Virginia Tech.