Virginia Tech's Amani Hansberry Set To Return For Senior Season

Virginia Tech now has at least one player returning for the 2026-27 campaign. The program announced earlier today that rising senior forward Amani Hansberry will return to the Hokies for his last year of eligibility.

Mani is BACK 🦃🔒 @igb_Amani

➡️ https://t.co/mOWwVFLVN2 pic.twitter.com/0JHI6opaF0
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) April 7, 2026

Before Virginia Tech, Hansberry, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward from Silver Spring, Maryland, spent a year apiece at Illinois and West Virginia with now-Hokies assistant coach Chester Frazier, who held the same positions with the Fighting Illini and the Mountaineers.

This past season, Hansberry averaged a team-high 14.3 points, tacking on 7.4 rebounds per game and shooting 49.2% from the field. All three marks were career-highs for the junior, who was named to the NABC First Team All-East Region. Hansberry was also the lone Hokie to be named to an All-ACC team, being tabbed as an All-ACC Honorable Mention for his stellar junior year.

Hansberry injured his right knee in the Hokies' regular season finale against No. 13 Virginia, a game that Tech ultimately lost 76-72. Hansberry was unavailable for the Hokies' first-round ACC Tournament matchup with Wake Forest, which resulted in a 95-89 overtime loss for Virginia Tech. Following the defeat, Virginia Tech announced that it had opted to end its season instead of competing in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

Hansberry missed two games of the Hokies' 32-game season: Bryant (Nov. 19) and Wake Forest (March 10). Beyond that, however, he was a constant fixture in Virginia Tech's rotation, starting in all 30 games.

At Illinois his freshman year, he averaged 2.4 points per game, while at West Virginia (2024-25, sophomore year), his total incrased to 9.8 points per game).

This year with the Hokies, Hansberry was a consistent scoring option, especially early in the season. The forward opened the campaign with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double vs. Charleston Southern. The next game, he tacked on another with a 17-point, 11-board effort against Providence in a 107-101 overtime victory. Hansberry logged eight double-doubles across the season, logging four straight from Dec. 20, 2025, to Jan. 7, 2026. Here's the totals he posted in each game:

Dec. 20, Elon: 20 points, 14 rebounds (seven offensive), 9-of-16 from field
Dec, 31, then-No. 21 Virginia: 17 points, 15 rebounds (eight offensive, 5-of-16 from field
Jan. 3, Wake Forest: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 7-of-9 from field
Jan. 7, Stanford: 11 points, 11 rebounds

Hansberry was within earshot of claiming double-doubles in the two games bookending that four-game streak, too. Against Maryland Eastern Shore on Dec. 14, he gobbled up 12 points and nine rebounds, one rebound short of a double-double. Against California, it was the same deal, with a 15-point, nine-rebound effort coming just shy of the double-double. Hansberry's four consecutive double-doubles was the longest streak for a Hokie since Jeff Allen in 2011 (seven; Jan. 25, 2011, to Feb. 19, 2011).

As aforementioned, Hansberry will have one year of eligibility remaining, and at the time of writing, he is the only Hokie to announce his return for the 2026-27 season. Six other players are eligible to return to the program who have not announced their departure, though none of them have made an official announcement yet. Here's a full list of all seven of Virginia Tech's current scholarship athletes, with Hansberry bolded with his return:

forward Amani Hansberry (Sr.)
guard Ben Hammond (Jr.)
guard Tyler Johnson (Jr.)
forward Sin'Cere Jones (So.)
center Antonio Dorn (So.)
guard Brett Freeman (r-Fr.)
center Solomon Davis (r-Fr.)

Four players previously announced theirt intentions to enter the transfer portal once it officially opens tomorrow: guard Izaiah Pasha, guard Neoklis Avdalas, center Christian Gurdak and guard Jaden Schutt.