Virginia Tech's Ben Hammond To Return For Junior Season

Virginia Tech announced today on its social media platforms that guard Ben Hammond will be returning for his junior season. Hammond, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect from Manassas, Virginia, has two years of eligibility remaining.

Thought he was going somewhere? 😏🦃✅ @theb3nhammond

➡️ https://t.co/JvFONXyjLL pic.twitter.com/ZN5MZAUmXh
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) April 9, 2026

This past season, Hammond averaged 13.2 points per game, second on the team behind only forward Amani Hansberry (14.3 ppg, senior in 2026-27). In league play, the guard was stellar, posting a team-high 14.9 points per contest on 46.7%/47.0%/88.6% shooting splits. Hammond's 47.0% three-point mark in ACC play was the highest on the team of anyone who attempted at least five three-pointers.

Hammond also totaled 2.0 steals per game, second in the league.

After scoring 22 points in Virginia Tech's exhbition contest against Duquesne (83-81 loss), Hammond functioned as a reserve option for much of the first half of the year. Though he cracked the starting five for two games in November when Tobi Lawal was out (and against Elon on Dec. 20, when the Hokies were without Lawal, Antonio Dorn and Neoklis Avdalas), Hammond functioned as a sparkplug off the bench.

Heading into Virginia Tech's Dec. 31 Commonwealth Clash matchup with then-No. 21 Virginia, Hammond had logged five straight double-digit scoring performances, logging 16 against South Carolina (86-83 OT win) and 15 against Elon (82-81 OT win), respectively.

Virginia, however, was where the sophomore burst onto the scene. Hammond logged a career-high 30 points, logging five rebounds, five assists and going 16-of-18 from the line. Twenty of Hammond's 30 points were scored across three overtime periods.

After logging 14, 14 and six points against Wake Forest, Stanford and California, Hammond was inserted into the starting lineup for the duration of the season. Over the next 15 games, he scored in double-figures all but once. Hammond produced 24 points vs. Syracuse in a 76-74 victory on Jan. 21, going 5-for-10 from the field, making 12 of his 13 shots from the line and tying an ACC single-game program record with six steals.

Against Georgia Tech on Jan. 27, the guard scored 20 points on a 6-of-12 clip. When Virginia Tech traveled to Clemson to play the Tigers on May 11, Hammond went 3-for-6 from long range, lifting the Hokies to a 76-66 upset victory, their first ranked road win under head coach Mike Young.

After being held scoreless by N.C. State on Feb. 7, Hammond delivered eight straight double-digit scoring performances to close out the season, logging 16 or more in five games. Hammond poured in 21 points against then-No. 13 Virginia on March 7 in a narrow 76-72 loss before rounding out the season with a 23-point performance against Wake Forest. Hammond missed a potential game-winning floater, though he went 7-for-17 on the outing and produced a strong performance.

Hammond's meteoric rise in year two was brought about after a freshman year that saw flashes. In his freshman year, Hammond averaged 5.6 points, 2.1 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game, peaking with a 21-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist contest against Syracuse in a 101-95 overtime win.

Hammond becomes the third Hokie to announce his return, joining Hansberry and junior guard Tyler Johnson. With Hammond back in the fold, here's a look at how the eligibility pans out for each of Virginia Tech's scholarship players, with confirmed returnees bolded:

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