Collegiate Times

Dorenzo Hudson during a game against Campbell on Nov. 12, 2010.

With so much youth on the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team, veteran leadership has become a priceless commodity.

For this reason, many people thought that the return of Dorenzo Hudson and JT Thompson, who both redshirted in 2010-11 because of season-ending injuries, would be one of the keys to the Hokies’ success this season.

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However, that theory took a huge blow Thursday morning, when it was announced that Thompson has torn his other ACL — effectively ending his season.

“I’m deeply disappointed for JT,” said Seth Greenberg, head coach. “To think of all he has been through, it’s disheartening that bad things happen to good people. Our main focus right now is his health and preparing him for his graduation this December.”

Thompson’s injury is particularly disheartening because it comes right when he was starting to see signs that he was back to the player he was before his first ACL tear.

“There would be sparks in practice where I’d do things that I used to do that I didn’t think I was ready to do,” Thompson said.

This latest setback due to injury is part of a trend that is spreading across Tech programs. That being said, this is hardly the first time Greenberg has had to deal with it.

The injury bug in 2010-11 started biting the Hokies before the season even started, as Thompson tore his ACL during a practice.

Occurring in what was supposed to be his final season, the injury was particularly tough for Thompson, who was disappointed that he couldn’t finish his career with classmates Terrell Bell, Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen and Hudson.

“The toughest part of sitting out was knowing that I had to come back,” Thompson said. “I just wanted to play my last year with the guys I came in with, so that was the hardest.”

Then the Hokies stepped on the court and the situation went from bad to worse. Suspicions were confirmed that Allan Cheney wouldn’t be able to come back from a chronic heart problem, and then that was followed by news that Cadarian Raines had re-broken his foot and would be forced to sit the season as well.

Finally, the Hokies lost Hudson to a foot injury 10 games into the season to complete the series of unfortunate events. Hudson hadn’t played what the NCAA considers too much to blue shirt, so the injury meant that he too would be back for another season.

For Thompson, Hudson’s injury was bittersweet. On one hand, his teammate — and coincidentally, his cousin — had suffered a season-ending injury. However, it also meant that he would still have a partner to finish his career with him.

“(At first,) I was feeling a little crummy because I knew he was getting ready to have a good year like I was. But at the end of the day, I was relieved that I was going to have a chance to do it again with someone I came in here with.”

Unfortunately, the situation hasn’t played out quite like the cousins expected, and Thompson will have to sit idly by for yet another season.

Thompson could be eligible for a sixth season if he chooses to take a medical blue-shirt, but it isn’t something he or Greenberg is focused on right now.

The attention now shifts to who will take Thompson’s spot in the starting lineup. Following three years of being the Hokies’ sixth man, Thompson was expected to start at power forward this season despite standing just 6 feet, 6 inches tall.

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A version of this article appeared in the Nov 4 issue of the Collegiate Times.