Well, it’s about time.
Virginia Tech announced today that Elizabeth Kitley’s No. 33 will be retired and hung in the rafters on Jan. 19, 2025, either before or at halftime of the game the Hokies will be playing against Louisville at 4 PM.
The press release mentions all the stats she accumulated while in Blacksburg, but there’s really only one fact that matters: She propelled the Hokies to heights the program had never experienced, and stole all our hearts while in the process. She was an excellent player, scorer and rebounder, but she did it with grace, a smile and a way about her that made many of us fans of a sport we previously hadn’t followed.
Her and her cohort Georgia Amoore were the two stars that shined brightest over the last few years and made watching the Hokies mandatory viewing. I hope Georgia will get to come and that all those who haven’t gotten over her transfer to Kentucky will give it a rest and not bother her.
Liz made the games fun to watch and made her No. 33 iconic. Her last time on the floor before cheering fans ended in a knee injury that ended her college career.
This time it will be very different. And very well-deserved.
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Last week’s controversial ending in the Virginia Tech-Miami game is now the second time in Hokie history that a game ended on an official’s call involving whether a Virginia Tech receiver caught a ball in the end zone that would have decided the game. Danny Coale suffered the same fate as Da’ Quan Felton back in 2011 in the Sugar Bowl, and many of us – including me – have referred to it as Danny Coale Part Deux.
The entire issue really isn’t whether Felton caught the ball. The heart of the matter is an official ruled it a touchdown on the field, and the only way a call like that can be reversed is if there is indisputable video evidence. There wasn’t. I know it, Brent Pry knows, just about every major media outlet knows it. Everyone, it would seem, but the ACC.
“As far as the call at the end of the game on Friday night, I received no explanation on the field, no explanation in the locker room,” Pry said at his Tuesday press conference. “The first thing I heard was what the general public heard at 1:30 that night. A statement that to me was confusing at best.
“I was finally contacted Monday morning, which was a solicited contact by the head of officials for the ACC. I asked for an explanation and the video they viewed that merited overturning the call with indisputable evidence. The explanation was that there was a loose ball that was touched by a Miami defender who was out of bounds. The video showed nothing new, nothing that none of us hadn’t seen already.
“The words used with me were interpretation and hard to find, which to me neither one aligns with indisputable. I watched the video that they watched; if it was ruled a catch I don’t see how you overturn it. There’s no evidence. If it was ruled NOT a catch I don’t see how you overturn it. You can’t see enough to tell.”
That’s about as accurate a quote as you’ll ever see to describe the situation. But to lighten the mood a little, Bill Roth, the voice of the Hokies, decided to seek out a former player to get his perspective on the play. And you already knew what he was going to say.
Case closed.
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Earlier this week I mentioned that on my wish list was for the Hokies to find a quarterback coach to help the development of Kyron Drones. And somebody might be available.
Graham Harrell, who was fired Saturday night as Purdue’s offensive coordinator, seems to have some extra time on his hands. While the Purdue situation didn’t work out for him, he did throw for 12,709 yards at Texas Tech and played in the pros for Green Bay and the Jets.
Hiring him as a consultant focusing on QB development for the rest of the year could be a win-win for Harrell and Virginia Tech. Harrell gets to keep his name alive among coaching candidates for the rest of the season, and the Hokies get to audition someone to see how well he does with Drones…
Another offensive minded coach that might become available is Dave Clawson. And he won’t need much money after Wake buys him out.
He at one time was allegedly considered for the job Brent Pry now has. He can be good a offensive mind…