For Kenny Brooks, the Transfer Portal Looks to Bring Success Yet Again For the Hokies

For the second year in a row, Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks was busy this offseason in the transfer portal.

After a stinging loss to LSU in the Final Four, in which Virginia Tech held the lead until a collapse in the 4th quarter, the Hokies went out and landed three transfers: Junior Forward Rose Micheaux from Minnesota, junior F/Guard Matilda Ekh from Michigan State, and Graduate F Olivia Summiel from Wake Forest.

Ekh, who will mainly play on the wing, totaled 11.8 ppg and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2022. Ekh will have the tall task of replacing Kayana Traylor, who graduated to go onto the WNBA.

Micheaux averaged 13.8 points per game last season, which was good for second on the Gophers. She also led the team in rebounds at 7.9, which made her fourth in the Big Ten. The Honorable Big Ten performer recorded nine double-doubles as well.

While Summiel is less of a splashy name than Micheaux and Ekh – Summiel was not named to any honors at Wake Forest – she still has the important role of replacing Taylor Soule, who also went to the WNBA like Traylor, alongside Micheaux.

In her four years at Winston-Salem, she averaged 5.1 ppg and 5.1 rebounds, and last season, recorded 11 games in double-figures.

As it stands currently, here is the projected lineup for the Hokies come November 6:

Georgia Amoore

Cayla King

Matilda Ekh

Rose Micheaux

Liz Kitley

A lot will change/happen between now and when the Hokies look to go dancing in March, but no matter who ends up starting or on the bench, the depth that Ekh/Summiel/Micheaux provide gives Kenny Brooks enough leverage to make a deep run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and become the first team to ever bring a national championship trophy back to Blacksburg in the Spring.