Kitley and Jones: Virginia Tech's Dynamic, and almost unstoppable, duo

Chris Hirons

December 14, 2020

BLACKSBURG, Va. — As Liz Kitley backs down against her defender in the low post and knocks down a fadeaway five-or-so feet from the basket — a move she mastered over the offseason — the first thing you notice isn’t the crispness of her foot work, or how she seemingly bulldozes the defender out of the way.

Instead, what you first notice is how she towers over each of the defenders that are given the daunting task of guarding her.

The six-foot-five center, who ranks among the tallest in the ACC (only trailing Syracuse’s Kamilla Cardoso by two inches), has formed one of the conference’s best frontcourt duos with Southern California transfer Asiah Jones.

Jones’ addition to Tech’s lineup seems to have added a missing piece from last year’s team that surprisingly exited early in the ACC Tournament after a close, second round loss to Wake Forest. The Hokies finished 21-9 (11-7 ACC), good for fifth in the conference standings and Kitley captured the 2020 ACC Freshman of the Year Award.

Prior to last season, the six-foot-three forward transferred from USC, but because of waiver rules, she was forced to sit out and watch Lydia Rivers — who is an inch shorter than her — play alongside Kitley.

Kitley and Jones have begun to bully their opponents when battling for a bucket or rebound in the paint. After ending non-conference play a perfect 5-0, they combined for 31 points, 20 rebounds and six blocks.

Per game.

“They’re starting to learn to play off each other,” Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said after VT’s 73-39 win over Gardner-Webb to close out non-conference. “During the first few games, Jones would stand more towards the free throw line. Now we’re telling her to dive towards the basket. They’re playing well together, but they’ve got to be a little more consistent.”

But it’s not just Brooks’ frontcourt that’s knocking down open looks.

The backcourt, too, has played at a high level with its barrage of threes that it launches towards the basket every night. The Hokies are such a complete team that if the three ball isn’t working on a given night, the offense can work the ball inside and score buckets with Kitley and Jones in the paint. And vise-versa.

“We have people on our team that have a lot to bring,” Kitley said after the Gardner-Webb game. “I still think that me, [Jones], Georgia [Amoore] and Asiah [Sheppard] have all combined for 15-plus points. I think if we continue to score like that, it’ll be hard for any team to keep up.”

Through six games, Tech leads the ACC in every three-point field goal category. The Hokies have taken 165 of them and knocked down a staggering 70 (42.4%), 30 more than second ranked NC State has.

“Coach Brooks says it best: Pick your poison,” guard Georgia Amoore said. “We have great post players inside, so the defense definitely has to choose which players they want to limit. And to be honest, I can look into the post more than I shoot, which is crazy because they’re already averaging double-doubles and however many points."

While the deep ball forces opposing defenses to prepare for that facet of the game, it’s opened up more opportunities for Kitley and Jones to set up down low and go to work.

For Kitley, she’s found a wide range of success. So far, she’s recorded a double-double in each of VT’s five non-conference games, including a 30-point, 11-rebound and five-block effort against Appalachian State on Dec. 4. Against App. State, Kitley tied the Cassell single-game field goal record — 14 — for a Virginia Tech women’s basketball player.

“We lost a lot of contributors over the offseason,” Kitley said. “But we also gained a lot. I think the main thing I’ve picked up is a leadership role this year more than I had last year and getting the team into the same mindset.”

In her newfound leadership role, Kitley’s fifth in the ACC and leads the team in scoring with 18.2 points per game, one spot ahead of teammate Asiah Sheppard, who’s averaging 17.8. Not only is she one of the top scorers in the conference, but she also leads the ACC in rebounds per game, bodying defenders out of the way for an average of 12.7.

Jones, meanwhile, has been Kitley’s sidekick in the post, drawing the defense away from locking in on defending Kitley. And when the defense slips, Jones attacks the basket, averaging 11.2 points and 6.5 boards a game.

When Kitley and Jones are both on the floor, it seems virtually impossible for opposing offenses to reach the basket for easy layups. Kitley and Jones lead the way in blocks for the Hokies with 2.3 and 2.2 per game, respectively. On top of that, VT’s interior defense has stepped up in a big way, having recorded the most blocks in the ACC so far with 40.

After defeating Pitt to open conference play on Dec. 10, the Hokies plan on leaning on their almost unstoppable post duo that’s capable of both players putting up a double-double on any night.

“When they’re playing well, they’re as good as any tandem,” Brooks said. “I don’t know if there are any other duos out there that are as good as them.”