Sheppard, Brooks, Ready to take the hokies dancing

Jay Winters

March 16, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Nothing is guaranteed for an at-large team in March, but sitting at a 14-9 record with a solid resume, Virginia Tech had a confident feeling it was a lock for the NCAA Tournament.

A socially distanced film room eagerly awaited for Maria Taylor to announce the Hokies’ name during Selection Monday, and after three regions were solidified and a nerve-wracking 35 minutes, Virginia Tech’s name was finally announced over the ESPN airwaves.

For the past decade-and-a-half, this has been the time of year for Virginia Tech to rest, recruit and reflect.

Come Sunday afternoon, the madness will strike Virginia Tech for the first time since 2006.

“When our name was called, and after the little blackout we all had dancing up and down, Aisha Sheppard looked at me, and I looked at her, and we didn’t even have to say anything. It was just like, ‘we did it.’” head coach Kenny Brooks said.

It’s only right that Sheppard, the lone senior who has been through the thick and thin with Brooks, gets another shot after the cancelation of last year’s tournament.

The senior guard has dreamed about this moment ever since she was a little girl, and even with no NCAA Tournament experience, she’s poised to lead the Hokies on a Cinderella run.

“It’s a dream come true, and I’ll probably be a little emotional when we first get there,” Sheppard said. “But just growing up watching and seeing how stars perform under the lights, I just want to go out there and win with my teammates and be able to experience that.”

Experience will be a hurdle the Hokies will have to overcome in the first round, as 10-seeded Marquette is making it’s fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, led by a pair of seniors in guard Selena Lott and forward Lauren Van Kleunen.

However, Brooks is no stranger to the dance, with six appearances in the NCAA Tournament in his time at James Madison.

But he, along with the other 63 coaches, will have to go through a tournament that no one has ever traversed.

“Essentially, I’m kind of going through this for the first time myself,” Brooks said. “Things are going to be different than anything I experienced at JMU, and I’ve told the team, ‘don’t look at what we aren’t going to be able to experience, but look at what we are going to be able to experience, and that's playing on the national stage with 63 of the best teams in the country.’”

While celebration was welcomed by all, the Hokies quickly returned their focus on the task ahead and are ready to continue to go 1-0 with Marquette awaiting on Sunday.

Giving nods to past team members, Sheppard described those who paved the way for them, and the expectation to now make the madness an annual tradition.

“This is for Taja [Cole], Lydia [Rivers] and Kendyl [Brooks], because we were in last year,” Sheppard said. “We’re no longer just happy to be in the tournament; We want to make some noise, especially with the start of the season that we had. We want to show people who we really are, I feel like we found our groove, and we can make a lot of noise.”

The Hokies’ journey starts Wednesday with a five-hour flight to San Antonio, followed by COVID testing that will keep them out of practice for a day-and-a-half, all before the real adventure begins against Marquette on Sunday.