Virginia Tech Guard Tyrece Radford Suspended Indefinitely

Chris Hirons

January 25, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Fan favorite and one of No. 20 Virginia Tech’s key contributors, Tyrece Radford, has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities, according to a statement from a team spokesperson.

Radford is also facing two charges: driving while intoxicated (first offense) and concealed weapon carry, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities told 3304 Sports that Radford was released on Sunday on a $1,000 unsecured bond.

“Tyrece Radford has been suspended indefinitely from all men’s basketball team activities, effective immediately, for not upholding the high standards Virginia Tech has for its students and athletes,” the statement said. “There will be no further comment until the matter is resolved.”

The news couldn’t have hit at a worse time for the Hokies. The six-foot-two guard was recently named as Co-ACC Player of the Week on Jan. 18 after lighting up the stat sheet against Duke (18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists) that resulted in a 74-67 win and Tech’s most recent win on Jan. 17 against Wake Forest (20 points, two rebounds and four assists).

“We’ve got no choice but to figure it out,” head coach Mike Young said of Radford’s absence.

Radford has been one of VT’s most consistent scoring options, even as Keve Aluma and Jalen Cone struggle to find the bottom of the basket.

The redshirt sophomore is in the midst of his best seasons at Virginia Tech. He’s averaged 11.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. In nearly half of Virginia Tech’s games, Radford has gotten into the scoring column with double digit efforts and has shot 53.7% from the field and 25% from deep — a substantial improvement from his 8.3% mark from beyond the arc last season.

Radford last played on Saturday afternoon in VT’s 78-60 blowout loss to Syracuse, in which he scored 10 points on seven shots and grabbed seven boards.

Radford isn’t the most prestigious Virginia Tech athlete to be suspended in the 2020-21 school year. Devon Hunter, a safety on the football team, was charged with felony strangulation to cause wound or injury and misdemeanor assault against a family member by Christiansburg police in September. The felony charge resulted in an immediate suspension from Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech will take the court Radford-less for the first time on Wednesday against Notre Dame and will play in Tech’s biggest game of the season against No. 8 Virginia at home on Saturday evening.