Virginia Tech Basketball Shocker: Mike Young’s Mysterious Rapid Assistant Replacement Raises Questions

Coaching shake-ups this late in the college basketball calendar? Now, that’s something you don’t stumble upon every day. Most squads are knee-deep in practice, their lineups locked tight, and tip-off looming just weeks away. Yet, Wofford pulled a curveball that’s hard to ignore — coach Dwight Perry was shown the door over players misusing campus meal plans, violations barely tipping the scales at $84. Unbelievable, huh? Here’s where Virginia Tech tangles in the tale: their assistant, Kevin Giltner — a former Wofford player turned coach under Mike Young — snagged the head coaching gig at Wofford. That opened a spot back at Tech, swiftly filled by Boise State’s David Moats, a seasoned recruiter and assistant ready to inject fresh energy. The Hokies, meanwhile, are gearing up with revamped coaching and roster tweaks, eyeing a season packed with promise. Intrigued to see how this all unfolds? LEARN MORE

It’s rare to see coaching changes this time of the year in college basketball. Teams have either begun practicing or are about to begin practice, rosters are set, and the games start in just over a month. However, what happened at Wofford was rare, too.

Wofford fired head basketball coach Dwight Perry this month because six of his players were reportedly using their on-campus meal plans after they moved off campus. The violations were for as little as $84. Seriously.

How does that involve Virginia Tech? Wofford hires Hokies assistant coach Kevin Giltner as its new head coach. Giltner had played for current Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young at Wofford, began his coaching career there and followed him to Blacksburg in 2019.

That left Young needing to find an assistant coach before the season begins. His search didn’t last long, as Virginia Tech announced the hiring of Boise State assistant David Moats.

Moats has spent the past nine seasons at Boise State in various roles, including the last few as an assistant.

We’re excited to welcome David Moats to our coaching staff here at Virginia Tech. David is a rising star in the profession whose knowledge of the game, attention to detail, and commitment to player development make him a perfect fit for our program. David has worked for nine years at Boise State for Leon Rice, a coach that I admire a great deal. He has earned respect at every stop in his career, and we’re confident he’ll make an immediate impact as we continue to pursue excellence on and off the court.

Moats, a Wyoming native, played college basketball at Northwest Junior College and began his coaching career at Florida. After spending two seasons with the Gators, Moats spent the next three years at Weber State before arriving in Boise in 2017. In 2022, Moats was promoted to assistant coach and took over as the program’s director of recruiting.

There are reasonably high expectations for the Hokies this season. They brought back Chester Frazier as Young’s top assistant, completely changing the roster by keeping only four players from last season, specifically the four players they wanted to retain. Additionally, Tech added some talent via the freshmen class and the transfer portal. The most significant move came in June when Greek guard Neoklis Avdalas signed with the Hokies.