The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of Virginia Tech’s Sean Pedulla. I like this kid’s toughness, he’s a good PG and passer and a very good shooter. I wonder if there would be mutual interest.
From The Athletic’s top 100 transfer rankings:
A multi-year starter at Virginia Tech, Pedulla has been extremely productive running the show as the team’s primary lead guard. He has a tight, crafty handle, and while he’s not overly shifty, he stays on balance and changes speeds effectively to get into the teeth of the defense.
He’s especially good at leveraging his ability to score at all three levels. Defenses have to be cognizant of his step-back and midrange pull-up jumpers, as well as him stopping on a dime for floaters. He can get into his step-back in a variety of ways: behind-the-legs dribbles, crossovers and more. He hasn’t made a particularly high percentage off the catch but clearly has good touch and may improve in that area in a more manageable offensive role.
It often felt like he was asked to do too much at Virginia Tech. With M.J. Collins having a poor season and teammates Hunter Cattoor and Tyler Nickel serving more as floor-spacers, Pedulla was often the sole driver of the offense. That did allow him to earn a third-team All-ACC berth with averages of 16.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, but he also committed 3.3 turnovers a contest. To me, his miscues were more a function of his offensive responsibilities than any skill deficiency.
Pedulla plays with confidence and is a genuine high-major starting point guard. Ideally, he’d be paired with a strong, bigger combo guard who can generate rim pressure and set Pedulla up for more open catch-and-shoot 3s. But there are many other teams that could use a battle-tested, older, two-year starting ACC floor-general. — Sam Vecenie
