Virginia Tech Basketball: New ‘GM’ announced, though, no, not really

Virginia Tech Basketball has a general manager, though it sounds like the new guy is a GM in name only.

Nelson Hernandez was announced as the program’s first GM, and the press release from Virginia Tech Athletics that went out Tuesday evening framed the hire as being something that head basketball coach Mike Young had made at his behest.

A GM who answers to the coach is more recruiting coordinator with a budget than GM, but I’ll try to pin down the details through a Freedom of Information Act request for Hernandez’s contract, to see who he answers to.

It’s noteworthy that Hernandez’s most recent job was at WVU, where he was director of player personnel/recruiting last season.

Buttressing the point I’m making about the job being GM in name only: the press release spells out that Hernandez “will oversee key operational areas such as working closely with Triumph NIL, managing revenue-sharing strategies for the men’s basketball program and aligning resources to support student-athletes both on and off the court.”

Um, yeah, recruiting coordinator with a budget.

“Bringing Nelson on board as our general manager is a tremendous addition to our program,” Young said, by way of the press release from the Tech athletics department. “The college athletics landscape is changing rapidly, and having someone with Nelson’s experience, vision and organizational strength is critical as we navigate this new era. He’s going to be instrumental in helping us build our roster and sustain success—on the court, in the locker room and throughout the entire program.”