BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Isaiah Wilkins only found out on Monday that he would play rather than redshirt this season. The baby-faced 18-year-old freshman ended up playing a critical role in No. 15 Virginia Tech's season opener.
Wilkins, the 10th-youngest player in Division 1, scored 21 points as the Hokies fended off an early challenge from Gardner-Webb and went on to win 87-59 on Friday night.
"It was definitely an eye-opener," Wilkins said of his first regular-season game. "The pace is much, much, much different than high school. It's more upbeat -- I like it."
Coach Buzz Williams certainly didn't regret his last-minute decision not to redshirt Wilkins, who came off the bench to play 27 minutes and shot 7 of 10 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.