On March 8, 2025, Neoklis Avdalas laced up his shoes in his home country of Greece as he prepared for a matchup in the closing stages of the regular season in the Greek Basket League.
He scored seven points, grabbed four rebounds, and tallied three assists in just over 20 minutes as his Peristeri B.C. fell to AEK B.C. by a final score of 96-67.
That same day, Virginia Tech played the final game of its 2024-25 regular season. A 65-47 loss at then-No. 11 Clemson cemented the Hokies’ campaign as unremarkable. Serviceable, but not spectacular. An opportunity to grow, but not exactly memorable.
245 days later, Avdalas dropped 33 points with five rebounds and six assists in a 107-101 double-overtime thriller over Providence on Nov. 8 to move Tech to 2-0 — an undefeated record that they’ve maintained to this point, most recently defeating Bryant 78-61 on Wednesday.
Playing with a confidence that belied his age, the Kalamata, Greece native shot 56.5% from the field and nailed five three-pointers, including several down the stretch to erase the Friars’ lead and send the game to overtime.
“I was just trying to help my team win,” Avdalas said after the game. “We’ve got a great squad.”
“(Avdalas) is immensely talented,” said Tech head coach Mike Young. “Thirty-three points in a high-level game against a well-coached and good defensive Friar team.”
Avdalas officially signed with Tech on June 20, 2025, withdrawing his name from the 2025 NBA draft.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Neo to the Virginia Tech family,” Young said in Avdalas’s signing announcement. “Hokie Nation is going to love watching him compete, and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to coach him. Neo has the chance to be a difference-maker in college basketball, and we’re thrilled he chose to pursue that at Virginia Tech.”
And a difference-maker he has been.
Avdalas has been thrust into the national spotlight just games into his college career. He was named both ACC co-rookie and co-player of the week on Nov. 10, has drawn comparisons to Lakers star Luka Dončić, and was selected 12th overall in ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft.
It’s safe to say that his transition from Europe to the college game has looked remarkably smooth.
“I believe that basketball is the same everywhere,” Avdalas said after beating Bryant on Wednesday. “There’s no difference (between Europe and college) … A few things change — the pace, the physicality and things like that, but the basketball stays the same.”
Granted, the adjustment hasn’t been entirely flawless.
In his first collegiate game against Charleston Southern, Avdalas shot just 23.1% from the field. He was 1-of-6 from three and posted the lowest point total of Tech’s starting five. Two weeks later, against Charlotte, he shot just 2-of-7 in a competitive 84-76 win.
“He’s not going to be Superman,” Young said after the Charlotte victory. “He’s really, really good, but if you think for a second the kid’s going to kick in 22 points and hand out 12 assists every night, you’re wrong.”
But even when Avdalas isn’t filling up the stat sheet, he’s still finding ways to impact the game.
“Teams right now are trying to play harder,” Avdalas said. “They’re trying to pressure me. That’s where I can find my teammates, and I trust my teammates to make good plays. I believe that’s what I’m trying to do, make the team win games.”
The Hokies are 5-0 for the first time in three years and the fourth time in the Young era. It’s a sharp contrast from Tech’s start to the season a year ago, where it dropped six of its first nine games, including a double-digit loss at home to a Jacksonville program that has finished over .500 just twice in the past eight years in the ASUN conference.
Cassell Coliseum is filled, not just with fans yearning for a glimpse of the 6-foot-9 freshman, but of the buzz he’s helped restore to Blacksburg.
Through superstar flashes and growing pains alike, Avdalas has brought energy back to a program that desperately needed it. Tech hasn’t appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2022, and its 13-19 record last season was the team’s worst since 2014-15.
“We’re going to keep going,” Avdalas said. “We go game-by-game, review every game as our first win. We view every game differently, try to get wins, and I believe we’re going to have a great team in a great spot for the future.”
Yet for all the energy he’s helped spark, he’s still far from satisfied.
“He wants to be such a perfectionist,” Young said after the win against the Bulldogs on Wednesday. “He wants to be so fine. He’s the best passer I’ve ever coached. He’s a special kid, special player, and we are enjoying him here in Blacksburg.”
“I want to be perfect,” Avdalas said. “I want to make the right play every time. That’s what I’ve got in my mind, but I’ve tried to leave that and I’ve tried to focus on the team winning.”
While perfection is always going to be unattainable, the Hokies certainly look much closer to it with Avdalas leading the way.