Often, when things aren’t going well, fans will ask the head coach, “What the f*ck are you doing?”
It’s rarer to hear the coach ask that of themselves.
Following Virginia Tech’s 76-72 loss to the rival Virginia Cavaliers in their regular-season finale on Saturday, Hokies head coach Mike Young found himself in the midst of an existential crisis during his post-game press conference.
“I take nothing away from those guys, they played really hard, and both teams played really hard,” said Young. “The game… missed dunk would have tied it. This kid’s playing his guts out. Then (Ben) Hammond misses two foul shots, he’s up close to 90 on the year. And No. 33 (Virginia’s Ugonna Onyenso), come on man, give me a break. Give me a break, really? Kid makes two 3s? And a huge one over there in front? Come on. What the f*ck am I doing wrong?”
That’s a coach at his breaking point.
Virginia Tech finished the regular season 19-12 (8-10) and finds itself firmly on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament. The 2021 ACC Coach of the Year, Young is 192-97 (60-70) during his time with the Hokies, but hasn’t taken the team to the postseason since 2024 and hasn’t made the NCAA Tourney since 2022.
Young has one year remaining on his current contract, and the school has said he will return next season.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.