Virginia Tech men’s basketball center revealed that he is entering the transfer portal, retaining two years of eligibility.
He became Virginia Tech’s third player to enter the transfer portal, joining guards Jaydon Young and Rodney Brown Jr. The 7-foot, 250-pound center spent three years with the Hokies, redshirting in 2022-23 before appearing in 13 games last season. This year, he played in 31 of 32 games, earning one start against Louisville, and averaged 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting an efficient 62.5 percent (50-for-80) from the field.
He stepped up late in the season following an injury to forward Mylyjael Poteat on Feb. 22 at Miami. He logged key minutes against Miami, Louisville, Syracuse, North Carolina, and Clemson, posting 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game during that stretch while converting 81.8 percent of his shots (18-for-22) and blocking four shots.
One of his highlight moments came in the regular-season finale at Clemson, where he knocked down a right-handed hook shot over 6-foot-11 All-ACC Honorable Mention center Viktor Lakhin. Wessler finished that game a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor, adding five rebounds and two blocks.
A native of Matthews, N.C., Wessler led the Hokies with an effective field goal percentage of 63.1% this season, according to Ken Pomeroy. The next closest was Tobi Lawal at 60.9%, which ranked 70th nationally, though Lawal played significantly more minutes.
Following Virginia Tech’s ACC Tournament loss to Cal last week, head coach Mike Young didn’t mince words, saying, “A lot was missing this year. We need to get more talented, and we will, quickly. I’m not going through that again.” Monday’s departures of Brown Jr., Young, and Wessler seem like just the beginning, with the transfer portal officially set to open on March 24.
As it stands, the Hokies’ frontcourt includes redshirt freshman Ryan Jones Jr., a former top-75 recruit who missed the season due to injury, and incoming four-star freshman Christian Gurdak.