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- Virginia Tech basketball is a solidified NCAA Tournament team this season.
- At the forefront of the Hokies’ success is grad transfer Storm Murphy… and his dog, Pheobe.
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When Storm Murphy transferred to Virginia Tech during the offseason, he probably didn’t expect his dog to play such an important role in how the Hokies operate. And yet, as he and his teammates gear up for the postseason, his dog is at the forefront.
Murphy, a fifth-year graduate transfer taking advantage of the COVID-19 blanket waiver, spent his first four years at Wofford. After scoring 1,094 points with a school-record 280 assists in high school, the Wisconsin-native committed to play for head coach Mike Young.
While with Wofford, Murphy helped lead his team to a 21-win season as a freshman and a 30-win season that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore. Following that historic season for the Terriers, Young left for the same job at Virginia Tech.
When Murphy chose to enter the transfer portal during the offseason, he decided to re-commit to Young and play in Blacksburg. As a grad transfer, he has averaged about 26 minutes per game, with about eight pints, two assists and two rebounds per game.
Murphy has been an integral part of the Hokies’ 20-win season, but it is his dog that might play an even more important role. Not only is Phoebe a very good doge, but she has five plays named after her.
— No Context College Basketball (@ContextFreeCBB) March 2, 2022
What the plays are called or what they stand for are unclear, but Phoebe plays a crucial role in Murphy and his team’s ability to call both offensive and defensive sets. BOOP!