Wofford honors Mike Young in emotional return with Virginia Tech

Before his Virginia Tech Hokies took the floor for an Oct. 16 exhibition game at Wofford College, where he was head men’s basketball coach for 17 years, Mike Young was joined at midcourt by about 40 of his former Wofford players and team managers.

There were players from some of Young’s early Wofford teams — teams that struggled against Southern Conference rivals, losing more games than they won — as well as guys who were with him during his glory years in Spartanburg.

Young, who started as an assistant coach in 1989, when Wofford was an NCAA Division II program, won five Southern Conference championships over a decade. His run included the 2019 Wofford team, which went undefeated in league play and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Following the unveiling of a banner honoring his accomplishments at Wofford and a video presentation highlighting his championship years, Young borrowed the PA announcer’s microphone to thank the fans who turned out to show their appreciation and support.

“God knows I love Wofford College,” he said.

And pointing toward the former players gathered nearby, he was emotional. “(They) poured a lot of blood, sweat and tears into Wofford. I love those guys.”

One of those former players was Kevin Giltner, who is now in his second season as Wofford’s head coach.

Giltner was a solid off-the-bench contributor on Young’s first two Southern Conference championship teams.

He was an assistant coach during later title runs, including the historic 2019 team. He then went with Young as an assistant at Virginia Tech, where he worked for six seasons before taking over at Wofford in 2024 after former coach Dwight Perry was dismissed under murky circumstances.

Giltner is “one of my favorite players and assistant coaches of all time, and he’s doing a magnificent job,” Young told the crowd.

Sitting courtside was Young’s wife, Margaret. Wearing Virginia Tech colors, her basketball allegiance was clear. But she’s also a Wofford graduate of the 1992 class and a current member of the college’s board of trustees. The Youngs raised their children in Spartanburg and maintain friendships in the community.

After reflecting on his love for Wofford and Spartanburg, Young announced, “We’re here to play. Virginia Tech is here to play basketball and get better as a team, as is Wofford.”

The game: It was a back-and-forth affair, with never more than 10 points separating the two teams.

It’s the era of the transfer portal and NIL (name, image and likeness) deals, and both teams were playing numerous newcomers.

For Wofford, freshman big man Cutter Sisk, from outside of Nashville, Tennessee, made a splash. He scored 20 points in his debut and seemed to be a fan favorite of the student section, which was at full capacity.

“It’s so fun — we’re doing so good,” said Rebeka Brewer, a Wofford junior, at halftime.

Virginia Tech surged to a 7-point lead late in the game before Wofford mounted a furious comeback.

Sisk missed a last-second shot to tie. Virginia Tech won the game, 78-76.

“They’re more athletic than us — they’re bigger,” Giltner said in a post-game interview.

“But I loved the way we responded to that. We’ve got tough kids, man. I was really happy with that. I was really happy with how hard we played. I’m really fired up about what we could be.”

Wofford has been picked to finish third in the 2026-2027 Southern Conference preseason, with Furman predicted to finish at the top of the league.

Asked about competing against his former player and assistant coach, Young said Giltner is “a heck of a basketball coach, and I am so happy that he is the head coach here at Wofford. He’s off to a great start.”

The game took place on the Friday kicking off Wofford’s homecoming weekend.

There was certainly a feeling of homecoming for Young’s former Wofford players.

“I probably haven’t been on campus in eight or nine years,” said Corey Godzinski, a forward on the 2010 Wofford team — Young’s first to win a Southern Conference title.

He drove from Orlando, Florida, to Spartanburg.

Godzinski keeps up with his old teammates, “but I haven’t seen Coach Young in years, so it’s great to see him back in this building,” he said.

Drew Crowell, who played on the 2010 championship team with Godzinski and Giltner, said, “I love the atmosphere here. There’s definitely a family culture.”

Matt Pegram, who lives in Greenville, was a backup center on the 2019 championship team. “It was a very, very cool moment to have Mike Young here. It was his first time back since my last game here. Mike is probably the best guy in the business. He’s a mentor. He’s a father figure.”

Pegram was nonetheless pulling hard for the Terriers, and he was pleased by what he saw from the team. “I really like this team this year. It looks like we’re going to have a special team, and I’m excited to follow them.”

Wofford’s first regular-season game will be on Nov. 3. The Terriers are scheduled to face the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

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The preseason exhibition was a special opportunity for Giltner to test his team against a strong opponent while rallying community interest in the program.

Young said he and Giltner discussed the idea of an exhibition game last spring. “Anything I could do to help Kevin, Wofford basketball and the Spartanburg community to promote basketball, I wanted to do that. I’m glad it worked out.”

Young’s current team is picked to finish in about the middle of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

There wouldn’t be time to stay for the weekend in Spartanburg and visit with old friends. Young said he planned to return to the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg with his players right after the game against Wofford.

Still, he said it was a special night — coaching against his former player and assistant, Giltner; being honored by the Wofford community; and connecting with players from his old Wofford teams.

“Those were great years,” Young said.

“I am thankful to look back here. After 41 years in this wonderful business, I look back with great, great memories.”

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This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Wofford honors Mike Young in emotional return with Virginia Tech