Former Virginia Tech center Christian Gurdak has found a new home. After announcing his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal before it opened earlier this month, Gurdak found his next destination on Friday, committing to Rutgers for next season.
A 6-foot-10, 260-pound center from Charles Town, West Virginia, Gurdak played his high school basketball at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. He played his first two seasons of high school basketball at Paul IV Catholic in Chantilly, Virginia, where he was teammates with Hokies point guard Ben Hammond.
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Gurdak caught the attention of head coach Mike Young early, earning an offer as a freshman. Gurdak stayed loyal to Young through the years, eventually signing with Virginia Tech. In his freshman season for the Hokies, Gurdak appeared in 31 games, making 10 starts. He averaged 17 minutes, 5.6 points, and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Gurdak chose Virginia Tech over Maryland, Notre Dame, Iowa and Penn State, among others, out of high school.
His best performance came on New Year’s Eve in the ACC-opening win over Virginia in triple overtime. Gurdak scored 17 points and pulled down 19 rebounds. He would only score in double figures three more times, but had some promising moments, including a three-game stretch in December, where he scored 13, 17 and 17 points.
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Gurdak was one of six Hokies to enter the portal:
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G Jaden Schutt: Kansas State
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G Neoklis Avdalas: North Carolina
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C Christian Gurdak: Rutgers
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C Antonio Dorn: Wake Forest
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G Izaiah Pasha: No school yet
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G Brett Freeman: No school yet
Fortunately for the Hokies, Hammond, Amani Hansberry and Tyler Johnson have all announced their returns for next season.
