Fueled by bold changes, fresh talent, and a renewed sense of purpose, VMI basketball’s 2024–25 season can be described as one of marked improvement. Wholesale changes made by Andrew Wilson, head coach, and his coaching staff helped deliver one of the biggest turnarounds in program history.
The culture of the team changed by way of the transfer portal with the additions of Augustinas Kiudulas ’28, Tan Yildizoglu ’28, and T.J. Johnson ’28, as well as the return of Rickey Bradley Jr. ’26, who left the program during the 2023–24 season but returned as a seasoned leader ready to lead the new and diverse squad.
The team earned 15 victories on the season—11 more than the four wins from the 2023–24 campaign—to mark the biggest single-season turnaround in program history. The previous largest turnaround was a 10-game difference from winning 14 games in 2007–08 to winning 24 in 2008–09.
The highlight of the year came as the team saved the best for last by winning two games at the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, North Carolina, including a 64-57 win over No. 2 seed University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the quarterfinals to snap a six-game losing skid to the Spartans and advance to the semifinals for the first time since the 2021–22 season. The Keydets defeated rival No. 10 seed, The Citadel, in the opening round, marking the first time since the 2002–03 season the Keydets had won two games in the SoCon Tournament.
VMI got off to a quick start to the season with a 4-1 mark, its best start since the 2010–11 campaign. In the first game of the year, newcomer Yildizoglu set a new single-game record for assists by contributing 15 against Washington College, which was also a Cameron Hall facility record. The success in the non-conference segment of the year led to confidence and momentum during conference play as the Keydets would go on to win seven Southern Conference games over the course of the season—their most since claiming nine victories in 2021–22.
In mid-November, the Keydets went 1-1 at the inaugural Greenbrier Tip-Off Tournament at the famed resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, when VMI defeated Charleston Southern a day after a 1-point loss to Tennessee Tech. Kiudulas was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 21.5 points per game over the two contests.
VMI opened conference play with four losses to East Tennessee State University, Mercer University, Samford University, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, but the Keydets responded with three straight wins over Western Carolina University, The Citadel, and Furman University, the program’s first three-game conference win streak since the 2021–22 season.
Soon after, VMI went on to achieve three straight road conference game victories from Jan. 18–Feb. 1 at The Citadel, Wofford College, and Western Carolina for the first time since the 2010–11 season.
In addition, the Keydets earned two conference sweeps versus The Citadel and Western Carolina on the season for the first time since the 2017–18 season. VMI had a chance to earn two more sweeps against Wofford and Furman but came up short the second time around facing both schools. The sweep over The Citadel had not occurred since the 2019–20 campaign.
Another significant highlight of the year was VMI’s win at Mercer Feb. 15 to snap a five-game losing skid to the Bears, marking VMI’s first win in Macon since 2008. It was also only VMI’s fifth-ever win against Mercer in 25 all-time contests.
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VMI Athletics
Editor's Note: Story courtesy VMI Athletics.
