MBB HOKIES 17-18 | MEDIA GUIDE

# g e t B E T T E R T O U R Coach Buzz Williams always has been of the belief that he wanted his “culture” to be “giving in nature.” One sees that throughout the program in the way he and his staff do things from Buzz’s Bunch to the Tip-Off Banquet to quote shirts and so on. He always tries to leave people with something to help them #getBETTER. The #getBETTER Tour became a way to do that for Tech’s players, coaches and administrative staff, as the program, under Coach Williams, tried something that had never been attempted. Four stops, three different states/districts (Washington D.C.), and 1,129 miles traveled in total—the Virginia Tech players and staff went to different locations for reasons entirely unrelated to basketball. The stops included the Ronald McDonald House in Raleigh, North Carolina, the African- American Museum in Washington D.C., the Carilion Sleep Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia, and the Blacksburg Police Department. Each trip provided something specifically to help all those who attended to #getBETTER in some facet of their life. Whether it be talking to world-renowned hip hop producer 9thWonder about the path to success, visiting with children at the Ronald McDonald house to get a different perspective on life, traveling with famous poet/writer/activist Nikki Giovanni to the African-American Museum to learn about the great people who helped lay the foundation of this country and culture, the trip grew the players and staff in ways so much bigger than a basketball ever could.  Along with these highlights, other side trips included a visit to Lowe’s headquarters in Charlotte and a visit with Fred Whitfield, the CEO of the Charlotte Bobcats. The staff held more segments on campus to make this “tour” a great success on a wide array of topics. The idea and scope of the tour was to make players think, communicate, understand and learn. Mission accomplished! @VT_MBBall @vthokiembb VTMBBALL 22