Bio Blast: Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas

The transfer portal window hasn’t even been open for 48 hours yet, but news of visits and Zoom meetings has been breaking left and right. Kentucky has already been linked to a handful of talented prospects in the portal as head coach Mark Pope enters a critical third offseason.

One of those talented prospects is Virginia Tech’s Neoklis Avdalas, a 6-foot-9 freshman who helped handle ball-handling responsibilities for the Hokies in 2025-26. Kentucky is reportedly interested in the native of Greece, who was expected to talk with the Wildcats’ coaching staff on Wednesday via Zoom.

Avdalas is considered the 18th-best overall player and the second-best combo guard to enter his name into the portal so far this offseason by On3. Let’s get to know him better through another edition of KSR’s Bio Blast.

From shining in Greece to the United States

Born and raised in Greece, Avdalas was a top young international prospect prior to making his way to the United States. The 20-year-old spent two seasons playing professional basketball in Greece’s top-tier HEBA A1 league (AS Karditsas in 2023-24 and 2024-25 with Peristeri BC). He started playing professional hoops all the way back in 2021 in a limited role for Panathinaikos, which eventually loaned him out to other franchises. He made history in 2021 by becoming the youngest player ever to score in a EuroLeague game at just 15 years old.

Avdalas was twice named the Greek League Best Young Player in 2024 and 2025, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award in 2025. He suited up for Greece in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket and even particpated in the 2025 NBA Draft Combine before signing with Virginia Tech in June 2025. Avdalas made his college debut for the Hokies that fall, where he quickly made waves in the college basketball world.

Starting all 31 contests he played in, Avdalas announced himself with a 33-point outing against Providence in his second college game. He went for 14 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in game three. He shared Co-Rookie and Co-Player of the Week honors on November 10 with North Carolina star Caleb Wilson for his efforts. A month later, he took home another ACC Rookie of the Week honor. Avdalas’ size and skill for a guard had him shooting up early NBA Draft boards.

Some of the sparkle began to wear off as the season went along, but his unique skillset still made him a must-watch prospect. Virginia Tech did not make the NCAA Tournament, finishing 19-13 (8-10 ACC) with an early exit in the ACC Tournament. For the season, Avdalas posted 12.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 31.7 minutes per outing, although he shot just 44.9 percent on twos, 31.4 percent on threes, and 67.3 percent on free throws.

What the advanced stats say about his game

What Avdalas does well on the floor is serve as a 6-foot-9 point guard. He posted a high usage (23.3 percent) and assist rate (26.9 percent) last season, the latter ranking in the 92nd percentile among all guards, per CBB Analytics, but he was prone to turning the ball over at times. His poor shooting efficiency outside of the shots around the rim, which got even worse in ACC play, left a lot to be desired. He took the second-most threes on Virginia Tech last season and hit multiple in 14 games, but still made less than a third of those attempts.

Avdalas’s size allowed him to grade out as an above-average defensive rebounder and a capable shot blocker, but he was not someone who attacked the offensive glass or went for steals. That being said, his DRAPM (which measures a player’s impact on team defense) of 3.6 ranked in the 98th percentile. He’s not an easy player to project moving forward, but the tools are there as a potential NBA Draft prospect.

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