Virginia Tech men’s basketball saw its season conclude on Tuesday with a double-overtime loss in the ACC tournament to the California Golden Bears.
The loss capped off what had been a disappointing campaign for the Hokies, who finished the year 13–19 with a 8–12 record in ACC play.
But while it wasn’t a winning season, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, as forward Tobi Lawal noted after the game. Speaking with the Collegiate Times, a student-run, weekly publication out of Virginia Tech, Lawal delivered what will surely go down as the best quote of the college basketball season.
Asked what he was proud of in his first season with the Hokies after transferring from VCU, Lawal reflected that despite the team’s record, he was proud that they had outplayed many people’s expectations for their season.
“I’m proud of how far we came,” Lawal told the Collegiate Times in the locker room after the game. “What did they have us in the preseason? Maybe 14th or 15th? They thought we were going to be a--. I mean, we were still a-- but, you know, we weren’t that bad. You know what I'm saying? We beat expectations.”
Immediately, the quote was shared across social media as a brilliant example of athlete self-awareness, the power of finding the bright side, and the importance of student reporting.
Honesty in sports postgame comments is undefeated. Tremendous. Nice job, @bySamMostow https://t.co/4zEXBvo2xR pic.twitter.com/YdeRZyXXuf
— Anthony Amey (@AnthonyAmey) March 12, 2025
Tobi Lawal with one of the most honest, straightforward quotes I can remember in a while that unfortunately for the #Hokies seems like a very fair assessment of this season https://t.co/E8UsWfzZp0
— Tim Thomas (@TimThomasTLP) March 12, 2025
Quote of the season. https://t.co/ijyPJrAV1E
— Order On The Court ⚖️ (@DataMizzou) March 12, 2025
Sports are hard. As is life. Sometimes you aren’t going to be the best. But if some people thought you were going to be the absolute worst, and you wind up being only a little bad, well, that’s a win, and one worth celebrating.
Kudos to you, Lawal and your Virginia Tech teammates. May you prove the doubters even more wrong next season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fans Loved Virginia Tech Player's Viral Quote Admitting Hokies Beat Low Expectations.
