After the Hokies opened ACC play with three straight losses the whispers began. Following a disappointing second half against No. 8 UNC at home, which ended in an 82-68 loss, the whispers will only continue to grow louder. I’ve seen it on message boards and I’ve heard it from my friends: We NEED to fire Seth Greenberg.

Sure, there is most certainly an argument against Greenberg. After an 11-3 start, the Hokies have lost four in a row and seemingly won’t have to worry about another agonizing Selection Sunday (and not in a good way). The Hokies haven’t made it to the NCAA tournament since 2007, their only appearance under Greenberg, who is in his 9th season with the Hokies. Obviously, missing out on the tournament 4 years in a row has been quite disappointing. So, why should he stay?

Before Greenberg arrived in 2003, Virginia Tech had been tossed into a pile of irrelevancy. The Hokies made the NCAA Tournament in 1996, but were then kept out of postseason play until Greenberg arrived. Virginia Tech was even missing out on the NIT. In a word, Virginia Tech basketball was awful. Upon Greenberg’s arrival, he won 11 victories in the Big East, the most in school history. The next year he earned ACC Coach of the Year honors and led the Hokies to an NIT first round victory. Greenberg transformed Cassell Coliseum into “The Cassel,” a hostile environment that has turned into one of the best venues in the ACC. Greenberg has three victories against No. 1’s since 2007 and both Duke and UNC have needed buzzer beaters to sneak past the Hokies in recent years.

There is no team that has been saddled with more bad luck over the past few years. Many experts would argue that Virginia Tech was deserving of an NCAA Tournament birth three out of the last four years, but the Tournament Selection Committee seemed to disagree. Injuries have killed the Hokies two years in a row and there is no coach who does more with less than Greenberg. He just brought in the best recruiting class in school history and deserves to see them through.

Fans who had high expectations for this team seem to overlook that Tech has six young players playing significant minutes. This team will grow and Greenberg has hauled another impressive recruiting class for next year. Those who want to fire Greenberg should re-think just how much he has done for the program. Tech has become more than just a football school and that is all thanks to Greenberg.