From the moment Ace Custis walked the campus, he knew Virginia Tech was where he wanted to be.
Years later, Custis sits on the Hokies’ bench at Cassell Coliseum, where he looks up into the rafters and sees his No. 20 jersey retired. Back, where he wanted to be.
“I always wanted to come back here,” Custis said. “It [was] a dream of mine. I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve been back in Blacksburg.”
Custis played for the Hokies from 1993-97, becoming the third player in program history to score 1,000 points and snag 1,000 rebounds.
“People joke about it all time,” Virginia Tech forward David N’Guessan said. “[You have to] listen to him and respect him because he’s a legend around here.”
Custis had plenty of individual accolades, but it came with team success, too.
“I always wanted to see the team excel,” Custis said. “If the team excelled, I was always happy. I just went out and tried to play my best each and every night. I could only control one thing and that was my effort.”
The 1994-95 Hokies finished the regular season 20-9 and felt they deserved a spot in the NCAA Tournament. But they didn’t get in. Instead, having to settle for the NIT.
“We all had a chip on our shoulder,” Custis recalled.
The Hokies ran through the tournament to set up a championship matchup against Marquette, a game that Custis will never forget. With 0.7 seconds remaining in overtime, junior forward Shawn Smith stepped up to the free-throw line with the Hokies down one.
He sank both.
“It was a surreal moment,” Custis said. “When that shot went through and the horn went off, I could say we were the 65th best team that year.”
Virginia Tech flooded the floor in excitement to celebrate a monumental feat, but the job wasn’t finished.
The next season, the Hokies didn’t forget how close they were to the NCAA Tournament.
“We wanted to leave no doubt that we should be in the NCAA Tournament,” Custis said. “Throughout the year, it was one game at a time. We played Hokie basketball.”
Virginia Tech left no doubt, finishing the regular season 22-4 and ranking as high as No. 8 in the country, etching a spot in the Big Dance. The Hokies took down Green Bay in the Round of 64 before bowing out to the eventual champions, Kentucky.
Those Virginia Tech teams were very tight knit and some of the players are still in contact thanks to social media, but for others, it’s easier to maintain a relationship, especially when you see each other at work every day like Custis and strength and conditioning coach David Jackson.
Years later, the two bring the same energy to Virginia Tech as they did when they were on the court.
“It’s awesome being around Coach [Jackson] every day,” Custis said. “To see him in the weight room and his demeanor, [it’s] the same attitude he has in the weight room that he had 30 years ago.”
Jackson recalls Custis’ fiery nature and intense competitiveness that has translated to the modern-day Hokies. The same fire that Custis brought with him when he took to the professional level.
“As a youngster growing up, everyone dreams to be in the NBA. That’s the ultimate goal of anyone who plays basketball,” he pointed out. “I came up a little short.”
After going undrafted, Custis signed with the Dallas Mavericks, where he suffered a knee injury in the preseason. He went on to play semi-pro for the Grand Rapids Hoops in the CBA before deciding to take his talents overseas.
“It was a cultural shock at first. There was a language barrier. We had translators to translate the coach and players,” he said. “I really enjoyed my time overseas. It was a great experience.”
Custis played as long as he could until he knew it was time to hang it up.
“They always told me to play until your wheels fall off,” Custis said. “[With] my knee injuries over the years, I knew it was time for me to walk away.”
But Custis knew he didn’t want to step away from the game completely.
Custis always wanted to be a coach. Even in high school, he used to pay attention to the little details and took something from every coach he was around.
He landed an assistant job at Virginia State before moving on to Maryland-Eastern Shore for five years.
Although the two weren’t close, Custis and Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young faced off during his time at Wofford and knew each other through basketball circles.
“Talking to folks here, I knew coming back to Virginia Tech was important for him,” Young said. “It was something he desired to do. He loves Virginia Tech.”
The more the two talked, the more Young knew that Custis would be a perfect fit on his staff and asked him to be the coordinator of basketball relations, a gig he only served for one season before being promoted to special assistant to the head coach.
“Ace is one of those guys, you never hear a bad thing about him,” Young said. “A guy that has done it at a high level and deservedly has his number retired. That’s powerful.”
Now, Custis serves as a mentor for those in the same shoes he once walked in. Custis shares his previous experiences with the guys and tries to help guide them. Sometimes he likes to make a joke out of it, but the team knows when he’s serious.
“He’s been through everything we’re going through now,” N’Guessan said. “It’s easier for him to give advice because he’s been through it. It’s helpful to have him because he’s always there to help.”
A lot has changed in the 30 years since Custis was walking the campus at Virginia Tech, but his journey still resonates.
From a young age, Custis was always the tallest in his class. He had to play the older kids because he was bigger than his age group, but he thinks that helped toughen him up.
He excelled through high school and when the time came to look at colleges, it didn’t take long for Custis to decide he wanted to be in Blacksburg.
“I came on my visit and cancelled all my other visits,” he said. “Virginia Tech felt like home.”
Custis knew Blacksburg was where he belonged then, and the feeling has never waned.
“When you love what you’re doing, you aren’t really working,” he said. “I’m able to give back to the university that gave me so much.”
Jackson Didlake 