We’ve got a ways to go before the college basketball season, but new Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball coach Ryan Odom is as busy as ever. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Odom’s been on a recruiting tear over the last few months, building next year’s roster from scratch.
He’s quite literally gone around the world to assemble a team, and he’s got a clear mission in mind: get back to the NCAA Tournament.
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Ryan Odom joined CBS Sports’ college basketball insider Jon Rothstein for a half-hour interview on Thursday. They discussed Odom’s deep UVA ties, his coaching journey, and some expectations for the team this upcoming season.
Ryan grew up watching UVA basketball with a front-row view because his father, Dave, was an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team from 1982-1989.
“Virginia is a place that’s home for me,” said Odom. “I was fortunate enough to live literally right next to University Hall and to have that time with my father, to be a young kid coming into University Hall, and see not only the men’s team but the women’s team practicing too [was special]. Dawn Staley was playing for UVA at the time … Coach Holland obviously was doing big things at UVA. In a lot of ways this is where I fell in love with basketball.”
Odom’s always been in love with Charlottesville and the UVA basketball program, just as most kids have a deep nostalgic connection to the place they spent their formative years. Unfortunately, Virginia basketball fans haven’t always felt that love toward him.
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I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times by now, but Ryan Odom was the coach of UMBC when they shocked the world by upsetting Tony Bennett and the one-seed Cavaliers in the First Round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Although it was a moment of triumph for one coach and utter humiliation for another, the two coaches handled it with the utmost grace. And it’s led to a great relationship that should continue into the future in Charlottesville.
“[Tony Bennett] and I texted pretty much right after the game,” said Odom. “That moment was a little bit bittersweet for me … because I knew what they were going through on the other side of it. To see them bounce back and win that title was really gratifying for me … You want to see good guys succeed, and guys that are good humans beings succeed, and certainly there’s none better than Tony Bennett … I’m gonna need him, I’m gonna lean on him as we go about this process.”
The process will look a lot different than it did when Bennett took over in 2009. The college basketball landscape has flipped upside down, and it’s a large reason as to why Bennett retired. In order for Odom to build a winning program, he recognizes that it will take an adaptable, multi-faceted, recruiting approach. Money is one part of the equation. But it’s not the most important part.
“We want to recruit the best high school players in the country,” said Odom. “And we want to be able to retain those kids … and we want to go out in the portal and find guys that fit our style … you’ve got to be ready when that portal opens to attack.”
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Sometimes you have to look outside the country for talent, like Odom did to get 19 year-old German center Johann Grunloh.
“International recruiting is going to be a focus,” said Odom.
Odom didn’t go into much detail about specific players, but one guy he talked about was BYU transfer point guard Dallin Hall. Hall played a key role on the BYU team that beat Odom and VCU in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament last year. Clearly, Odom liked what he saw from Hall.
“I saw a big time player,” said Odom. “He would sub in the game and immediately the game would change. His ability to play in pick-and-roll, his ability to defend multiple positions, his toughness, his winning mentality, his leadership on the court.”
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Virginia desperately needs veteran leadership next season. It was something that was tangibly missing last season, particularly at the point guard position. With a roster full of new faces, and plenty of youth, veteran players like Dallin Hall and fifth-year transfer guard Malik Thomas will have to embrace leadership roles.
“Everyone talks about Malik [Thomas], Malik’s dynamite,” said Odom. “He comes in scoring quickly … [He’s] a very mature guy, a very motivated player.”
Thomas was a later commit to Virginia, as the highly-sought after all-conference guard needed a waiver from the NCAA to grant him eligibility to play for a fifth season. Thomas averaged nearly 20 points per game for San Francisco last season while shooting just shy of 40% from three. Based on his resume and Coach Odom’s comments, it seems like Thomas has a good chance to be UVA’s leading scorer next year.
Odom believes in the roster he’s put together. It’s a deep, balanced team with a lot of talent. Belief can only go so far. Odom wants to produce wins and to do so quickly, and he’s set out a goal to “get back to the NCAA Tournament” in his first season.
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The ACC sent just four teams to the NCAA Tournament last year. It was an embarrassing result for a proud basketball conference, leading to some structural changes going into the 2025-26 season. The ACC elected to take away two conference games for each team, cutting the total from 20 down to 18, with the intention of allowing for more flexibility in the non-conference schedule for each team to put together a better tournament resume.
“We’re working through now trying to schedule high-major teams, [we] may even potentially schedule another ACC team that we’re not playing,” said Odom.
That team is almost definitely Clemson, the one ACC team that UVA is not set to face based on the 18-game conference schedule. Clemson is coming off back-to-back impressive seasons under Coach Brad Brownell, so they would present a great challenge if UVA decides to schedule them after all.
Odom understands that it will take some time for UVA fans to adjust to a new coaching style. Bennett’s stylistic philosophy was instilled in the program over the last sixteen years, and Odom plans to approach the game with a much different style.
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“One of the things I want to do is connect to the fanbase,” said Odom. “It’s going to be a different style of play, it’s gonna look different out there…our style of play where we’re picking up full-court and putting pressure on the offense and then pushing it really fast in transition putting pressure on their defense. I think it’s gonna be a fun style for our fans.”
Tony Bennett’s teams played at a careful, methodical pace, limiting turnovers and grinding teams out on defense. Similar to Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, Ryan Odom wants to play fast, embracing chaos on offense and defense, forcing turnovers and shooting lots of threes.
Games will be a track meet instead of a chess match, but if Odom is able to succeed as he has at every stop on his coaching journey, the games should be just as beautiful.
Jon Rothstein described at as only Jon Rothstein could:
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“Virginia basketball could be a thing of beauty again under Ryan Odom with a different model.”
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