Questions for UVA Basketball Coach Ryan Odom: A New Chapter Begins

William Smythe | Mar 24, 2025

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Virginia basketball has received three massive pieces of news over the past two days. VCU’s Ryan Odom will take up the mantle from Tony Bennett, and he has already secured a re-commitment from four-star point guard Chance Mallory — a Charlottesville native. Today, Virginia fans received news that Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich, a unicorn in the college coaching world, will be joining his college teammate in Charlottesville as an associate head coach. Despite the strong start, Odom has myriad decisions to make and transfers to target in the coming weeks.

Time is of the essence in this current landscape. Hundreds of names will submit their names for the transfer portal as the postseason winds down, and Virginia will have to hunt. We’ll analyze some of the burning questions that Odom will have to answer as the next coach of Virginia basketball. A new chapter is upon us!

1. How does Odom approach conversations with anyone at Virginia not named McKneely, Rohde, Robinson, or Cofie?

These four provide the strongest backbone for Virginia’s success over the next few years, and Odom will have to get to work to keep them from portaling. Senior guard Isaac McKneely (42.1% 3PT in 2024-25) will field offers from a host of suitors willing to pay top dollar for arguably the best three-point shooter nationally. With one year of eligibility remaining, I expect senior guard Andrew Rohde (9.3 PPG, 4.3 APG) to finish his career in Charlottesville. He’s grown comfortable playing in a major conference. Rising sophomore forwards Jacob Cofie (7.2 PPG) and Anthony Robinson (3.6 PPG) both have three years of eligibility remaining and a world of potential, meaning they could be hot portal commodities.

Senior forward Elijah Saunders (10.4 PPG), junior guard Elijah Gertrude, and sophomore guard Ishan Sharma (3.4 PPG) should be welcomed back. Saunders paced the ‘Hoos’ frontcourt scoring production until an injury derailed his season, while Sharma — a terrific three-point shooter — acclimatized to the college game. Unfortunately, Gertrude has had to deal with some major setbacks. He has torn his ACL twice and had his redshirt burned last season against Texas A&M. He’ll receive a medical redshirt due to his missed campaign this year.

At least one of these players will not return for Virginia next season. Also, what will Odom do with sophomore guard Christian Bliss and junior forward TJ Power (1.3 PPG)? He will absolutely need to improve Virginia’s bench in 2025-26.

2. What’s the status of Virginia’s staff?

We have another staff announcement in Charlottesville. Griff Aldrich, a teammate of Odom's at Hampden-Sydney College and the former head coach at Longwood, is heading to Virginia as an associate head coach. This is a tremendous get. Aldrich has paved an unorthodox path to arrive at the college basketball coaching ranks, having graduated from the University of Virginia's School of Law and worked both as a lawyer and executive in the private sector. Aldrich coached on the AAU circuit in Houston and turned back to the college level in 2016, working alongside Odom as the Director of Basketball Operations at UMBC. He was on staff for their upset of Virginia in 2018.

While Aldrich could have feasibly served as general manager on account of his legal and financial acumen, his coaching chops are evident from a seven-year tenure at Longwood in Farmville, Virginia. A Commonwealth native, he steered the Lancers to two NCAA Tournament appearances and turned around a program that had not registered a winning season since 2008-09. If Odom allows Aldrich to wear different hats in the NIL era, moreover, the 'Hoos will feel his impact on the court and in the negotiations that drive personnel upkeep in this era.

A home-run hire, Aldrich will have his hands full once he arrives in Charlottesville, as the new staff will be tasked with both retaining several pieces on this roster and landing targets from elsewhere. I have no doubt that Virginia will have a wealth of Xs and Os knowledge with Aldrich and Odom at the helm, and their recruiting influence should be felt within the Commonwealth and beyond.

In light of this announcement, Virginia will be experiencing a seismic staff change. Mainstays such as Sanchez, associate head coach Jason Williford, assistant coach Brad Soderberg, and assistant coach Orlando Vandross have all spent at least seven years on staff. Odom will not retain all of them. I would expect Sanchez to seek a high-level assistant position or mid-major coaching position. Williford could be a key cog on Odom's new staff as a longtime Bennett assistant and former 'Hoo, having worn the Virginia jersey from 1991-95. However, Aldrich could be a replacement. Vandross has a shared past with Odom, which includes five years together as assistants at UNC-Charlotte. He should be a candidate to remain on staff.

Odom brought in two VCU alums after landing in Richmond from Utah State two years ago. I expect that same pattern to emerge in Charlottesville; Kyle Guy’s coaching would be a boon to any team seeking to shoot the three-ball well, and both Isaiah Wilkins and Chase Coleman have amassed multiple years of experience as ‘Hoos-turned-coaches. Guy should be a lock to stay.

He will likely bring two loyal assistants with him to Charlottesville in Matt Henry and Bryce Crawford. The former joined Odom's UMBC staff in 2018 and moved to both Utah State and VCU, while the latter worked with him at all three stops, as well as at Charlotte and Lenoir-Rhyne. Do expect some staff turnover and the retention of Guy, Vandross, and a few others these next few weeks.

Notable ‘Hoos such as Ralph Sampson (1979-83) and Curtis Staples (1994-98) have expressed their interest in the GM role. There’s no guarantee that either of them will receive the position, but the backing of alums will be crucial in helping him to navigate a new chapter.

3. How many active VCU players and/or incoming recruits does he bring to Charlottesville?

Virginia won’t have the good fortune of landing any of VCU’s starting five through the portal. All will depart due to graduation this spring. On the flip side, Odom has a few youngsters in the wings who might be willing to jump ship to a major conference. Keep a close eye on sophomore Luke Bamgboye (3.8 PPG) — a U.K. native and 6’10” forward who could provide an athletic presence on the defensive end with three years of eligibility left. Bamgboye blocked 75 shots this season as a freshman. If either he or Robinson can develop a more polished offensive game, watch out. This is assuming that the latter commits to Odom.

A Richmond native, sophomore Brandon Jennings (2.7 PPG) has promise as a taller point guard who logged significant minutes in the Atlantic 10. Don’t focus as much on the numbers, as VCU relied on a veteran-laden lineup featuring a tried-and-true point guard in Max Shulga (15.0 PPG). Whether Jennings would be willing to duel it out with Mallory for ballhandling duties is a valid question, though.

Other names to monitor are senior forward Christian Fermin (4.6 PPG), sophomore guard and Richmond native Alphonso “Fats” Billups (2.9 PPG), and junior forward Michael Belle (2.8 PPG), as well as four-star center and Newport News native Silas Barksdale, a commit in VCU’s Class of 2026. Essentially, VCU’s bench provides the most convenient talent pool beyond Virginia’s current roster. The ‘Hoos will certainly aim to grab some bigger fish, though.

4. Can he establish a foothold in Hampton Roads, Richmond, and the DMV?

Even under Bennett, Virginia largely failed to attract backyard talent. Despite fielding talents such as Mike Scott, Devon Hall, and B.J. Stith from Virginia and the “DMV” — an acronym given to the intersection of Northern Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland — Bennett’s rosters pulled from elsewhere, including Wisconsin and the West Coast. The ‘Hoos landed more scholarship players from the former (5) than from Virginia or DMV recruits in the years following the 2019 National Championship win. Mallory is Virginia's first major get from the Commonwealth since Stith committed in 2014.

Only two scholarship players from Virginia, Maryland, or Washington D.C. committed to Bennett in that six-year stretch — guard Casey Morsell and guard Dante Harris. While Bennett won a lot, Virginia placed less of a priority on this region and has ceded ground to schools such as Duke. The Blue Devils have nabbed four recruits from one Northern Virginia high school — Paul VI Catholic — since 2020, and they’re poised to land the No. 4 recruit in the Class of 2026, forward Nate Ament of Warrenton, Virginia. However, the ‘Hoos could gain some traction in-state with the commitment of Mallory.

Even if regional ties may not mean as much in the NIL era, it would behoove Odom not to ply his trade with one of the richest hotbeds in high school basketball — the DMV. Landing Mallory is a step in the right direction as Virginia tackles myriad personnel changes.

Northern Virginia has supplanted Hampton Roads and Richmond as the central hub for in-state recruiting, but all three are valuable. Could Odom get aggressive in the portal and land Donald Hand Jr. (15.7 PPG) — a Virginia Beach native, All-ACC performer and son of a ‘Hoo in Donald Hand (1997-2001) — if he throws his hat into the ring? Another Richmond native, Wake Forest’s Davin Cosby (5.6 PPG) has already entered the portal and could be a name to watch; I could also see him stepping down to mid-major competition at a school such as VCU. Nabbing players in Charlottesville’s immediate vicinity is crucial.

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