Cavaliers Now

The Ryan Odom Story: Tracing the Journey of UVA Basketball's New Head Coach

Henry Pallatroni

Virginia Athletics
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On Monday afternoon, the University of Virginia formally introduced Ryan Odom as the next head coach of UVA men's basketball. The former VCU coach has a challenging task ahead as he takes the reigns of the Cavalier program– filling the shoes of Tony Bennett while righting the ship after a mediocre 15-17 season.

Odom's opening press conference at John Paul Jones Arena left a strong first impression with Wahoo fans, as he navigated questions on topics ranging from his coaching style to NIL and the transfer portal. One thing was utterly clear: the moment was far from too big for the new hire, who said he feels "very prepared to take on what everyone knows is a daunting task, following Coach Bennett, following a legend." The confidence Odom expressed reflects a long journey in basketball for the 50-year-old, which traces all the way back to a childhood spent here in Charlottesville.

Odom's acceptance of the UVA head coaching job ties the knot on a full circle moment usually left to Hollywood screenwriters. Dave Odom, Ryan's father, was an assistant coach on Terry Holland's staff at Virginia in the 1980s. Raised in Charlottesville from third through tenth grade, Odom's strong connection and admiration for the home of UVA basketball was clearly a deciding factor in his return to his childhood home– Odom shared in his presser that "this is the place I fell in love with basketball."

With his dad on the coaching staff, Odom gained early, invaluable exposure to the game of basketball and the principles from Holland-era practices that led to success. A young Odom got to sit on the sideline and watch those very practices, where he "learned the value of hard work and togetherness and intensity." From watching practices to eventually working as a ball boy and "giving water to the other team's players," a life spent playing and coaching basketball finds its roots at the University of Virginia.

Before beginning his coaching career, Odom was a standout point guard at Hampden–Sydney College from 1992-1996. Odom scored over 1,000 points for the Tigers, is still ninth all-time in assists, and holds the record for most threes made in a season, with 82 three-pointers during his '94-'95 campaign. Though Hampden–Sydney is far from an elite basketball program, Odom reflected on his four years playing Division III basketball in his opening press conference.

"We played fast. We played fast at Hampden–Sydney. So that's where I learned the speed of the game," said Odom. "That's where I fell in love with a fast game." Odom's college coach was in attendance at the press conference.

When Odom's playing career ended, his coaching career began soon thereafter as he earned his stripes in the business, working as an assistant coach across stops at South Florida, Furman, UNC Asheville, American, UNC Charlotte, and yes, a seven-year stint on the Virginia Tech staff. Perhaps Virginia fans will let that one slide.

Odom's first full-time head coaching job came at the Division II level with Lenoir–Rhyne, where he lead the Bears to a 21-10 record. After his success with Lenoir–Rhyne, Odom landed his first Division I gig for the 2016 season at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Odom served as the UMBC head coach from 2016 through 2021, which includes, of course, the 2018 round of 64 upset over the No. 1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers. That victory remains the only NCAA Tournament win in Odom's career.

After a five year run with UMBC that yielded a 97-60 cumulative record, Odom took a risk and coached Utah State for two years. He reflected on the lessons learned from this role at his opening press conference.

Odom asked his own question, "What did I learn at Utah State?" He answered, "Utah State, obviously it was a bit out of network for me personally. What a challenge to go to an unfamiliar place.... What I found there was exactly what I'm going to find here... It's a true brotherhood." Odom found more coaching success out West, leading the Aggies to a 44-25 record across his two-year campaign, capped by another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Odom's final step in his journey back to Charlottesville first took him to Richmond, where he lead the VCU program to a 52-21 record the last two seasons, including an Atlantic 10 Conference Championship a couple of weeks ago. The short drive from Richmond to Charlottesville will see more than just Odom relocating, as he brings members of his VCU coaching staff along with him and will likely see one or more of his VCU players join the UVA roster via the transfer portal. Leaving VCU after a conference championship was certainly a difficult departure. "That was a hard day the other day, telling them I was leaving," Odom said of leaving VCU.

Odom's journey in the game of basketball has been a long one. From Hampden-Sydney, to 15 years of assistant coaching, to his first Division I head coaching role with UBMC, and most recently an A10 Championship just down the road in Richmond. Across his nine years as a head coach at the Division I level, Odom carries an excellent 193-106 record. At every step in his head coaching journey, Ryan Odom has been a winner. In the post-Tony Bennett era, righting the ship of Virginia men's basketball will remain a difficult task, but from his early days working as a ball boy to his opening conference this week at John Paul Jones arena, Ryan Odom's career has brought him back home with the experience and attitude needed to return Virginia basketball to its winning ways.

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Henry Pallatroni
HENRY PALLATRONI

Henry has been writing for Virginia Cavaliers On SI since August of 2024 and covers football and men's basketball. He is a fourth-year Economic and Media Studies major at the University of Virginia and is originally from New Hampshire.