Summer Session Under Way for Odom and Co.

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Twelve weeks after he was hired as head men’s basketball coach at the University of Virginia, Ryan Odom finally got to take the court with his new team. The start of the 2025-26 season remains months away, but the Cavaliers’ first practice was still an occasion to savor for Odom and his staffers, most of whom followed him from VCU to UVA in March.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Odom said Tuesday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena.

Not everyone who’ll be on the Cavaliers’ roster this coming season took part Tuesday. UVA’s international players, for various reasons, were not on Grounds. Even so, the coaching staff had 11 players to work with: freshmen Chance Mallory and Silas Barksdale; transfers Dallin Hall, Sam Lewis, Ugonna Onyenso, Malik Thomas, Devin Tillis and Jacari White; and Elijah Gertrude, Carter Lang and Des Roberts, holdovers from UVA’s 2024-25 team.

“There’s been an energy in the office and around the facility just to be able to be together,” Odom said, “and to be able to actually get on the court with these guys is really special. We have a good group of guys. They’re a lot of fun.”

With so many newcomers coming from so many different programs, it will take time for the Cavaliers to gel, but that’s to be expected, Odom said. “I thought they did a great job today. You could see the signs of what could become a cohesive unit.

“They’re learning. These are all new drills and new players they’re playing with. And so sometimes you have to just remind them that you don’t have to do it all in one practice. It’s going to be the accumulation of stacking days together. The only way to get cohesive is to keep at it and be consistent with your effort, your energy and your communication and all the things that it takes to be a good team.”

Most of UVA’s players didn’t arrive on Grounds until last weekend, and before focusing on hoops they had to move into their apartments, take physicals and get their academic schedules in order.

Among those watching from the sideline in the men’s practice gym Tuesday were former UVA standouts Barry Parkhill, Wally Walker, John Crotty and Jim Miller. They saw a high-spirited, fast-paced practice in which Odom began laying the foundation for the coming season.

“We do a lot of offense in the summers—skill work individually, implementation, base-level stuff—things that are important to us and establish how we play,” Odom said.

“We certainly work on defense, and there’s a competitiveness to the practices usually as we go. We’re certainly not there yet. We’re trying to just get them to play together right now, and then the competition will come. They have to know what they’re doing first before you can hold them accountable to the competitive aspect.”

Odom’s system differs from the one that became the Wahoos’ trademark in their 15 seasons under Tony Bennett, who retired unexpectedly last fall. Ron Sanchez, who took over as Virginia’s interim head coach on the eve of the 2024-25 season, is a Bennett disciple and didn’t have time to make dramatic changes offensively or defensively.

Under Odom, don’t expect to see the Cavaliers fall back into a Pack Line defense when opponents have the ball, and he’s comfortable when his players push the pace at the other end. VCU averaged 76.9 points per game in 2024-25.

“We want to play fast, we want to play to our advantage,” Odom said, “but we also want to be secure with the basketball. We’ve got to take care of it and get clean shots. Sometimes if you rush, all of a sudden passes get deflected, passes are off target.”

At one point early in the practice Tuesday, Odom stopped a drill in which his players had become a little too frenetic.

“Relax,” Odom told them. “You have more time than you think. Don’t rush. Be disciplined.”

He applauded another possession on which crisp ball movement led to a Mallory floater from the left baseline.

“You don’t want to pass up [open] shots,” Odom said, “but you ended up with a layup, so that was great.”

Odom was also happy to see Gertrude flash the athleticism that’s such a central part of the 6-foot-4 guard’s game. Gertrude, who appeared in 16 games as a UVA freshman in 2023-24, suffered a serious knee injury last spring and missed all of last season.

Gertrude was cleared for full participation after the spring semester ended this year, and he said his knee feels strong.

Of the Cavaliers’ scholarship players in 2024-25, Gertrude is the only one still in the program, and that’s “definitely weird,” he said. “But it’s a new age, new time. Coach Bennett, he’s a legend, and it’s an honor to be one of the last guys here that played with Coach Bennett.

“It’s an honor, and I thank Coach Odom for having me here. This is where I want to be, and he wants me here. So me, Des, and Carter, we’re going to do whatever we can to stay here and make our way and do our best for this team.”

Gertrude is excited about playing in a more uptempo system. “That’s music to my ears. Being athletic, I like running and playing up and down.”

Bennett and Sanchez emphasized the importance of preventing opponents’ fast-break opportunities, and UVA guards usually sprinted back on defense after missed shots. One of the highlights of the Cavaliers’ first practice under Odom was a play on which Gertrude soared for an offensive rebound and threw down an emphatic dunk.

“It was a little weird hearing he wanted me to crash for rebounds,” Gertrude said. “I haven’t heard that in a while.”

He smiled. “I haven’t got a putback in a couple years,” Gertrude said, “but it’s all good. It’s definitely different, but it’s new times.”

Gertrude’s roommate is Tillis, a 6-foot-6 forward who transferred to UVA from UC Irvine, where he played for head coach Russell Turner.

Turner, who’s from Roanoke, knows Odom and Virginia associate head coach Griff Aldrich well. He preceded them on the team at Hampden-Sydney College, and Turner was an assistant there when Odom and Aldrich began their college careers.

Turner later was an assistant at Wake Forest under Dave Odom, Ryan’s father, and his ties to the younger Odom and Aldrich added to UVA’s appeal for Tillis after he entered the transfer portal.

“I felt very familiar with the coaches,” Tillis said. “That kind of comfortability between them made me feel more comfortable coming here, as I knew that these were good guys and they were gonna push me to be the best of my abilities.”

Tillis, who’s from Los Angeles, arrived in Charlottesville on Friday night and started meeting his new teammates in person.

He’s been through a similar situation as a college player. Tillis played at UNLV as a freshman, “and it was kind of a new group of guys,” he said. “We had like seven new freshmen and a couple of older transfers. So it was kind of comparable.  Obviously, this is higher level, a different level of guys, but I did have that experience before.”

Tillis didn’t need introductions to all of his teammates. He and Thomas were teammates in the Compton Magic AAU program when they were in high school, and Tillis played with Hall at an NCAA Basketball Academy camp hosted by Grand Canyon University.

“So I’m very familiar with them,” Tillis said.

That the Hoos have so many newcomers doesn’t concern Gertrude.

“Basketball players, we get used to that,” he said. “You play with a lot of different guys growing up. We play with a number of different AAU teams, a couple high schools, a lot of guys transfer, so you get used to that, just building and growing with new guys. That’s who you’re going to be playing with for the whole year, so you got to learn how to grow and build with each other. It is definitely challenging, and there’s going to be some growing pains, but it’s for the best.”

Tillis’ thoughts on the first practice?

“A lot of learning, a lot of teaching,” he said. “Obviously, as we’re a new team, we’ve got to figure out how Coach Odom does stuff. So I thought it was a good first day, and we’re just ready to build on that.”

To receive Jeff White’s articles by email, click the appropriate box in this link to subscribe.