By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Thanks, but no thanks.
That was the response of University of Virginia men’s basketball players Devin Tillis, Jacari White and Ugonna Onyenso when head coach Ryan Odom offered to let them start alongside classmates Malik Thomas and Dallin Hall in their final game at John Paul Jones Arena.
Saturday was Senior Day at JPJ, and Odom would have been happy to start the five UVA players who are in their last years of eligibility—Tillis, White, Onyenso, Thomas and Hall—in the regular-season finale against Virginia Tech. But Tillis, White and Onyenso have been coming off the bench all season, and they saw no reason to change anything in what turned out to be a 76-72 win for the Cavaliers.
“We love keeping the same routine,” Onyenso said Monday at JPJ. “If that's making us win, we don't want to break it. It’s all about the program. Whatever it takes to get the team to win. I don't think it's going to feel right doing something you're not used to doing.”
White said: “I know Senior Night is a big moment, but we're trying to accomplish more, so I didn't want to mess that up or anything.”
The ACC tournament starts Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C., and Virginia, as the No. 2 seed, has a double bye. UVA will face No. 7 seed NC State, No. 10 seed Stanford or No. 15 seed Pittsburgh in the noon quarterfinal Thursday at Spectrum Center.
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— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) March 9, 2026
The 10th-ranked Cavaliers are 27-4, and Odom has started the same lineup in 30 of those games: center Johann Grünloh, forward Thijs De Ridder, swingman Sam Lewis and guards Thomas and Hall.
Early in each game, Odom typically inserts a reserve unit consisting of the 7-foot Onyenso, the 6-foot-7 Tillis, the 6-foot-3 White and 5-foot-10 Chance Mallory, a freshman guard. The group, which calls itself the Bench Mob, has regularly sparked the Wahoos in their first season under Odom.
“We know our role is to come in and bring the energy up, so that’s what we take pride in,” said White, the Cavaliers’ top 3-point shooter (43.4%).
“We have our own rhythm and our own identity,” Tillis said. And so when Odom asked the senior reserves if they wanted to start against Virginia Tech, they discussed the possibility among themselves and quickly reached a decision.
“We’re like, ‘We’re good. It’s OK. They’re going to honor us [before the game in the Senior Day ceremony]. Let’s just play basketball,’ ” Tillis said.
All five seniors were elsewhere last season: Hall at BYU, Thomas at San Francisco, Tillis at UC Irvine, Onyenso at Kansas State and White at North Dakota State. All are good enough to start for the Hoos, but so are De Ridder, Grünloh, Lewis and Mallory. And so something has to give.
Hall (28.2) is the only Cavalier averaging more than 28 minutes per game. Among the other seniors, Thomas is at 22.8, Onyenso at 17.8, White at 17.7 and Tillis at 16.9. But it’s not uncommon for one or more members of the Bench Mob to be on the court late in close games.
Tillis, for example, hit a free throw with 4.4 seconds left Saturday to seal the Hoos’ win over the Hokies.
White was runner-up in voting for ACC Sixth Man of the Year, and Onyenso finished third in voting for ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
“I think, ultimately, this entire team has sacrificed the entire year,” Odom said. “And you look at successful organizations, you look at successful basketball teams or any sporting team, there's going to be a common theme of sacrifice throughout. And this team has done a really good job [of that]. The individuals on this team have done a really good job of sacrificing a bit of themselves for the greater good of the team. And that's one thing that ... our coaching staff, is really thankful for and proud of these guys for, because it's a lifelong lesson that they'll be able to take away from here.”
In putting together his first team at UVA, Odom “brought in a bunch of good dudes,” Tillis said. “The fact that we're selfless enough to put that to the side and just focus on winning, it speaks volumes about all the guys he's brought on this team.”
White said he wasn’t sure what to expect when he arrived on Grounds in June.
“I knew I was going to have to sacrifice, but I didn't know what exactly,” said White, a fan favorite whose supporters call themselves the Jacarmy.
“But as the season went on, it kind of all made sense. I’m not really surprised everybody bought in, because a lot of the guys, it's our last year, and we just want to do the best we can to help the team win. And so I feel like having the same goal in mind has just helped us a lot.”
To Onyenso, it’s not about playing all 40 minutes in a game. “It’s like, in the amount of time you're on the floor, how well are you producing? That’s all that matters to me.”
His classmates have the same mentality, and that’s one reason why the seniors have endeared themselves to the coaching staff.
“They could not have done a better job of leading this group,” Odom said. “They led with passion, competitiveness, a love for one another, a love for this place.”
Late in the regular season, the seniors decided the team should remain on the court after games at JPJ and, facing the band, join with fans in belting out the Good Old Song.
“I thought that was a really cool gesture by them,” Odom said.
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