Gertrude Making Case for Expanded Role

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

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — When he signed with the University of Virginia as a high school senior, Elijah Gertrude never expected to play for three head coaches as a Cavalier. But that’s how his career has unfolded, and he has no complaints.

“Being here at Virginia, it’s special,” Gertrude said after a recent practice at John Paul Jones Arena, “regardless of who was coaching.”

As a freshman in 2023-24, he played for Tony Bennett, under whom the Cavaliers won the NCAA title in 2019.

“Legendary coach, great guy,” Gertrude said. “Having a chance to come here and play under Coach Bennett for a year, it did so much for me as far as my knowledge for the game, my feel for the game.”

A 6-foot-4 guard, Gertrude missed the 2024-25 season while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Ron Sanchez served as Virginia’s interim head coach that year.

“A lot of great guys on that team, and it was still Coach Bennett’s staff,” Gertrude said. “It was really the same environment.”

In April 2025, UVA hired Ryan Odom to lead its men’s basketball program, “and it’s still amazing now,” Gertrude said. “He brought in a great group of guys, the coaches, the staff, the players. So it's been a different experience, but it's special.”

Coming off a knee injury he suffered on the eve of his senior season at Hudson Catholic Regional High School in Jersey City, N.J., Gertrude considered redshirting at UVA in 2023-24. After an injury to another Virginia guard, however, Gertrude ended up playing that season and appeared in 16 games as a backcourt reserve.

His role in 2025-26 wasn’t significantly larger. On a team that finished 30-6, Gertrude averaged 1.7 points, 0.8 rebounds and 6.4 minutes in the 17 games in which he played. But his statistics belied No. 12’s value to the team, Odom said this week.

“There’s no shame in not being a part of the rotation last year,” Odom said. “That was his first year of full health, and the goal was to get him through a season healthy, where he was available throughout the year without concern about how much he was going to play and all that. I thought he did a great job at helping last year's team perform at a high level.”

Gertrude spent untold hours with the Cavaliers’ staff last season, strengthening his knee and honing his skills on the court.

“I think that work that he put in last year is showing now,” Odom said. “He's shooting the ball much better. He's handling the ball much better. He's defending at a high level. He's a guy that we're gonna count on this season.”

Gertrude said he’s focused on “just doing what I can to help the team win. The thing for me last year was staying healthy. It's the same thing for this year. That's what it’s going to be for the rest of my life, stay healthy. But now that I'm healthy, just going out there and staying consistent, doing the little things, the little details that Coach Odom talks about. Just staying confident. Coach Odom has a lot of confidence in me, and being able to see how much he cares, it definitely propels me and makes me want to keep striving for more, and that's what he wants me to do.”

YIP YIP💨 See you for Friday’s exhibition against Richmond 👋 7 pm, JPJ #GoHoos https://t.co/zaHSkcYAot

— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) October 8, 2026

Virginia played the first of its three exhibition games Sept. 27 on an outdoor court in Charleston, S.C., where Gertrude scored a team-high 10 points against Vanderbilt. The Hoos’ second exhibition is Friday at JPJ, where they’ll meet Richmond at 7 p.m.

“For the guys that were here last year, it’ll be good to be back at JPJ in front of the fans,” Gertrude said. “For the guys that just got here, the new guys, they’re excited to play here. I'm excited myself, just to be playing back in JPJ.”

If not for a freak accident, Gertrude might well have already accomplished more as a college player. On April 30, 2024, he was riding a scooter near Memorial Gymnasium when he hit a manhole cover and went flying. When he landed, he tore his right anterior cruciate ligament—the same one he’d torn as a 12^th-grader—and did additional damage to his knee.

Reconstructive surgery followed, and then Gertrude embarked on another lengthy rehabilitation.

“It was definitely tough,” he said, “but my thought process battling back from that injury was, I did it once, I can definitely do it twice. The severity of the second injury was worse, so that was something that I was thinking about going into it, but my thought process was, I can definitely do it again.”

He hasn’t been on a scooter since the accident, Gertrude said. His car is now his primary mode of transportation.

“I drive everywhere,” he said.

There was no guarantee Gertrude would regain the athleticism that marked his game. But he rehabbed diligently with Ethan Saliba and Mike Curtis, who until this year were the program’s athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach, respectively, and Gertrude is again soaring for rebounds and dunks.

His outside shooting hasn’t been a strength at UVA—Gertrude was 2 for 14 from 3-point range last season—but Odom believes that will change.

“When you haven't had the reps in games, and you're subbing in and you play for a minute or two and then you come out, it’s tough,” Odom said. “You don't want to judge a person based on limited minutes like that. So we judge based on what players do in practice, what they do with our coaches, in testing situations. He's a good shooter.”

At the other end of the court, Gertrude is a disruptive force.

“He's a really active player,” Odom said. “He understands how to guard not only his guy but help on others. He gets steals because of that. He’s long and he's quick, so he can deflect passes when he's guarding a guy, but then also deflect a pass when he's not guarding a guy. And he's a good rebounder. So I think all those things on the defensive side add up to him being a plus for us.”

His injuries have set him back, Gertrude said, but he’s learned a lot from observing teammates like Reece Beekman, Andrew Rohde, Dai Dai Ames, Jacari White, Malik Thomas and Chance Mallory.

“I'll say the injuries hurt, but it can be a blessing,” Gertrude said. “I was able to watch and learn and grow from the people in front of me, and now I’m able to get out there and just have a feel for the game and slow the game down and play at my own pace.”

Gertrude is in the youth and social innovation program in the School of Education and Human Development, and he’s on track to graduate in May. He’d like to work with children one day.

“Growing up in the inner city myself and having an outlet like basketball, I was able to get out of tough situations that people around me weren't able to get out of,” Gertrude said. “It’s something that means a lot to me. If can better someone else's life, especially a kid's life, I definitely want to do it.”

He’s seen tremendous growth in himself during his time on Grounds.

“I think it all comes back to the people you meet, the conversations you have, and just being able to talk to people one-on-one, especially here at UVA,” Gertrude said. “The connections here at UVA are amazing, with the alumni. It's one of the best universities in the country. And having Coach Bennett, Coach Sanchez, the staff along the way, now Coach Odom and his staff, helping me grow as a man as well as a basketball player, it’s done a lot.”

He’s eager to play a significant role for a team that’s expected to be one of the nation’s best.

“That's what I came to UVA for,” Gertrude. said. “When Coach Bennett was here, I wanted to come and make an impact, regardless where that's at, rebounding, defense, offense, anything I can do to help the team. I just want to be able to make an impact, and I'm grateful now to still have the opportunity.”

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