Locker Room Access - Virginia

By Josh Burton

The Tony Bennett era comes to a close with a storybook-type ending. Ryan Odom , the coach that once famously led UMBC to a victory over #1 seed UVA, will be the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball head coach.  According to a report from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, a contract has been signed with an official announcement expected Saturday.  

NEWS: Virginia's Ryan Odom has given Virginia a signature. He'll be the Cavaliers' next coach, sources told @CBSSports.

The school will announce on Saturday.

Story: https://t.co/rGWR2CYQ2I

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 21, 2025

Ryan Odom’s Coaching Career 

Ryan Odom is coming to UVA off a successful two-year stint at VCU, where he guided the Rams to this year's Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament titles, along with a berth in the NCAA tournament. Odom went 52-20 over his two seasons at VCU and is 222-126 overall as a head coach.

Odom’s first head coaching job was taking over as interim for the Charlotte 49ers mid-season of the 2014-2015 season.  Following that season, he accepted the head coaching position at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne, where he led them to the DII Sweet 16.

After just one season at Lenoir-Rhyne,  he took the UMBC job, where in his second season he pulled off the historic upset of the Hoos. Ryan stayed at UMBC for five seasons before taking the Utah State job in 2021,.  He led the Aggies for two seasons, including a trip to the 2023 NCAA Tournament, before heading back east to take over at VCU. 

Although most of Odom’s stays have been short-lived, he’s left each program with a winning percentage over .600 (excluding the interim stint) and won over 70% of his games at VCU. 

About Ryan Odom

Taking the job was essentially a no-brainer for Ryan. A Hampden-Sydney graduate, he has plenty of local ties to the area. As a child he even served as the UVA ball boy while his father, Dave Odom, was an assistant for seven seasons. The Odom family is well-respected in the coaching world.  And at only 50 years of age, Ryan has the potential to be in place with the Hoos for years to come.

What’s Next

This next week will likely be filled with more news.  Coach Odom will need to quickly assemble a staff.  He has two longtime assistants who’ve been with him since UMBC.  It won’t be surprising if they come along.  There’s been talk that current Longwood coach Griff Aldrich, previously on Odom’s UMBC staff, could be a candidate to join him in Charlottesville.  And there are members of the previous UVA staff, including alums, who are open to serving under Odom.  

The transfer portal officially opens on Monday.  Two Virginia players, Blake Buchanan and Dai Dai Ames, have already announced their intention to enter.  There will surely be others.   Roster turnover goes with the territory of a coaching change.  With Odom now in place, he’ll get to work trying to convince some of the current team to stay.  And then, he and his new staff will start recruiting the portal to fill out next season's roster.  

There's also a key recruit announcing on Saturday.  2025 St. Anne's-Belfield guard Chance Mallory will make his college choice known, with the Hoos seen as the favorite.   He previously committed to stay home and play for UVA, then reopened his recruitment following Tony Bennett's retirement.  

I’m excited for the future of Virginia Basketball under Coach Odom. How do you feel about the hire? Join in our discussions on Locker Room Access! Also while you’re there be sure to check out and sign up for updates on Fan Fund, a new way to support all your favorite UVA athletes!

(Image Credit: Getty) 

The second Virginia player in as many days announced his plans to enter the transfer portal.  This time, it's sophomore Dai Dai Ames.  The guard out of Chicago transferred in to UVA this past offseason, after spending his freshman year at Kansas State. 

NEWS: Virginia guard Dai Dai Ames plans to enter the transfer portal, his agent Adam Papas told @On3sports.

The 6-1 sophomore averaged 8.7 PPG this season. Shot nearly 40% from three. Began his career at Kansas State. https://t.co/pzI3dYQJiv pic.twitter.com/b6IgqiCmZe

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 19, 2025

Ames started 26 games for the Cavaliers this season, making a big statistical leap from his freshman year.  He averaged 8.7 points, shooting an efficient 46% from the field and just under 40% from three-point range.  The lefty guard especially came on strong down the stretch, scoring in double figures in each of Virginia's final 10 games of the regular season. 

The transfer portal officially opens on Monday, March 24th.  Virginia is without a head coach, following the surprise retirement of Tony Bennett in October and the decision not to retain interim coach Ron Sanchez.   The position is expected to be filled within the next week or two, whenever candidates finish postseason play with their current teams.  

It's expected to be a busy next few months for the Virginia program.  As a new coach is named, and plenty of give and take with the transfer portal.  Stay tuned.  We'll have it covered every step of the way on Locker Room Access.  

By Houston Wilson

Locker Room Access is launching a new series called Coach Speak, where we dive into the minds of current coaches to get their unique perspectives on the game. In this edition, we spoke with coaches whose teams didn’t make the NCAA Tournament, asking them two key questions: Which team would you least want to face in the tournament, and which team is most likely to make an early exit? Their insights offer a behind-the-scenes look at the strategies and matchups that could shape this year’s bracket.

Who Would You NOT want to play in the Big Dance? 

"Florida. They might be the best team in the country right now" -ACC Coach 1

"Houston. They give relentless effort on the defensive end. Their defense allows them to win games even if they don’t shoot it well. And saying that, they shoot it well from deep. And they have a closer in the frontcourt (Roberts) and a closer in the backcourt (Uzan)." -ACC Coach 2

"St. John’s. They are so good defensively and on the glass that they can beat anybody even if shots are not falling, which has been the case all season." - ACC Coach 3

"Florida. They are so hot right now." -Atlantic 10 Coach 1

"Liberty. Liberty has those 2 guards who are both as tough as any backcourt combo in the country, they both drill shots and pester the ball. I saw them early in the year and they were the most connected team I’ve watched all year."- Atlantic 10 Coach 2

"Houston. Defense travels regardless of venue and they are so physically and mentally tough. Will grind you and make you play in the half-court." - ACC Coach 4

"Duke. One of the few teams who are ranked in the top 5 in both offensive and defensive efficiency in Kenpom. Maybe the most complete team with no real weaknesses other than youth." - ACC Coach 5

"Houston. They are so strong defensively and have the ability to rebound. They have toughness alongside improved shooting." - Big East Coach 1

"Michigan State. They have depth, toughness, defensive ability, and Coach Izzo’s March success. They can win in a shoot-out and in a slugfest. They’ve won conference games in the 90s and the 50s. Equipped to beat teams with various styles." - Big East Coach 2

"St. Johns. I would not want to play them at all." -Big Ten Coach 1

"Auburn. They have a lot of depth and they are a really old team." - Big Ten Coach 2

"Alabama, just because of their ability to get hot. They return a decent amount of guys from last year's run and they have experience. Obviously Grant Nelson's health is a huge factor." - MAAC Coach

"The easy answer to the first question is Florida. They are playing so well. However, I’m going to surprise some people here I think, and also go with St. John’s. I think they can win in different ways and they have the best coach in college basketball." -Patriot League Coach

"Florida. Nobody is playing better than them right now." -SEC Coach

"Colorado State. They are playing really well." -Southern Conference Coach

"Florida. They are the most complete team in the country." -Sun Belt Coach

"St. John’s. Their defense is elite, their effort is suffocating and they can't bet against Pitino." -WCC Coach 

Not surprisingly after their impressive run to to the SEC title, Florida was the most common response.  Five of the 17 coaches understandably would not like to deal with the Gators.  Rick Pitino's St. John's team came in next with four, followed by Houston at three.  Liberty, Duke, Michigan State, Auburn, Alabama, and Colorado State each received a mention.  

Who Makes an Earlier than Expected Exit? 

"Iowa State.  Too many injuries to deal with" -ACC Coach 1

"Iowa State. With Gilbert being out and Lipsey’s groin injury, it does open the door for Iowa State to be out of sync. They are one of the best teams in the country, but it's tough to win when your best players are not available or are not fully healthy." -ACC Coach 2

"Texas A&M. Yale is a very tough matchup. They have a bunch of older veteran guys and they run good stuff. All of that could be a problem for A&M in round one." -ACC Coach 3

"Duke. All depending on Cooper Flagg." -Atlantic 10 Coach 1

"Oregon. I don’t see them getting by Liberty!" -Atlantic 10 Coach 2

"Iowa State. Injuries have plagued them all season. Just depends on who is healthy and how do they move forward without Keshon Gilbert." -ACC Coach 4

"Arizona. Rely heavily on 3-point shooting and finished near the bottom in 3-point percentage in the Big 12. In some of these venues with new basketballs, shooting is rough, especially in the first few rounds. Can they find other ways to score? They also don’t have much depth." -ACC Coach 5

"St. Johns. Lack of shooting and they have little room for error." -Big East Coach 1

"St. John’s because of their shooting. I think their toughness and rebounding and defensive ability are all very real but if they run into a poor shooting night against a good well-coached team, it could be an early exit. If they make shots, however, they could go all the way." -Big East Coach 2

"I think Memphis will get knocked off in the first round. They have a lot of question marks in my opinion." -Big Ten Coach 1

"Kentucky. They are kind of soft and injured." -Big Ten Coach 2

"Auburn. They could possibly have Louisville in the second round in Lexington and I think that Louisville is criminally under-seeded. Louisville is going to have a lot of fans at that game where it could essentially be a home game for them." -MAAC Coach

"I think Duke gets knocked off by Mississippi State in the second round." -Patriot League Coach

"Michigan State. I could see them getting bounced early." -SEC Coach 

"Kentucky gets beat early is my prediction. They have too many injuries." -Southern Conference Coach

"Michigan. They have teams in their bracket that they don’t match up well with." -Sun Belt Coach

"Duke. Question mark surrounding the health of Cooper Flagg. They have been kind of playing in closer games recently and the ACC was not great this year so that might hurt them in the tournament." -WCC Coach

Voting was more evenly split on which teams could make an early exit.  Duke and Iowa State, both dealing with injury concerns, led the way with three picks each.  Kentucky garnered a pair of mentions. And two coaches from the Big East said St. John's will head home early.  Wouldn't Rick Pitino like to learn their identities. 

Just Getting Started

If you're new to Locker Room Access, be sure to give us a follow on X @LockerRoominc.  Come join the discussion on the new Tennessee, SMU, and JMU forums, along with the longstanding Virginia site.  As the offseason nears and recruiting heats up, nobody will have it covered better than the Locker Room Access team.