Locker Room Access - Virginia

With the huge addition of Malik Thomas, the Hoos nearly have next season’s roster finished.  All eyes on Europe now, as Ryan Odom tries to close on another top overseas prize.  But for this weekend, attention turns back to high school recruiting for the class of 2026.  

Worth the Wait

Virginia coaches couldn’t hide their excitement when they received the news that San Francisco grad transfer Malik Thomas had finally been granted a waiver for another season of eligibility. Word quickly spread, aided by vague celebratory tweets from members of the staff.  And there was no doubt where Thomas was headed.  No second thoughts, no reopening of his recruitment.  He was committed to Virginia 100%. 

According to a couple Virginia sources, they really did not expect Thomas to receive a waiver.  As evidenced by Odom beginning to pursue other guards such as USC transfer Desmond Claude in recent weeks.  Then the NCAA handed out a few waivers, and hope grew from there. 

Thomas was the West Coast Conference leading scorer last season at 19.9 PPG.  He gives them the go-to scorer they were missing.  It’s just a huge deal for next year’s team. to add a player of his caliber, especially when it looked like it wasn’t going to happen for a while. 

Eyes on Europe

All attention now is on Belgian forward Thijs de Ridder. From what I’ve heard, Virginia is very much in the driver’s seat.  All that’s left is for him to be deemed eligible by the NCAA.  He’s not the normal college recruit.  He’s already 22 years old, and has earned significant income playing professionally.  Odds are he’ll be cleared, but it’s not a slam dunk.  The NCAA’s amateurism rules have gotten to be a little subjective in cases like his.  

De Ridder would potentially be another major addition. He would arguably be the best European player coming over to college this year.  Certainly a starter, maybe a star.  He’s already a standout in the Spanish Liga ACB, one of the best leagues in the world, averaging better than 10 points and 5 rebounds against very high level pros.  

The price tag on De Ridder is over $2M, according to multiple sources  Virginia already has what’s sure to be one of the highest payrolls in the ACC.  My estimate is around $12M total as it stands.  If he does join the Wahoos, I believe De Ridder would be the third player to top the $2M salary mark. Joining Malik Thomas and German center Johann Grünloh.

Italian wing Elisee Assui is still a strong possibility as well.  Even if Virginia lands De Ridder, the door would still be open to Assui from what I understand.  Louisville and a few other teams are in the mix, but it looks like UVA is the team to beat right now. Odom is making a major imprint on the European recruiting front this cycle.  

2026 Recruiting Plan

The class of 2026 will be Ryan Odom’s first full recruiting cycle at Virginia. He no doubt wants to bring in a good group to set the tone going forward. I’m not sure what to expect.  Early indications are that Odom likes to make more scholarship offers than we were used to under Bennett.  We’ll have more noise to cipher through. It’ll take time to get a hang of his style. 

Virginia is playing catch up. Other teams have been at this, actively recruiting for 2026, since last fall.  That’s a big part of the reason the coaching staff has been attentive to high school recruits in recent weeks, trying to build relationships and identify potential recruits to evaluate.  We’ll probably need patience. If UVA gets a 2026 commitment before September, that would be an upset. Right now, it’s about figuring out which players they’re going to invest their energy toward recruiting over the summer.  

Odom will probably aim for four recruits in the class. Maybe more, maybe less, depending how things go.  He'll want a pair of guards. There are only two underclassmen guards on the roster, so they badly need to restock the future backcourt.  He’ll want a big man, a power forward or center.  UVA will have an immediate opportunity for the right big man, giving them a recruiting advantage.  And they’ll be after something in the range of a wing, the exact type may depend on how they finish out next season’s roster.  

Live Weekend

This weekend is the spring live evaluation period.  Coaches will be on the road attending AAU events, from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. There are only three of these weekends a year, this one in May and two in July.  So, coaches really make the most of their time. They have two purposes, to see and be seen.  First, to evaluate players, to determine whether to recruit them. And secondly, to show up and be seen at the games of the players that they’re already recruiting.  

Along the way, we’ll learn a bit about what their plans are and which recruits are important to them. And there will no doubt be additional scholarship offers handed out in the days that follow.  

Hot Spots

Coaches will spend most if not all of their time at the four major shoe company-sponsored AAU circuit events.  They’re all sprinkled around the Midwest this weekend.  The Nike EYBL tour will be in Memphis, the Adidas 3SSB circuit event takes place near Omaha, the Under Armour Association is just outside of Cincinnati, and the Puma Pro16 event is being held in Wichita.  

Expect UVA to have coaches in all those locations. We’ll probably see Ryan Odom stick to the Nike and/or Adidas events though, since that’s where most of the players of interest will be in action.  

Adidas-Council Bluffs, IA

Several 2026 recruits who already hold UVA offers play on Adidas teams. Starting with John Marshall (VA) big man Latrell Allmond and his Team Loaded squad.  A Virginia assistant was by to see Allmond recently, and he’s talked about visiting again.  Odom and the staff have close ties to his AAU program. 

A pair of highly rated recruits with fresh UVA offers will be there. They’re working to get a visit from Brewster Academy (NH) forward Sebastian Wilkins.  And signs suggest that Odom is serious about pursuing prized Blair Academy (NJ) point guard Deron Rippey Jr.  And I’ll include IMG Academy (FL) power forward Cody Peck, a Charlotte area native.  The new staff was quick to reaffirm his UVA offer.  It’ll be interesting to see how much attention those guys receive this weekend. 

Four stock climbers that I expect UVA to evaluate this weekend  The staff is already familiar with Berean Baptist (NC) power forward Justin Caldwell. They were recruiting him at VCU.  Forward Trey Thompson (TN) may be the most underrated recruit in the class.  He recently mentioned Virginia interest.  And a pair of teammates from Texas, wing Bo Ogden has been a major spring breakout player and combo forward Billy White III should get a look this weekend too.  

Nike-Memphis, TN

The EYBL is loaded with top talent as always.  There are only three players with current UVA offers.  Davidson Day (NC) center Will Stevens has had a quiet spring so far, but Odom has offered.  The other two are probably longshots, five-star Paul VI (VA) guard Jordan Smith and wing Cameron Holmes from Arizona.  

There are a lot of players of interest there to evaluate, however.  Starting with a local product, Blue Ridge School forward Dreylan Creasy.. He’s picked up a few high major offers recently, and UVA coaches have been by to see him. And Bishop McNamara (MD) teammates Qayden Samuels and Prince-Alexander Moody held offers from VCU under Odom.  We’ll see if he continues recruiting them at UVA.  

Wing Luca Foster (PA) is a fast rising recruit who’s mentioned UVA interest.  So has Bergen Catholic (NJ) forward Julius Avent. Chambers (NC) guard Markus Kerr is another former VCU target of interest, as is sharpshooting Caldwell (NC) wing Cole Cloer.  

Odom has some connections to Timpview (UT) wing Dean Rueckert from his time out there.  Brooklyn guard Jahda Swann looks like a breakout candidate.  There’s interest in highly rated Sunrise Christian (KS) wing Chidi Nwigwe.  And another pair of Texans, guard Christian Gibson from Houston and wing Elijah Williams out of San Antonio.  

Others

Briarcrest (TN) wing Fred Smith Jr recently picked up a UVA offer.  His team will be in Ohio at the Under Armour event.  He’s the only current target who isn’t on either the Adidas or EYBL circuits.  

As I said above, I would expect UVA to have a presence there as well as in Wichita for the Puma Pro16 event.  No specific other names jump out right now though.  We’ll see what comes up this weekend. 

Hopefully, we’ll get another commitment or two soon to wrap up next season’s roster with a bang.  I’m looking forward to getting back into old fashioned high school recruiting again.  This weekend should be fun. Thanks for sticking with us on Locker Room Access! 

Virginia has landed one of the nation’s top scorers. Former San Francisco star Malik Thomas announced his commitment to play for the Wahoos. The 6’5” guard was a first-team All-WCC selection and the conference’s leading scorer this season, averaging 19.9 points per game. He’s a graduate transfer with one year of remaining eligibility. 

NEWS: San Francisco transfer Malik Thomas has committed to Virginia, he tells @LeagueRDY.

Thomas began his career playing two seasons at USC before spending the last two at San Francisco. Was named First Team All-WCC this season.

He averaged 19.9PPG, 3.9RPG and 2.1APG in 24-25. pic.twitter.com/FtjEoxCEzs

— Sam Kayser (@247HSHoops) May 10, 2025

About Malik Thomas

Malik played his first two years at Southern California, then the past two for San Francisco.  Since he only appeared in nine games as a freshman, the NCAA granted him a waiver for another year of eligibility.  The waiver process took a while to play out, finally getting resolved this week. 

A former top 100 recruit out of Damien High in Southern California, Thomas established himself the past two seasons as a star in the West Coast Conference.  He’s become a pure bucket-getter, scoring from all three levels, one of the better shot creators in college basketball.  Leading the conference this season at 19.9 points per game.  And doing so in an efficient manner, connecting on 39% from three-point range and converting 85% of his frequent trips to the foul line. 

This is the news that the UVA coaching staff, and fans for that matter, have been waiting on. Word had gotten out several weeks ago that Thomas would likely head to Charlottesville if his waiver was granted.  We weren’t sure that it would be approved.  He’s a huge addition for the Cavaliers, to say the least.  Thomas gives UVA the go-to scorer they were missing.  He raises the bar for next season significantly.  

What’s Next

With the addition of Malik Thomas, Virginia is up to 12 players for the 2025-26 season. They aren’t quite done yet.  Odom will want one more player for sure, and could be open to adding a second. 

Virginia still needs another forward to split time with UC-Irvine transfer Devin Tillis. The name that’s been circulating in recent days is Thijs de Ridder, a 22-year old power forward from Belgium. He’s one of the best Euro players considering the college route, already a standout in the top Spanish pro league. There’s a lot of chatter that Virginia is in favorable position, assuming the NCAA deems him eligible. 

If there’s a second addition, it will be a young player on the wing. The top name to know being Italian Elisèe Assui   Virginia coaches made the trip to see him recently.  They also checked out Romanian Denis Badalau.  And Kansas transfer Rakease Passmore is still available.  He visited a few weeks ago. 

Attention soon shifts to high school recruiting for the class of 2026.  Coaches will be out on the road next weekend for the spring live evaluation period, as Ryan Odom looks to assemble his first full recruiting class at Virginia.  

Reload Nearly Complete 

Ryan Odom has quickly put together a very impressive roster for next season. It’s a team built to win immediately.  Some fans may not approve of everything going on in the current environment, but Odom and his staff have maximized the transfer portal and leveraged NIL opportunities about as well as it could be done. The result is a new look UVA team with the upside to be nationally relevant in year one. 

The best way to follow UVA basketball all offseason is by becoming a Locker Room Access VIP member. From recruiting to summer practices, nobody delivers the extra scoop better. 

(Featured Image Credit: USF Athletics)

Ryan Odom is eyeing another European recruit to help round out his roster rebuild.  And with new scholarship offers being extended recently,, attention will soon swing back toward high school recruiting.  

Italy Trip

More high level players from overseas are coming to college than ever before, thanks to NIL and the loosening of amateurism rules.  With the transfer portal starting to dry up a bit, college coaches are turning their attention elsewhere to find available talent.  Virginia already struck big overseas once by landing prized German prospect Johann Grünloh.  And they might not be finished dipping into Europe this cycle.  

Virginia head coach Ryan Odom was spotted recruiting in Italy last week.  He reportedly saw Elisèe Assui, a 19-year old wing forward currently playing for Varese in the top Italian division.  Assui is the youngest player in that league, competing against high level pros  

We’ll call Assui a combo forward. He’s listed anywhere between 6’5” and 6’7” with a husky build.  Since seeing a big uptick in playing time for Varese over the last 8 games, Assui is averaging 5.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 25 minutes per contest.  He’s shot the three-ball well this season, 45% (18-40), but that seems to be an outlier from his normal percentages.  

Louisville also made the trip to see Assui. Kansas State is involved.  There have been earlier reports linking  Wisconsin, Texas, and a few others   He is signed to a long term contract with Varese, which includes a $300K buyout if he leaves for another team after this season.  And at least according to Italian reports, signing with a college team would trigger the buyout clause.  

Odom, and I believe he was accompanied by an assistant, also attended the championship event of the U19 Italian league earlier this week.  That event was loaded with high level prospects.  Romanian forward Denis Badalau being one of the popular attractions.  He’s planning to explore college options, and it had been reported last week that UVA was among the teams interested.  

Assui is the top name to watch right now.  I’ve heard UVA absolutely wants him.  But Odom and company evaluated other players in Italy, such as Badalau and surely more that we don’t know about.  I will be surprised if UVA doesn’t sign someone Odom saw on the trip.  

Portal Action Slows

Odom seems to be looking overseas to find the forward he needs, but UVA will still want at least one more guard.  It could be a waiting game at this point.  There’s still a possibility of former San Francisco guard Malik Thomas being granted another year of eligibility, with the Hoos being the likely beneficiary.  I don’t know how long it will take for that to fully play out. 

As I’ve mentioned before, UVA sources don’t expect Thomas to receive a waiver.  But the NCAA has handed out a few in recent days, so it’s very possible.  And Odom is in a position where there’s no real downside in waiting out the process.  There will always be players available later.  UVA would like another veteran guard, even if it’s just a depth addition.  

And Kansas transfer guard Rakease Passmore is still in play.  He visited a few weeks ago, and all has been quiet since.  Passmore is sort of a special case.  The door will be open for him regardless of any other additions.  

2026 Recruiting

We’ll soon dive deep back into high school recruiting.  The spring live evaluation period takes place on the weekend of May 16th.  Everything is building up toward that weekend right now.  There have already been several scholarship offers handed out, as Odom and the staff try to get caught up.  Other teams have been at this since the recruiting cycle began last fall. 

UVA will probably set out to add three or four players in the 2026 class.  Once next season’s roster is finalized, we’ll see a more concrete plan take shape.  They’ll want a pair of guards, definitely a big man, and probably a forward. 

Judging by the offers that have been going out, Odom intends to take some big swings.  Most of them have gone to very highly rated players.  Easy offers to make, hard recruitments to win.  The upcoming live period should be revealing as to which of those recruits they intend to seriously pursue.

John Marshal (VA) power forward Latrell Allmond will be one to watch. The old coaching staff was already recruiting him.  He’s visited a couple times.  But now under Odom, UVA could be a real factor in his recruitment.  Odom and the staff have close ties to Allmond's Team Loaded AAU program that will get their foot in the door a bit more. He's a very popular top 50 recruit with a lot of teams involved, but UVA will have a shot.  An assistant was by to see him last week.  

Prized point guard Deron Rippey Jr from Blair Academy (NJ) was offered after an assistant stopped by to check him out.  A borderline five-star rated recruit, he has a page-long list of offers highlighted by North Carolina.  

Odom was quick to reaffirm Bennett’s offer to IMG Academy (FL) power forward Cody Peck.  And Davidson Day (NC) center Will Stevens was offered recently as well.  Both of them are from the Charlotte area, where Odom and staff have deep ties. 

The latest offer went to Brewster Academy (NH) forward Sebastian Wilkins. He already has a Duke offer and will be visiting there soon.  Five-star wing Cameron Holmes from Arizona picked up an offer too.  

Odom was already recruiting Briarcrest (TN) forward Fred Smith Jr to VCU.  Now, Smith has a new Virginia scholarship offer.  Memphis and Ole Miss are considered the favorites. 

And Blue Ridge School (VA)  forward Dreylan Creasy-Quirindoongo is quickly becoming a hot name in recruiting circles after a good start to the AAU season.  He’s picked up several power conference offers over the past couple weeks.  UVA hasn’t offered yet, but an assistant did stop by to check him out on Wednesday. 

This is all very preliminary for now.  There will surely be more offers this month, especially following the live weekend. Once Odom goes out on the road for that evaluation period, we’ll start to figure out what’s real and which recruits to really watch.  

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