UVA Spring Live Period Recap

At least for a weekend, attention turned to high school recruits in the class of 2026.  It was the spring live evaluation period, one of only three weekends all year when Division-1 college coaches are allowed to attend AAU events.  For Ryan Odom, this was his first live period as Virginia’s head coach.  

The major shoe company-sponsored AAU circuits are where the action is during these live period weekends. Ryan Odom spent Friday at the Adidas 3SSB event in Council Bluffs, Iowa, then moved to Memphis on Saturday for the Nike EYBL. Virginia assistant coaches were reported in both of those locations, as well as the Under Armour Association event in Ohio. 

One Last Piece

While 2026 was the focus this weekend, Virginia’s roster for the upcoming season is still not finished.  Odom and staff are awaiting a verdict from the NCAA on whether Belgian forward Thijs de Ridder will be deemed eligible to compete in college.  The 22-year old plays in the top Spanish pro league, Liga ACB.  Hopes are high that he’ll be cleared but his age and pro experience make it a complicated case.  

De Ridder is one of the top European players interested in pursuing the college route this year.  He averaged over 10 points and 5 rebounds this season in Liga ACB, playing against high level pros.  All signs point to him committing to Virginia, if and when he’s cleared.  

6’8 🇧🇪 Thijs De Ridder has put together a strong season for Bilbao in the ACB

He’s averaging 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game while shooting 54% and 38.3% from 3 on 2.1 attempts per game

The 22-year old, dominated in all Fiba youth competitions, 6’8 with… pic.twitter.com/2UN0WPyV2r

— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) May 7, 2025

In the meantime, UVA is continuing to keep an eye on other available options in case things don’t go as hoped with the Belgian.  There was a report over the weekend that they’ve reached out to Fordham transfer Romad Dean . Italian forward Elisee Assui may still be a possibility as well. Adding another forward is a necessity.  

Established Recruits

Ryan Odom was seated on the baseline to watch Richmond big man Latrell Allmond Friday night in Iowa.  Allmond is a very popular top 50 ranked recruit who was already offered by Tony Bennett.  UVA should be more of a factor in Allmond’s recruitment now.  Odom and his staff have a strong relationship with his Team Loaded AAU program. Competition for his services is stiff, but UVA clearly intends to be in the race. 

Staying in-state, activity this weekend suggests that the new staff plans to devote real effort in the recruitment of five-star Paul VI guard Jordan Smith. Odom was on hand to watch his Team Takeover squad Saturday in Memphis, and associate head coach Griff Aldrich kept tabs all weekend long.  Duke, Indiana, and Georgetown seem to be the other top contenders for Smith. 

One of Odom’s first games of the weekend was to see Blair Academy (NJ) point guard Deron Rippey Jr, another very popular top 20 ranked recruit.  UVA recently offered.  And shortly after, Odom checked on IMG Academy (FL) big man Cody Peck. He was one of the first players offered by the new staff.  UVA seems to be serious in their intent to pursue both of them. 

UVA is trying to get a visit from Brewster Academy (NH) forward Sebastian Wilkins. He’s recently been to Duke and Maryland, and is considering a possible reclass to 2025.  Odom saw him on Friday.  And in Memphis, recently offered Davidson Day (NC) center Williams Stevens had Odom courtside on Saturday.  

Multiple UVA assistants were around at the Under Armour Association event in Ohio.  They were spotted watching Fred Smith Jr. the lone current target there. Odom was already recruiting the Memphis wing to VCU, and has since extended a UVA offer.  

New Offers

An already clear distinction between Odom and former coach Tony Bennett is that Odom will hand out scholarship offers quickly.  Three players announced theirs on Saturday, all of them major spring stock climbers. 

First was Mayde Creek (TX) guard Christian Gibson. Odom and Griff Aldrich were courtside for his 28-point outburst Saturday morning.  The offer came a few hours later.   He’s been on a tear this spring, currently averaging 22 points in EYBL games.  The new staff, particularly Aldrich, is very well-connected in the state of Texas. UVA will likely do a lot of recruiting there, especially the Houston area, moving forward.  Gibson’s other current offers include Houston, Texas Tech, and Ole Miss. 

St. Michael’s (TX) guard Bo Ogden is among the top scorers on the Adidas 3SSB circuit.  Odom saw him play Saturday night against Latrell Allmond’s Team Loaded.  The next day, he had a new Virginia offer.  The Hoos join a list that includes Texas, Tennessee, and Purdue in offering Ogden. 

And Greeneville (TN) forward Trey Thompson was offered on Saturday.  UVA coaches were reported at his games multiple times over the weekend in Iowa.  One of the best players on the Adidas circuit, his recruitment is about to skyrocket.  Purdue and Tennessee seem to be the top early contenders.  

Other Names of Interest 

This weekend seemed to be more about evaluating new recruits than showing up to be seen by players Virginia is already recruiting.  There will probably be more offers to trickle out in the days ahead. 

Virginia coaches, including Odom, were courtside multiple times to see the Utah Prospects, most likely for wing Dean Rueckert.  Combo forward Billy White III, an AAU teammate of Bo Ogden from Texas, has had a great spring.  It wouldn’t be surprising if UVA throws their hat in that race too.  

Bishop O’Connell (VA) point guard Darius Bivins has really raised his stock this spring.  Odom took a peek at him in Iowa.  And the UVA head coach was courtside for a Wildcat Select game, perhaps interested in top 20 ranked point guard Tay Kinney out of Kentucky. 

Jordan Smith surely isn’t the only player of interest on Team Takeover. UVA is eyeing prized wing Qayden Samuels and combo guard Prince-Alexander Moody, teammates at Bishop McNamara (MD). And Odom watched the CP3 squad in Memphis, led by Caldwell Academy (NC) wing Cole Cloer and fast rising Moravian Prep (NC) guard Kohl Rosario.  

Takeaways

There were noticeable differences in Odom’s approach to the live period weekend, and perhaps high school recruiting in general, in comparison to what UVA fans were accustomed to under Tony Bennett. 

More time was spent evaluating younger prospects in the classes of 2027 and 2028, signaling Odom’s intention to get a head start in future high school recruiting.  As mentioned, the process of offering scholarships seems to be much less formal than before.  And an interesting twist, the UVA staff rotated over the weekend.  Only four coaches are allowed out at a time, so they took turns day-by-day. I've never noticed that done before. 

Overall, it was a nice break to get back to normal high school recruiting for a weekend.  We’re starting to learn a little about Odom’s habits and his recruiting plans. He no doubt wants to make his first full recruiting class at UVA a really good one.  This weekend was the first step.  Stay tuned to Locker Room Access.  We’ll have Virginia recruiting covered all offseason long, every step of the way.