Virginia basketball hired VCU head coach Ryan Odom on Saturday to be the next head coach of the Cavaliers.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander was the first to report that Odom had signed a deal.
Odom takes over for Ron Sanchez, who led Virginia on an interim basis this season after longtime head coach Tony Bennett suddenly retired in October. The Cavaliers went 15-17 (8-12 ACC) this year and lost in the second round of the ACC Tournament to Georgia Tech.
Odom has been a D-1 head coach for nine seasons. He led UMBC from 2016-21, where he became the first No. 16 seed to ever defeat a No. 1 seed, upsetting Virginia in 2018. He then spent two years at Utah State; in his second and final year there, the Aggies went 26-9 and got an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. He was at VCU’s helm for two years, winning the A-10 Tournament and making the NCAA Tournament this season. The Rams lost 80-71 to BYU on Thursday. He has a record of 193-106 (64.5%) over the last nine years.
Now, Odom’s story comes full circle, as his connection to the program goes back decades. His dad, Dave Odom, was a UVa assistant in the 1980s under head coach Terry Holland, appearing in five NCAA Tournaments and reaching the 1984 Final Four. Ryan Odom was a UVA ball boy those days and got to watch Virginia legend Ralph Sampson up close.
Odom needs to assemble his coaching staff and hit the transfer portal. Two Cavaliers — sophomore forward Blake Buchanan and sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames — have already entered the portal, with more likely to come soon. Fortunately for Virginia, Odom has been able to recruit in the portal and rebuild programs quickly — most of the Rams’ best players this year were brought into the program when Odom took over.
Virginia basketball will hold an introductory press conference Monday at John Paul Jones Arena at 3 p.m.
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