If Ryan Odom’s introduction as the new UVA Basketball coach doesn’t ignite the fan base, nothing may.
The new boss, whose introduction was televised live and open to the general public, gave everyone a glimpse into his early childhood, which is deep-rooted in Charlottesville and UVA Basketball.
Seated in the front row were parents Dave and Lynn, whom Odom credited with always being there for him.
ICYMI
Dave Odom moved the family to Charlottesville in 1982 when Dave was asked to be part of Terry Holland’s UVA staff.
At the time, Odom was the head coach at East Carolina.
Afterward, he said that meeting Holland and discussing the vacancy was just a matter of courtesy.
“I was a head coach,” said the elder Odom. “I knew Terry and thought, I owe him that.”
Well, Holland was persuasive, as we grew to understand, and Odom did leave ECU to join the Virginia staff.
Odom added, “It soon felt like home”.
Fast forward 43 years.
“I’m so thankful to be home here at UVA,” said Ryan Odom.
Dad Odom told me afterward, “That put a smile on my face.”
Ryan Odom, 50, arrives in Charlottesville with a decade-plus of head-coaching tenure with D1 stints at UMBC, Utah State and most recently, VCU, never staying at one spot more than five years.
Virginia will be a permanent residence if Odom is as successful at UVA as his other stops.
My first encounter with Ryan was in 1983 when I started working for The News-Virginian.
I was assigned to cover numerous Virginia games.
Times were much more relaxed in 1983. And often, long after the game had ended, I could shoot around University Hall with some of the kids hanging out, including a young Ryan Odom.
When I say long after, I mean l-o-n-g after.
Usually, the last two standing were Ryan and I.
Essentially, having the U Hall lights turned out on us.
Ryan eventually advanced to the job of ballboy.
I applied, but they said I was too old.
I was 26.
Said Odom, “This is the place where I fell in love with basketball.”
I still believe I could have done that job.
Pop Odom believes the Virginia job is a perfect fit for his son.
“Ryan’s a connector; he understands how to connect players with positions and how certain plays work better with certain players. It’s something he’s been good at for a long time,” said Odom.
Maybe that originated from that ballboy job, where Ryan was assigned a seat behind the visitors’ bench and overheard chalk talks from Hall of Fame coaches like Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski.
Or maybe because the Odoms lived two doors down from the Hollands.
Dave told me Monday that he and Terry would often walk to games and practices with Ryan alongside.
My dad was an electrician.
Some kids have all the luck.
Dave Odom said Charlottesville and UVA were special to all his family.
“Charlottesville holds many memories for us,” said Odom.
“It was such a safe and wonderful place to raise our family. Ryan would ride his bike to University Hall for practice. We were so comfortable here,” said Dave.
Ryan agreed, telling me later, “You know, Scott, this place shaped me in so many ways, it wasn’t until I was older that I fully understood that. Not just by the coaches or players, but everyone,” said Odom.
When talking with Ryan Odom, Ralph Sampson walked over, hugged Ryan, and said, “OK, welcome home. Now, let’s get to work.”
Odom had earlier mentioned being able to sit on Ralph’s knee at practices.
Ryan reminded me of Holland’s decision to allow all the coach’s kids to be part of Virginia basketball.
“Coach (Holland) just wanted everyone to be a family, to share in the highs and the lows; that’s what I modeled my coaching after,” noted Ryan.
As the crowd slowly dispersed from JPJ, you could sense that Odom was more than ready to put Monday’s hoopla behind him and begin the serious part of his job.
When I asked Odom about his next few days, he smiled and showed me his phone. “Well, after responding to all these texts, we have to start building this team,” he said.
Virginia has six players who have entered the transfer portal, including guards Isaac McKneely and Andrew Rohde.
ICYMI
“I know what we are dealing with and will address it head-on; hey, if I weren’t ready for this, I wouldn’t be here,” said Odom, repeating something he had mentioned earlier.
Ryan Odom has won at least 24 games in the last three seasons, including a 28-7 mark at VCU this season, which was stamped by Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament championships and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
For those who think that the days of Virginia’s gritty defensive style of play are history, you are wrong.
Odom places heavy emphasis on defensive basketball.
“You’ve got to defend to win championships. You have to be able to defend at the end of the (shot) clock,” he said, “You have to rebound the basketball.”
I watched Odom’s VCU Rams play several times this season.
His teams “got after it” every possession.
Don’t worry, Virginia fans, the shot-clock violation isn’t dead.
Is that ballboy position open?
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