On two different occasions now, I’ve submitted FOIA requests to try to find out the status of Griff Aldrich, who was introduced to us as the associate head coach on the staff of new UVA Basketball coach Ryan Odom, with no luck.
The FOIA office at the University of Virginia, both times, got back to me to tell me there were no records of an employment contract or memorandum of understanding for Aldrich responsive to my request.
I think we know why now.
It’s looking like Aldrich is going to be the general manager for the basketball program, at least from reading into what Odom had to say on the topic this week.
ICYMI
“We do have to hire a GM, and we’re gonna get to that as soon as we get through this portal, this iteration of the portal, and as we move closer into the summer,” Odom told in-house UVA Athletics reporter Jeff White for this week’s “Wahoo Central Podcast” recorded on Wednesday.
From what Odom told White in the interview, Aldrich, the former Longwood head coach, who also has a law degree from UVA, has been the point man on the transfer portal stuff this spring.
“We’re unique in that Griff has unique experience, a law background relative to contracts and things that are happening in our game now, and so we feel very good about where we’re at as it relates to the transfer portal and our staff,” Odom said.
Aldrich is one of four current full-time assistants on the Odom staff, which would leave one full-time slot free – the NCAA authorizes D1 schools to have five full-time assistant coaches.
It’s looking to me, from analyzing the activity to date, that Odom is planning to go with four full-timers, using the fifth position for a director of analytics, Matt Hart.
ICYMI
The $130,000 salary for Hart is in the range of the $150,000 that Tony Bennett’s fifth assistant, Isaiah Wilkins, was paid for the 2024-2025 season.
If Aldrich does bump up to GM, which looks more and more to be the case, that would kick Matt Henry into being the #1 assistant, with Bryce Crawford and Darius Theus in the #2 and #3 slots.
From what Odom said in the podcast interview on Wednesday, it seems that he may be leaning in the direction of trying to give former Bennett grad assistant Chase Coleman the fourth full-time position.
“Chase is still trying to figure out what’s next for him, and we’re working through what that might look like here. He’s finished the GA position, so the natural next step for him is to transition into a more coaching position,” Odom said.
One item of note here: Odom confirmed what I’ve been reporting about Kyle Guy and Isaiah Wilkins, who some in the media were claiming were offered roles on Odom’s staff, the implication being, full-time spots, but declined the offers to pursue other opportunities.
What Odom had to say on that in his conversation with White:
“We had positions for them, but we didn’t necessarily have assistant coaching positions for them. And so, they were able to, or they were going to be able to, stay here if they chose to stay, but they had better opportunities elsewhere that made more sense for them,” Odom said.
ICYMI
We’d have to guess what those “positions” would have been – for Guy, who was paid $100,000 to be a special assistant on Bennett’s staff last season, it could have been a GA job paying markedly less; Wilkins has already done a GA stint, under Bennett, using that opportunity to earn a master’s.
Maybe another couple of years as a GA could have given the world a Dr. Zay.
“I know they’re excited about what’s next for them, and they’re both going gonna be working for great coaches out there. I know both of them very well,” said Odom, referencing Guy’s new job at Nevada, working under Steve Alford, and Wilkins’s new job at Cal, working under Mark Madsen.
Both will be full-time assistants at their new gigs.
Not GAs, or guys responsible for handing the players towels and Gatorade.
“We’re excited for them, but sad to see them go, obviously,” Odom said. “We had hoped that it would work out, that they could stay here, but when you’re offered an actual assistant coaching position, it makes sense.”
Yes, it does.
It also makes sense that Griff Aldrich isn’t working for free.
How does one get paid without having signed … something, anything, in the way of paperwork?
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Chris Graham
