It took a couple of weeks, but Isaiah Wilkins, a double-’Hoo academically, and a double-’Hoo with respect to the UVA Basketball program, finally landed that opportunity that everybody tried to say he was leaving home for.
“I’m incredibly honored and excited to join Coach Madsen and his staff as we elevate this program to new heights,” Wilkins said in a statement issued by Cal Athletics announcing that he has been hired as an assistant coach there.
“Cal is truly a special place, rich in both tradition and excellence, and I’m ready to serve our student-athletes, the program and the university,” Wilkins said.
ICYMI
Wilkins was an assistant on the Tony Bennett and Ron Sanchez staffs for four years, two as a grad assistant under Bennett, then one year as a full assistant under Bennett, followed by a full year on the staff of Sanchez, when Sanchez succeeded Bennett in an interim role back in October.
Folks didn’t like it that I gave the new coach, Ryan Odom, hell over not retaining either Wilkins or Kyle Guy, who served as a special assistant on the Bennett and Sanchez staffs for the 2024-2025 season.
Guy is now at Nevada, working for coach Steve Alford out there.
ICYMI
Odom, notably, still has one full-time assistant spot open on his staff.
I, notably, still have an active Freedom of Information Act request in with the University of Virginia to get access to correspondence between Odom, the AD at UVA Athletics, Carla Williams, and the deputy AD, Wally Walker, regarding the status of both Wilkins and Guy.
I made the request a week ago, and earlier today, the FOIA office at UVA wrote back to tell me that they’re going to need to charge me money to be able to answer the request, and others related to the contracts of the new associate head coach on Odom’s staff, Griff Aldrich, full-time assistants Bryce Crawford, Matt Henry and Darius Theus, recruiting coordinator Ahmad Thomas, director of analytics Matt Hart, video coordinator Billy Bales and director of basketball operations Kelsey Knoche.
Longwood already responded, at no charge, to my request for a copy of Aldrich’s contract from when he was the head coach at that school, and VCU responded, again, at no charge, for the contracts of Bales, Crawford, Henry, Knoche, Theus and Thomas, all of whom had worked under Odom at that school.
It kinda feels to me that the folks at UVA don’t want me getting the information that I’m asking for.
Which, OK with me.
I’ll make sure I get my money’s worth.
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Chris Graham
