One day after VCU lost in the NCAA tournament, Ryan Odom emerged to be Virginia basketball’s next head coach. The report was first made by Pete Thamel of ESPN on X (formerly Twitter).
The move comes after VCU lost to BYU in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Although it was a close game, the team couldn’t get it done.
Now, Odom moves from the A-10 to a Power conference in the ACC. After Virginia basketball won the 2019 national championship, they haven’t been back in relevancy.
Not to mention, when Tony Bennett retired from Virginia basketball, it left the university scrambling. Now, they have a legitimate coach who can make some noise in the ACC.
Despite Clemson and Duke being powerhouses, Odom has proven that he can coach in big moments. After all, his UMBC team was the first 16-seed to defeat a one-seed in tournament history.
Fast forward to 2025 and Odom is going back to the place where he put his mark on the college basketball coaching scene.
Ryan Odom could lift Virginia basketball into relevancy
Under Ron Sanchez, the team had a 15-17 record, along with an 8-12 record in conference play. However, this season was unlike any other due to Bennett’s retirement.
He retired right before the season started. As a result, players immediately transfered out of the university. It left them scrambling. Considering what happened, the Cavaliers still were impressive.
Again, it’s not the standard they are hoping for. They have been national champions and know what it takes to get there. While Bennett was one of the top in the game, Odom is solidifying himself in that way.
He had a 52-21 record with VCU and won the A-10 regular season and conference tournament this season. Odom is riding high off of a nice season.
Now, he might get the chance to replicate that in the same state, but at a bigger school and bigger conference.
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