Just a week on the job, Ryan Odom and his soon-to-be-announced staff have been active in the transfer portal, and have already had a few players on Grounds. As the second week of portal activity gets underway, we're taking a look at UVa's portal activity to date.
Early Visitors
Luke Bamgboye
Center, VCU
A direct tie to Odom and his incoming staff, VCU’s Luke Bamgboye went in the portal last week. Bamgboye started for the Rams as a freshman and finished second nationally in block rate, and flashed excellent athleticism and potential. He wasn’t asked to score a ton, but Bamgboye had a few games where he flashed, including a 17-point performance against Davidson. But it’s clear that the potential is there for Bamgboye to grow from a rim protector into a very good all-around big man.
Bamgboye was on Grounds late last week, and now we play the waiting game. When Odom got the job, Bamgboye was one of a handful of Rams that seemed like obvious targets to bring along to Charlottesville, and now we wait to see if it gets over the line. No word on any other visits at this time.
Brandon Jennings
Guard, VCU
Like Bamgboye, VCU guard Brandon Jennings jumped in the portal soon after Odom came to Charlottesville. Jennings, an Richmond-area native that played his high school ball at Saint Christopher’s, came off the bench as a freshman at VCU. Stuck behind some talented and veteran guards on a good team, Jennings was another young role player that flashed potential on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-4 freshman played 13 minutes per game, scoring 2.7 points and grabbing 2.3 rebounds per contest. Jennings had a career-high 12 points in VCU’s A-10 Tournament win over St. Bonnaventure earlier this month.
Like Bamgboye, Jennings was an obvious UVa target, and he visited Grounds along with Bamgboye late last week. Again, we’re in waiting game mode here, as we see if Jennings sets up any other visits, or if he decides to simply follow Odom and his staff over to Charlottesville.
Nick Davidson
Forward, Nevada
UVa’s first not-so-obvious transfer target, Nevada’s Nick Davidson visited Grounds over the weekend as well. One of the top big men in the portal, Davidson scored 15.8 points and grabbed 6.5 rebounds per game for the Wolf Pack. Davidson can both play at the rim and stretch the floor, shooting 37.1 percent from three on nearly four attempts per game. Perhaps Davidson caught the staff’s eye when he scored 15 points against VCU early in the season.
Davidson would be a big add for a UVa roster in complete rebuild mode. But they’ll have to fight off competition for him, which is no surprise. Davidson’s agent announced on Sunday that he’s down to five schools: UVa, Clemson, Notre Dame, Texas and Washington. Davidson has already visited Clemson and seems to be simply going through the process. Another wrinkle is that Davidson’s younger brother Blake was signed with Nevada but was released from his letter of intent when Nick entered the transfer portal. Could this be a package deal for some or all of Davidson’s finalists? The younger Davidson looks like a bit of a project but Virginia certainly has the roster space to take one or two of those on.
Early Reach-Outs
Far from an exhaustive list, these are a few players that UVa has been in contact with, according to their representation. This list will change every day, and not all reported interest is equal to an offer.
Keonte Jones
Forward, CSUN
UVa is one of several schools to reach out to 6-foot-6 wing Keonte Jones from Call State Northridge. Jones, a senior, scored 13.1 points per game this year for Northridge, shooting 38.2 percent from three. Jones spent the last two years with the Matadors, and has another year of eligibility granted by the recent JUCO ruling. Jones is from Madison, Wisconsin, and a long list of programs including USC, Michigan, Wisconsin and Syracuse have been in touch.
Juslin Bodo Bodo
Center, High Point
UVa has reached out to two High Point transfers, including 7-footer Juslin Bodo Bodo. Part of a High Point team that won back-to-back Big South regular-season titles and made the NCAA Tournament this year, Bodo Bodo scored 5.3 points per game, with 8.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest. There are some similarities between Bodo Bodo and Bamgboye, and it would be interesting to see if UVa would be interested in taking both players or if it’s a one-or-the-other situation. Bodo Bodo has interest from NC State, TCU, Texas and others, in addition to Virginia.
Keffa Gizza
Guard, High Point
UVa also reached out to 6-foot-2 senior Keffa Gizza, who is originally from Paris. Gizza started his D1 career at UTEP before spending the last two years at High Point, where he was one of the top guards in the Big South. Gizza averaged 14.6 points and 2.5 assists per game, and shot 31.3 percent from three. Gizza scored 16.2 per game in the 2023-24 season with the Panthers. Gizza has plenty of other major-conference interest as well.
Tayton Conerway
Guard, Troy
The Sun Belt Player of the Year, Tayton Conerway is an interesting player that UVa has reached out to. Conerway scored 14.2 points and grabbed 4.6 rebounds per game, helping lead Troy to a conference title and NCAA Tournament berth. Conerway isn’t much of an outside shooter at 27 percent from three, but he has been great at scoring at the rim. He’s also an intruiging defender, averaging 2.9 steals per game. According to his agent, Conerway is speaking to Ole Miss, Texas Tech, West Virginia and others, in addition to UVa.
