Ryan Odom was officially announced as UVa's coach on Saturday, and has his introductory presser this afternoon at JPJ. So, while UVa fans are adjusting to life with a new coach leading the program, we dove into Odom's coaching past to determine what Cavalier fans can expect from the 13th coach in program history.

Tony Shaver

One of the more underrated influential coaches in this part of the country, now retired coach Tony Shaver was Odom's college coach at D3 Hampden Sydney. Shaver, who played at UNC in the 70's, ended up developing some future coaches during his time at Hampden Sydney, including Odom, Longwood's Griff Aldrich who will join Odom's UVa staff, and current UC Irvine coach Russell Turner. Shaver eventually went on to have a 17-season run at William & Mary and despite never getting the Tribe to the NCAA Tournament, he certainly had some talented teams in Williamsburg. You can see the DNA for Odom's offensive style in Shavers Tribe teams, especially in his last few seasons there. William & Mary built their offense around threes and layups and were often near the top nationally in three point to field goal attempt ratio. In 2018, the Tribe led the nation in three-point shooting at 42.2 percent, and free throw shooting at 81.1 percent, and finished second nationally in effective field goal rate. Not a bad person to learn from.

Seth Greenberg

The former Virginia Tech coach gave Odom his first shot in coaching, and his first opportunity at a major-conference program. Greenberg, who served on Terry Holland's UVa staff in the 1980's with Odom's father, gave Odom his first coaching job as a GA at USF after Greenberg got the job there in 1996. He later hired Odom to serve on his Virginia Tech staff, as the program moved from the Big East into the ACC. The two-time ACC Coach of the Year is known for barely missing the NCAA Tournament a few times, but he was a very solid coach in Blacksburg given that program's history. Greenberg led Tech to four 20+ win seasons and only had two losing seasons in nine years, and led the Hokies to one NCAA Tournament and five NIT bids.

Dave Odom

Odom has had plenty of mentors, but obviously having a father as a successful head coach is a different experience. Dave Odom, now 82, was on Virginia's staff from 1982-1989 before getting his shot as a head coach at Wake Forest. Odom won 406 games between Wake and South Carolina, won two ACC Tournaments, an ACC regular-season title, was named ACC Coach of the Year three times, and SEC Coach of the Year in 2004. Odom led Wake to seven-straight NCAA Tournaments and made it as far as the Elite Eight; he also took the Gamecocks to an NCAA Tournament and made the NIT final three times, winning back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. Ryan never coached for his father, who retired in 2008, but obviously having the elder Odom, who has experience at UVa and in the ACC, is an asset for Virginia's new head coach.

The Year 2 Bump

At all three of Odom’s D1 stops, the first year has been a building year, with varying degrees of success. At VCU and Utah State, Odom led those programs to winning seasons in year one, but fell short of the NCAA Tournament and played in the NIT. Both of those programs were coming off of tournament appearances the year prior, so a hard reset wasn’t necessarily needed. Odom’s first year at UMBC was his most remarkable, taking a program that had won just 11 games total over the two seasons prior to his arrival, and winning 21 games and earning a CIT berth.

But at all three of his stops, Odom’s teams saw a big jump in year two. At UMBC, Odom led the Retrievers to a 25-win season in 2018 that included a conference title, NCAA Tournament bid, and of course, the first ever 16-seed over 1-seed upset in the Big Dance. Odom had arguably the best team of his career in his second season at Utah State, winning 26 games, finishing 28th in Kenpom and making it to their conference title game, and getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. And in 2024-25, Odom led VCU to a regular season and tournament sweep of the A-10, won 28 games, finished 34th in Kenpom, and made it back to the NCAA Tournament.

Odom’s second-year teams were quite efficient, as well. His 2023 Utah State team finished 28th in Kenpom, sixth-best among non-major conference programs, behind two Final Four teams in San Diego State and FAU, a pair of annual west coast contenders in Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, and a talented Memphis team. This year, VCU is 34th in the current Kenpom rankings, third best among mid-majors, behind Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, both of whom won their first round games.

Perhaps UVa’s resources and the nature of the transfer portal to quickly transform a roster will push Odom’s typical year two up to year one, but that remains to be seen. But if trends continue, the Hoos should be pretty good in 2026-27.

Conference Play

At VCU, Odom went 11-7 in the A-10 in year one, and then were quite dominant in league play this year, going 15-3. Not only did the Rams run up a gaudy win total in league play, they typically won those games quite easily. VCU won 11 of their league games by double digits, and five by 20+ points.

At Utah State, Odom’s first team struggled in league play out of the gate, going 1-5 before winning five straight, then losing four more in a row. In a competitive Mountain West, the Aggies finished 8-10 in year one, but did have an 18-point win over eventual regular-season champion San Diego State. In year two, USU was much more competitive, going 13-5 in conference play and ending the regular season on a five-game winning streak. In conference play, Utah State won six games against top-100 Kenpom teams, and all five losses came to teams in the top-100, including two to eventual national runner-up San Diego State.

In five years at UMBC, Odom had the Retrievers competitive in the America East Conference, something they certainly couldn’t say before he arrived. Odom went .500 or better in conference play every season, and had his best stretch in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, going 23-9 in league play. UMBC won the America East regular-season title in the shortened 2021 season.

Postseason

As a D1 head coach, Ryan Odom is 15-7 in conference tournaments, 1-3 in the NCAA Tournament, and 5-3 in other postseason tournaments. The pressure of the conference tournament games in Odom’s career is far different than what UVa fans are probably used to. Nearly every postseason game that Odom has coached was do-or-die; his Utah State team earned an at-large bid in 2023, but other than that, his teams either needed to win their conference tournament or their postseason opportunities, at a minimum, would be in limbo.

Odom won two conference tournament titles, first at UMBC in 2018, and then this year at VCU. He made three more title games, losing to Vermont in the 2019 America East championship, national runner-up SDSU in 2023 at Utah State, and losing to Duquesne in the A-10 title game last year, making it to the championship game as a 5-seed. There was only one year where Odom’s team clearly fell short of their seed expectations in a conference tournament, losing to 6-seed UMass Lowell as the 2-seed at UMBC in 2021, the covid-shortened season and his last at the school.

That’s another key point in reviewing Odom’s postseason record; many of Odom’s games came as the underdog, particularly his losses. The loss to UMass Lowell was the only conference tournament games where his team lost despite being favored, or ranked higher in Kenpom. The same goes for his NCAA Tournament appearances, where Odom shocked 1-see UVa as a massive underdog in 2018, but all three of his losses also came as the lower-seeded team. UMBC lost to K-State after beating Virginia; Utah State lost to 7-seed Mizzou in 2023, and 11-seed VCU lost to 6-seed BYU this year. Utah State was ranked much higher than Missouri in Kenpom in the 2023 first round game, and went off as a slight favorite at tip time.

Put more simply, taking out the Utah State Mountain West Tournament in 2023 as they got in anyway, Odom is 12-6 in do-or-die postseason games, with five of the six losses coming as the lower-seeded team; as the favorite in must-win tournament games, Odom is 10-2. Those records compare favorably to Tony Bennett, who has rarely been an underdog because of his dominant regular-season runs, but was 15-13 in do-or-die games and 14-7 as the favorite during his time at UVa.

Odom is 2-2 in the NIT, losing to Oregon in the first round at Utah State in 2022, and then upsetting Villanova and beating USF before losing to Utah in the quarterfinals with VCU last year. Odom also won three games in the CIT in his first year with UMBC before losing in the semifinals. It’s hard to put a ton of stock into NIT and CIT records as teams have various levels of investment in those games and results are often random.

3 & D

Odom’s offenses have run what could be described as a modern style of basketball, focused on finding efficient shots. Over the past four years at two mid-major stops, Odom’s teams have finished in the top third nationally in three point attempt ratio. At VCU, Odom’s team shot even more threes, finishing 35th in three-point attempt ratio last season, and 22nd this year. His teams have shot a ton of threes, and many of them have been good, open looks or corner threes, which are considered the most-efficient shot from beyond the arc, but Odoms’ rosters haven’t always been filled with sharpshooters. This year, VCU shot 33.8 percent from three which is quite average; last year, the Rams made 35.3 percent of their attempts, which was 100th-best nationally. His best shooting team came at Utah State in 2023, when the Aggies made 37.9 percent of their attempts, 15th-best nationally.

Odom’s offenses aren’t all built around the three ball, however. Odom’s offenses have been particularly efficient on two-point field goal attempts at Utah State and VCU; in the last four years, Odom’s teams have finished 109th or better in effective field goal percentage each year, and have been 69th or better in two-point field goal shooting in three of the four seasons, including two top-30 finishes at Utah State. This year at VCU, Odom’s offense took 1,055 two-point field goals, 52.2 percent of their shots. The Rams made 54 percent of those shots, but with a wide discrepancy between shots at the rim and other two’s. VCU shot 704 of their 1,055 two-point attempts at the rim, and made 62.4 percent of them. VCU took 351 longer-range two’s, so 10 per game, and made 37 percent of them.

One striking trend with Odom’s offenses is the ability to share the basketball. An offense featuring some transitions and drive and kicks in the halfcourt, Odom’s offenses are always near the top nationally in assist rate. His VCU team this year finished 72nd in the category, and were 53rd last year. At Utah State, the 2022 team finished 1st nationally in assist rate, and the 2023 team was 11th. Odom’s teams have been pretty middle-of-the-road when it comes to turnovers, ranking above average in three of the past four years, but never in the top 100. This is going to be a change for UVa fans that are used to fewer giveaways with Virginia’s slow pace that results in fewer transition attempts.

Odom’s offenses historically haven’t crashed the offensive glass a ton, but this year, they were one of the top offensive rebounding teams. Odom’s teams had never finished in the top 100, but this year jumped to 12th nationally in the category. This is something to keep an eye on, as it may be indicative of a schematic change, or a reflection of the roster’s frontcourt size and depth, coupled with the fact that three-point attempts are more likely to result in offensive rebounds with longer carroms.

Below, we’ve compared Odom’s offense this year at VCU to UVa’s offense under Ron Sanchez, the 2024 UVa team led by Bennett, and the 2019 title team that featured a bunch of future pros. Odom’s offense features more threes, slightly more shots at the rim, fewer long two-pointers, and more uncontested dunks.

UVa fans will likely be happy with Odom’s defensive record. In his head coaching career, Odom’s teams have finished in the top half nationally in defense in all but two years (both at UMBC). At Utah State, Odom’s defenses ranked 68th and 70th. At VCU, with more athletic rosters, the defense improved, first to 40th in 2023-24, and then to 27th this year.

VCU was an old team with good athleticism, and it showed on the defensive end this year. The Rams were 3rd nationally in effective field goal defense. They were terrific around the rim, ranking 4th in two-point defense and 7th in block rate. The Rams also forced a ton of turnovers, ranking 31st in turnover rate, and 33rd in steal rate, which led to transition opportunities. VCU’s dominant defense showed up in their pace numbers. The Rams were 121st in average possession length, while their opponents, who often struggled to find good shots, were 356th nationally in possession length.

2024-25’s VCU was the best defense Odom has had, and perhaps that experience will inform his roster management decisions. He had plenty of success on the defensive end in other years too though, and often has a good interior defense. At UMBC, Odom was able to have the 11th-best 2-point defense nationally; and every year since he’s ranked 143rd or better,and 35th or better in the last three. Odom’s defensive strategy seems to be more flexible and roster-dependent; with quality guards the last couple years at VCU, Odom has been able to extend pressure into the backcourt, which has helped with the turnover and steal rate.

Transfers

Odom has shown an ability to win with teams constructed both in the traditional way, and the modern way. The transfer portal is an essential tool for coaches now, and Odom has shown an ability to use it to his advantage.

As many other coaches have done, Odom has had success bringing players with him from one stop to another. Odom brought guard Max Shulga with him from Utah State, which proved to be a pivotal add. Shulga was the A-10 Player of the Year this year. Sean Bairstow also came over from Utah State, and played the 2023-24 season with the Rams, and was a starter. Odom also brought players with him from UMBC to Utah State, with big men Brandon Horvath and Dan Akin earning starting roles after moving with Odom, and guard RJ Eytle-Rock was a role player with the Aggies after a few seasons with the Retrievers.

Looking at VCU’s 2024-25 team, transfer additions proved pivotal to the team’s success. In addition to Shulga, Odom also got two years with former Virginia Tech, George Washington and Oklahoma guard Joe Bamisile, a Richmond native that was very good in two years with the Rams. Two more key pieces for this year’s team were one-year transfers. Jack Clark played in the ACC for both NC State and Clemson, and the 6-foot-11 forward who could play around the rim and make threes was a critical part of VCU’s success. Combo guard Phillip Russell came to Richmond from UT-Arlington, and was one of several rotational pieces in the backcourt, along with Shulga, Bamisilie, and Zeb Jackson, who was also a transfer addition to VCU, but before Odom arrived.

Another underrated aspect of the portal is keeping your own talent in house when they have other opportunities. Here’s what Odom said about that topic last week when asked about managing new rosters year to year:

“Yeah, I think one of the keys is retention. I think we're here right now because of the guys that we were able to retain, Max obviously being one that had plenty of options to go to the highest level, and these other guys did, too. But they were committed to being together and committed to finishing it out here at VCU. I think that's the first thing. Maybe I'm a bit naïve, but I still believe that you can have the same type of relationships that we've always had with these kids and you can build a program with a really strong culture while understanding that you're going to lose some kids every now and then. I don't think the best way to do it is to reshuffle the deck every single year.”

Getting Shulga to return to VCU was a coup for Odom and the Rams, and they wouldn’t have had the season they had without him. But he was also able to keep a good amount of his roster together from the 2023-24 season, including several talented guards that would have had other options if they wanted out. The only major loss was Tobi Lawal, who left for Virginia Tech. When Odom got to Utah State, a bunch of Aggies were out the door, following his predecessor to Utah, including former UVa guard Marco Anthony. But Odom was able to retain Shulga and then freshman guard Steven Ashworth, who helped engineer Odom’s turnaround at Utah State, and has gone on to have a fantastic career at Creighton. Shulga also turned out to be a big piece retained, even though he didn’t play a ton right out of the gate.

At UVa, it should also be easier to retain talent with better resources, and if they’re winning, there’s no need for a player like Lawal to transfer “up” a level as Virginia is a high-major program.

High School

At VCU, Odom’s most-impactful additions have come from the portal, but he seemed to do a nice job in high school recruitment as well. After just one full offseason at VCU, we’ve only seen one full recruiting cycle come to fruition. Odom added three-star guard Brandon Jennings, who played at Richmond’s Saint Christopher’s, to the roster for the 2024-25 season. VCU beat out a bunch of mid-majors for Jennings, and as a freshman, he backed up a veteran backcourt but showed flashes, and could be the next starting point guard for the Rams if he stays. Odom also brought in English forward Luke Bamgboye, who picked VCU over a bunch of major offers, including Arizona State, Miami, Marquette and Houston. Bamgboye started for VCU as a freshman, and if there’s one player that Odom could bring to UVa and could make a big impact, it’s him The 6-foot-10 post player is from London, but played his high school ball at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona.

Odom also brought over point guard Terrence Hill, an Oregon native that was originally slated to go to Utah State. Hill played sparingly behind a crowded backcourt. VCU also added 6-foot-8 wing player Martin Carrere, who redshirted this year. Career is from Pontonx-sur-l’Adour, France and played professionally in Europe.

VCU currently has two players signed to play with the Rams, and we’ll see if that changes now that Odom is off to Virginia. Three-star forward Silas Barksdale, a Newport News native, is ranked #149 in the country and chose VCU over Pitt, Virginia Tech, Richmond and others. Barksdale is joined in Odom’s second class by 6-foot-5 wing Jordan Tillery. The three-star plays at IMG Academy in Florida, and picked VCU over offers from Arizona State, Drake and George Washington.

Odom signed three players at Utah State, and after he came to VCU, none linked up with the departing coach. Garrison Phelps, a guard, is playing in the JUCO ranks. Kalifa Sakho, a 6-foot-11 center, transferred to Sam Houston State. And the only player that remains in Logan through two coaching changes, center Karson Templin, was a starter for Utah State this year and scored 7.4 points and grabbed 5 rebounds per game.

Odom's high school recruitment shows a preference for agile big men that can protect the rim, but have more to their game than that. He also seems to like versatile guards who can handle the ball, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Odom play with multiple ball handlers on the floor at a given time.

Going International

Odom has had success either recruiting, or coaching, players from outside the US. We mentioned Shulga, probably the best player that Odom has coached, and he hails from Ukraine, and was already at Utah State when Odom arrived. Kalifa Sakho, who Odom signed to the Aggies, is originally from France, as is VCU freshman Martin Carrere. Both Bamgboye and reserve forward Michael Belle are from London. Belle picked VCU over Dayton after Odom was hired with the Rams. Current Virginia Tech Hokie Tobi Lawal is also from London, though he was recruited by Odom’s predecessor Mike Rhodes. Former Utah State and UMBC guard RJ Eytle-Rock is another Londoner who committed to Odom and followed him at two stops.

The UMBC team that stunned UVa was led by point guard K.J. Maura, who hails from Puerto Rico, and played two seasons with Odoma after transferring in from Abilene Christian. VCU’s 2024 team featured Cal transfer Kuany Kuany, who hails from Melbourne, Australia.