Hours after UVa announced Ryan Odom as their next head coach, the program got another piece of good news. Local product and 4-star recruit Chance Mallory committed to the Hoos for the second time this afternoon, after reopening his recruitment in the fall. Mallory quickly became Odom’s first addition to his new program.

Mallory chose UVa again, over fellow finalists Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt. Initially committing to UVa in September, Mallory backed off his initial commitment in October, after Tony Bennett retired. The senior guard then took visits to Tennessee, Maryland and Vanderbilt and reset his recruitment while he played out his final year of high school basketball. Mallory then circled back to the Hoos, despite the fact that the program’s coaching situation was in limbo for the past several months.

Mallory was one of the top unsigned players remaining in the 2025 class, ranked 61st nationally with a four-star rating. Mallory is ranked #12 nationally among point guards. As of now, Mallory is the only commit in UVa’s 2025 class. Whether that remains the case or not remains to be seen. Mallory, for the second time, is the first scholarship player from Virginia to commit to UVa since B.J. Stith in 2014. He’s also the highest-ranked player to commit to the program since Jabri Abdur-Rahim (#45 in 2020), narrowly edging out Elijah Gertrude (#62 in 2023).

Mallory was named the VPL Co-Player of the Year earlier this month after leading St. Anne’s Belfield (STAB) to another successful season. Mallory led St. Anne’s Belfield to a fourth-straight VPL conference title, and a trip to the quarterfinals of the VISAA state tournament. Mallory played his AAU ball for Maryland-based Team Thrill, who have produced a number of top prospects in recent years.

With Dai Dai Ames set to enter the transfer portal, Mallory is the only true point guard locked into the 2024-25 roster, at least for the time being.