Virginia landed a major international commitment last week, landing German big man Johann Grünloh. A near 7-footer set to turn 20 years old in August, Grünloh comes to Virginia with a good deal of professional experience playing in his home nation, and is considered one of Europe’s top prospects considering the college route this spring.

Grünloh plays for Rasta Vechta in the German BBL, the nation’s top league. Grünloh played on both the top team and Rasta Vechta’s second team in 2022-23 and again in 2023-24, but has been strictly with the first team this year. Grünloh has played in 28 games this year for his club, that currently have a 14-14 record as the season winds down.

Grünloh plays alongside many older players, including former Cavalier forward Jayden Gardner, and several others that played high-level college basketball. In the 2024-25 season, Grünloh averages 8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, playing a significant role on his team. Grünloh recently went for 20 points in a loss to Wurzburg Baskets, and has two double-doubles on the season. Grünloh has shown his rim protection skills this season too, and has had as many as six blocks in a game, coming in a December game against Hamburg towers. Grünloh can step out and shoto the three too, and has made 25 of his 72 attempts from deep, a 34.7 percent average, on the season. The German center is 60-for-83 at the line. In addition to domestic competition, Grünloh also had the opportunity to play in European competition for Rasta Vechta, giving him even more exposure to top competition. Grünloh had two double-figure scoring efforts in Europe, and had 11 rebounds in a December game against Promitheas Patras. In European competition, Grünloh has averaged 8.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.

Grünloh has also had the opportunity to represent his nation, Germany, at the youth level. Grünloh played for the German U-16 team in 2021, before playing on the nation’s U-18 FIBA team in the European Championships in 2022 and 2023, helping the Germans to a third-place finish in the latter year. In 2023, Grünloh played in seven games in the U-18 Euros, scoring 9.9 points while hauling in 7.6 rebounds per game.

Like every other basketball addition this spring, Grünloh fills an obvious need on a roster that was barren just a month or so ago. Virginia has mostly filled out its backcourt and wing slots, but until Grünloh committed last week, the roster didn’t have much of a frontcourt, outside of a walk-on and incoming true freshman not expected to play a ton in his first year. Going to Europe and getting Grünloh was a bold move by Ryan Odom and his staff, but one that was lauded by the European basketball community. Those familiar with Grünloh’s game praised the move for Virginia, and the expectation is that Grünloh can come in and contribute a lot right away. Before opting for college, Grünloh was a fringe NBA Draft prospect for this summer’s draft, and is a much more polished international player than the ones UVa has landed in recent years. UVa has had its fair share of international prospects, but with players now able to get paid to play college basketball, going that route if a clear path to the NBA isn't there makes a lot more sense for more developed prospects like Grünloh.

UVa can now pair the German forward with recent transfer commit Ugonna Onyenso, a 7-foot rim protector joining the program after a year at Kansas State and two at Kentucky. Grünloh is a good fit for what Odom typically does schematically, as well. He can run the floor, space the floor and shoot threes, and protect the rim. Once UVa was able to make connections in this quick recruitment and seal the deal, it really seems like a no-brainer addition for the Hoos.

We sort of laid out the case for Grünloh to go he college route. Although he appeared near the end of some mock drafts of late, Grünloh was considered a late second round pick if he was to get drafted this year. That likely means he’d stay in Europe as a “stash” player, until a team is ready to bring him over and join the NBA roster, if that ever happens, and sometimes it never does. Now, Grünloh has a chance to continue to develop his game against competition that will be a little different from what he’s playing against in Europe but isn’t bad by any means, and get paid in the process. Grünloh is also a good system fit for what UVa does, so this marriage makes a lot of sense on paper. And perhaps teammate Jayden Gardner talked up the school during the process, if he was looped in. It can’t hurt to have connections.

We’re penciling in Grünloh as a starter in UVa’s new-look frontcourt at this time. Grünloh isn’t as much a projection as some other foreign players have been, considering the types of players he’s already playing against. But these sorts of additions always require a bit of forecasting, as there is a lot of assimilation to do. And for UVa, everyone will be in a new place together, including the staff, so Grünloh is one of many players that will be a bit of a projection going into this season. Both of UVa’s additions at the center spot will need to rotate in and out relatively frequently, something that Odom has done in the past anyway. Grünloh could play the four a bit as well, if the situation is right for playing a very big lineup. There’s potential for Grünloh to be a massive addition for the Hoos that puts their season over the top, if he is indeed a one-and-done caliber player. But even if he doesn’t quite reach that level, he should be a big help to the Hoos this season.