Ryan Odom cemented himself in Virginia history when his UMBC Retrievers became the first-ever No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament.
Now, the VCU head coach sides with the Cavaliers, signing on as the head coach to a Virginia program that finished 15-17, 8-12, good for tied-ninth in the ACC under interim head coach Ron Sanchez, after longtime head coach Tony Bennett announced his surprise retirement in October, just weeks before the season.
What Ryan Odom’s Hire Means for Virginia’s ACC Future
Odom has a history of turning programs around. In his one season at the helm, he led the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears to a 21-10 record and NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearance, following an 8-18 performance the year before.
In his 2016-17 debut season at UMBC, he led the Retrievers to a 21-win season, following a 7-25, 3-13 season the year before. From there, they only went below .500 once, making the NCAA tournament in 2018, where they pulled off the legendary upset over Virginia.
After a COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Odom signed on at Utah State, leading them to an NIT appearance in year one, before earning an at-large bid as a No. 10 seed in 2022-23. The Aggies faced No. 7 Missouri, losing 76-65 in the first round.
At VCU, Odom took the Rams to the NCAA tournament as Atlantic 10 regular season and conference tournament champions in a 28-7, 15-3 performance. The No. 11 Rams were a trendy pick to take down No. 6 BYU but ultimately lost 80-71.
Now, in the ACC with Virginia, the expectation is to turn the program around quickly. The program missed the tournament for the second time since 2013, Bennett’s fourth year at the helm.
Odom, a Durham, North Carolina native, has ACC experience from his seven seasons as an assistant coach under Seth Greenberg at Virginia Tech. His father, Dave, was the former head coach at Wake Forest.
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