Ryan Odom confirms Virginia will hire a GM

Virginia has a lot of work to do to set the program up for their debut season under Ryan Odom. That’ll start with hiring a staff around and those within their building, including a general manager for the Cavaliers.

Odom shared during his introductory press conference this week that Virginia will be hiring a general manager, as has become common for college programs. That person as well as their staff as a whole will be tasked with putting together the roster each season in Charlottesville.

“Yeah, we’re going to have a team. Obviously, we’re going to have to – not have to. We will hire a general manager for our program,” said Odom. “Obviously, I’m going to lean heavily on our staff. That’s the way we’ve always done it in terms of evaluation, character evaluation, what our needs are in that particular year.”

With the coaching change from Tony Bennett to their interim in Ron Sanchez to Odom, Virginia should expect their team to change. That’s clear with six players from this past season’s roster already in the transfer portal so far this cycle in Isaac McKneely, Black Buchanan, Andrew Rohde, Dai Dai Ames, Anthony Robinson, and TJ Power.

Because of that, the Cavaliers will have to hit the recruiting trail, whether with what’s still available in high school or will be available in the portal, and put the pieces together for a better team. That means putting the right pieces together, though, with the roster spots that they’ll have open.

“We have to sit in a room and go at it and figure out who’s available, what do we need, and then start to attack the recruiting,” said Odom. “We’re playing at an elite level, a top-ten level and, in order to compete with the best of the best, you have to recruit well and you have to sign great players and you also have to sign guys that understand their role.

“Every year, it’s a little bit different in putting a team together. That’s why it’s so fun to put it together. Helping guys understand, you know, what you’re doing right now really helps our team so we need you to do that and continue to do that. Everybody can’t be the leading scorer. Everybody can’t be the leading assist guy. And so you have to put them in the right, right places in order to do that and, certainly, recruiting is a big factor in that.”

However, Odom doesn’t doubt it’ll be easier for them to recruit now and into their future than at his other four programs. That’s with what all they’ll have to offer players both on and off of the court in Charlottesville.

“I’m confident in our ability to recruit,” said Odom. “Every place, if you go look at it? Every place that we’ve been, we haven’t had this. Like, if you think about it, like, this place? We haven’t been able to recruit to, alright, the academics here and the chance for a kid to come here and get one of the best educations that exists and be trained by professionals there on that side. And then, obviously, the facilities here speak for itself. You know, the infrastructure in place is top-notch.

“Obviously, you have to get ahead of recruiting, you know. It’s not just, you know, who’s coming in this year. It’s down the line. Like, you’ve got to get ahead in recruiting or you’re going to be behind and, certainly, that’s, that’s something that we’re going to do here.”

Again, Virginia has a lot to get done before next season tips off. That means much work for them all, including their eventual hire as general manager, to do to put the best out on the floor for the ‘Hoos.

“Virginia deserves the best and so that’s what we’re going to try to do every single day that we come in here as a staff is to try to, you know, push our guys to be their best,” said Odom.