Virginia HC Ryan Odom reflects on coaching journey ahead of conference battles against Duke, UNC, and more

Ryan Odom has taken up the reins with the men's college basketball team of the University of Virginia. While the new season is still months away, Odom has been working hard to assemble a roster that could help the Cavaliers reach the NCAA Tournament in the upcoming campaign.

Odom previously served as the head coach of the VCU Rams for a couple of seasons, compiling a decent 52-21 record. He guided the Rams to an Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season triumph and also won the Atlantic 10 Tournament. However, they lost to the BYU Cougars in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Cavaliers will be hoping to soar high under the tutelage of coach Odom. He is busy building up a roster that could compete against the top teams in the upcoming season. He has gone all around the globe to recruit players for the program.

On Friday, June 9, Odom sat down with CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein and discussed a lot of topics, starting from his coaching journey. He named people who helped shape him into the coach that he is today.

"Yeah, it means a lot. I mean, obviously, you know, I've had a lot of help along the way. I've had some great mentors, you know, guys that I've worked for over the years: Jeff Jones, Seth Greenberg, Larry Davis, Alan Major, Eddie Biedenbach, who turns 80 here pretty soon. You know, I've had some, and my college coach, Coach Shaver, a guy that I played for, who our team and my teammates respect so much. "

"I learned so much from him, and, you know, to be able to give back to these kids now, you know, and at the highest level here in the ACC and compete against some of the storied programs and great coaches in all of college basketball. You know, it's going to be really challenging, as we know, but it's going to be a lot of fun as well."

Ryan Odom grew up watching the Virginia Cavaliers and fell in love with basketball

Odom grew up watching UVA basketball with a front row view as his father, Dave, was an assistant coach for the men's basketball team from 1982 to 1989. His house was also close to the university hall, and therefore, he has that deep nostalgic connection with the program.

“Virginia is a place that’s home for me,” said Odom. “I was fortunate enough to live literally right next to University Hall and to have that time with my father, to be a young kid coming into University Hall, and see not only the men’s team but the women’s team practicing too [was special]."

"Dawn Staley was playing for UVA at the time ... Coach Holland obviously was doing big things at UVA. In a lot of ways this is where I fell in love with basketball.”

It will be exciting to see how the Cavaliers turn up next season under his stewardship. He has focused on international players, so that adds to the surprise quotient. Odom believes in the roster that he has assembled and feels they have the potential to get back to the NCAA Tournament in his first year.