All That Head Basketball Coach Ryan Odom Said In His Media Availability Before The ACC Tournament

Virginia's head basketball coach talked to the media prior to the ACC tournament in Charlotte and talked about all that needs to happen for them to be successful, the team camaderie and much more. Here is everything he had to say.

On if it is a different mindset going into the conference tournament, knowing Virginia doesn’t have to win it to get in the NCAA Tourney…

“I love the tournaments. We want to try to compete and win in any tournament we're in, regardless of what time of year it is. If it's in November, you want to do your best, and that helps prep you for the rest of the season. Obviously, this time of year, it's really exciting. March is spectacular, and the ACC tournament is going to be really fun, you know, this week, and we're excited to be a part of it.”

On if the players feel less pressure….

“Certainly, if you're on the bubble, yeah, there's a lot of pressure that goes into it, but you know, I think our guys are just focused on just trying to win. I mean, last year for us at VCU, you know, I can remember being in that moment, and our guys, were committed. They weren't really concerned about the NCAA tournament. They wanted to win the championship. They wanted to cut down the nets. I think we're in a similar situation, you know, here at Virginia. There's been a tradition of excellence that has existed. You look at the banners up top, and you see the teams that you know have been fortunate to cut down the nets in this tournament and advance in the NCA tournament. VCU was similar, and that particular team wanted to make their mark, and I think that's where we're at. You know at this point, we're going to go for it.”

On Sam Lewis growth and bouncing back from tough performances…

“That was a really positive sign, you know, for all of us. Sam has been awesome all year, and you're always going to have some ups and downs throughout the season. Um, and I thought he did a great job in that game. And even the last game, you know, he got in foul trouble. He only played 13 minutes, but there were some dynamite possessions where he really guarded well, and sometimes you're not going to shoot it like you want to, but the aggressiveness was back, the confidence was back, and it was great to see.”

On his fond memories of the ACC tournaments, and whether he snuck away to see his dad win championships when he was a kid…

“Yes. I was there, I think I was there for one of them for sure. Maybe both. Yeah, I think both actually. I remember you know, going, you know, as a youngster when dad was an assistant here, going to the tournament. I certainly remember you know, while he was coaching at Wake Forest those years going and and uh you know being a part of it and uh you know winning back-to-back you know championships is extremely hard to do and you know I still say that one team that he had the second year was they were playing as well as anybody in

the country and ended up being a number one seed that year. Unfortunately, Tony Rutland, you know, tore his ACL in that championship game, and that changed kind of the trajectory of the NCAA tournament, you know, for them. Just really happy. I was happy that he was able to do it, you know, there. His team was able to do it there in Greensboro, you know, where he and my mom first met at Guilford College, uh, when they were in college together. My mom grew up right there in Greensboro. My grandmother's house was, you know, two minutes from that arena. It was really, really neat to see dad, you know, cut down the nets with people that he loves.”

On how the experience playing against the ACC prepares the team for the tournament….

“I think these guys have been motivated to play in the NCAS tournament, you know, since they arrived on campus. So that certainly was the number one goal, to get back there and to have a chance, you know, in March. Part of that is playing well in the ACC tournament. These guys have heard about you know all the great games in the ACC tournament and what a big stage it is you know to play on and so they're they're fired up about it. I think one of the biggest things when we put the roster together is that we wanted to have a deep roster that had a wealth of experience. I think to your point, uh, you know, we're hopeful it has helped us all year. There's no question about it. We're hopeful that it helps us in a three-day stretch.”

On the biggest lessons he has learned in his coaching career playing in conference tournaments….

“You just want your guys at this time of year to have really fresh legs, clear minds. At this point, you know how you have to play in order to compete to win. Ultimately a lot of it comes down to, you know, can you get the stop when you need it? You know, can you score the basket when you need it? Because a lot of these games are tight. I think our guys have they now have some shared experience, you know, after having gone through an entire regular season, and we've had, you know, some ups and downs and been taught some lessons and been able to win and learn lessons, you know, at the same time, which is great. We'll just lean on that experience, you know, heading into the tournament.”

On how the seniors have left the teams in a better place similar to the Legacy book they read by James Kerr…

“I mean, that's why we read the book. It is all about leaving the jersey in a better place and connecting them back to their past, which is the tradition that Virginia basketball is. It's been really neat. You know, even the other night, you know, you had the '76 team here, you know, the first championship team, and obviously we know a lot of those players, Wally Walker in particular, the star of that team. I think our guys have been motivated all year to learn about it, but also be about it at the same time and make their own mark. That's what the book's really about at the end. Every team has that one life to live, and what's the legacy that you're going to leave when you're out? The five seniors, to your point, could not have done a better job of leading this group. They led with passion, competitiveness, a love for one another, and a love for this place. Down to the end, you see them out there doing the old song, you know, singing the old song with the fans. That was something that they decided they wanted to do, and go out there and do that with everybody. So, I thought that was a really cool gesture by them.”

On the consistency of the rotation and not seeing minutes altered too much…

“Yeah, it says a lot. I mean, about the sacrifice. I asked the seniors the other day, the guys that, you know, come off the bench, you know, if they wanted to start on senior night, and I certainly was willing to do that and switch it up, and they were like, "No, we don't want to do that. We want to keep it the way that it is, and we're comfortable where we're at in our roles, and we don't want to do anything, especially in a big game like this. We want to stay where we're at. I think ultimately this entire team has sacrificed the entire year, and you look at successful organizations, you look at successful basketball teams or any sporting team, there's going to be a common theme of sacrifice throughout. This team has done a really good job, the individuals on this team have done a really good job of you know sacrificing a bit of themselves for the greater good of the team. That's one thing that the coaches, our coaching staff is really thankful for and proud of these guys for because it's a lifelong lesson that they'll be able to take away from here.”

On what it means personally to take his own team to the ACC tournament for the first time, and if his dad ever gave him any advice about tournament basketball…

“Yeah, he always gives me advice. You're not in the tournament until you win a game. And so that's the first thing we say. You win the first game, then you're in the tournament. You don't win one, you weren't in the tournament. It's a little bit of pressure there. I've always taken that mindset, you know, going in. It's these one-day preps, and we've been doing that all year. When you're in a bigger conference like we are now, you're the guys are used to it, and now we're going to be playing these teams for, you know, the second, maybe third time depending on whom we match up with. The guys will be excited to do that. It means a ton for me personally to be able to lead a team. I didn't know if I would ever, you know, have the opportunity to do that. It certainly is really special. It's a place that I grew up or a tournament that I grew up going to as a youngster. You know, I wasn't a Big East guy or a Big 10 guy or whatever. I grew up in the ACC. To me, I'm biased, but it's the best basketball conference that's ever been assembled. The tournament certainly is the best ever. So, I'm excited about, you know, the opportunity to coach in it.”

On the light saber given out at the end of games…

“I just coached at too many places, you know, and like you have to figure out after you win a game, like what are you going to do with the team? At Utah State, we had the main building on campus that was lit up. It's had an A that would light up. And so in the valley, in Cash Valley is what it's called. You could see it, as I could literally see it from my house, the deck of my house. I looked out, and I could see this, and it was only lit up when a team won. If we won a game, it would be lit up, or if football was on the road and they won a game, it would light up. You could do it from a computer or whatever. We brought that into our locker room. We had this unfortunate, you know, uh, what do you call that? Just a pillar or a beam, whatever. We had this unfortunate beam in the middle of our locker room. So I had an A put on every, you know, side of that unfortunate, just a decor. I'm a decorative guy.

So then we had a switch put on it. So every time we won a game, after the game, I would pick a player to light the A inside the locker room. Then we would do it on the road, you know, after we won a game, they'd go up to the computer and light it, you know, uh, which was really, really cool. That was the first example of it. Uh, LR (Lenoir-Rhyne), we danced, made fun of one another and had a great time. VCU was special. I mean, they had their own traditions that we just that I just kept going, you know, back from probably Shaka days and all that. I definitely had a conversation with coach Bennett about, you know, the traditions that they had here and and all that, but I just settled on the the saber.

You know, why not? You know, we got the sword, you know, they do it for the pictures and I said, et's do it. And then they have their own way of doing it. I just pick a player.”

On how he decides who gets the honor of lighting the saber….

“I just pick it. Just like who was the guy that day? And sometimes it's hard to pick, you know, you have two guys. One day, I picked Dallin and Dallin handed it over to Johann (Grünloh). It was the day that Johann had eight blocks, and so it's pretty cool.

On Ugonna Onyenso comments on the team listening to each other…

“I think that's the best way to learn, right? If you're always talking and you have all the answers, then you're probably going to miss something. I think these guys do a great job of listening not only to their coaches but to one another. When you have that type of communication that goes on, whether it's in a practice, in a heated situation or in a game, in a timeout, in a huddle, you know, it can propel you the next time you're in that situation if it goes well. I think when bad things happen naturally in sports, and that's a relative thing obviously, you know, bad plays happen, you can tend to go down a wormhole sometimes. It leads to you know two bad plays and then three and then four, and that's where you need your teammates and your coaches to pull you out of that. The only way that you're going to be able to get out of that is to lock eyes with somebody and listen with your eyes and your ears. I think we've just encouraged our guys to be really present in those moments and understand that it's not meant to be easy. Like it's meant to be hard and like you're going to be in these moments that you're going to have to pull through, and you're not going to be able to do it yourself. You're going to need somebody else there with you to help you do that. I think that's probably where what he's referring to is that they've all, in their own way, had these ups and downs. You know, she just asked me about Sam. Well, his teammates help pull him out of that. I think that's when you know you have a special team.”

On bringing the momentum and experience into the ACC tournament…

“We have to trust, you know, the process and trust the work that's been put in so far this season. Realizing that it's not meant to be easy. We're going to be in some tough situations in Charlotte and certainly in the NCAA tournament as well. We've got a body of work, and we have a history together and shared experience to lean on. We've got to just trust that uh that the guys are going to be ready to make the plays when they need to.”

On if it was by design to play at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte earlier this year to prepare for the ACC tournament….

“There's no question about it. You always want to try to do that if you can, and every year's going to be different. You're not always going to be able to do it. It worked out this year, and so we took the opportunity to go down there and play, and it was a great atmosphere. Um, you know, the guys obviously are familiar with it now, and so hopefully that'll be helpful.”

On Devin Tillis encouraging guys even when he was injured, and if he has always had that…

“It's one of the reasons we brought Devin here, asked him to come here was because he's been a part of a winning organization at UC Irvine. They won 30 games a year ago, I believe. When you're around winning like that, you know, you get a sense of it, and everybody doesn't do it exactly the same, but you have this experience to draw from, and so you don't get rattled when you're in that you've had that type of experience. We wanted that, you know, with this particular group, and Devin certainly provides that. It doesn't hurt that, you know, he's a very outgoing person and not afraid to talk, and he's not afraid to be vulnerable and speak up in big moments, and that's been really helpful for this team, you know, all season long. He's been a tremendous leader, you know, for this group.”

On the relationship between Johann Grünloh and Ugonna Onyenso…

“I mean they they get along really well. I know they both individually have had some really high moments and they've had some moments where you know they needed some assistance and you know that going back to the Dallin you know when he gave the the sword over to Johann, Ugo was actually the one that said yeah, I mean he had eight blocks in the game. This guy was pretty good today. I think you know it just is an example of just the the the teamwork and uh the camaraderie you know that this group has, and those two understand they're a big part of our success and um they want to play well you know when they're out there and they want their their buddy to play well you know when they're not out there and I think that's that's huge.”

On what makes Dallin Hall so valuable to the team…

“He’'s willing to do whatever it takes to win, and if that means getting the stop on the last possession at SMU or guarding the other team's best guard or player and coming up with a defensive rebound, making the free throws, you know, when we need him to. His assist-to-turnover ratio is ridiculous. You know, he's just a tremendous, tremendous player, but he's an even better leader. We needed him to be that for this particular team, and we would not be where we're at right now, you know, if it wasn't for his leadership and his overall play.”

On any fond memories with this Virginia group…

“Hopefully we're not there yet, right? We’ve had some great memories so far, but hopefully there are a lot more to come. That's the plan. I think these guys have brought a lot of joy, you know, to the University of Virginia this season. They've brought a ton of joy more than we probably deserve, you know, as coaches and um you know, we'll be thankful for them. I was talking to a lady the other day who's a big Virginia fan, and she was going back to the good old song. She said she got tears in her eyes watching the guys out there with the cheerleaders and everybody doing that because she was thinking, man, these five guys are gone now. It was quick. Sometimes it does happen too fast, and my wife and I always say this is in November. March will be here before you know it. It happens like that, and you know these guys have taken us on a tremendous ride.