Everything From Virginia Head Coach Ryan Odom After 93-51 Over Hampton

Opening Statement:

“Yeah, I was really proud of the guys tonight. Just so many contributors. I thought throughout the game, the start of the game, it was a physical battle early in the game, and I thought our guys did a nice job of meeting that physicality and getting off to another good start. The defensive intensity throughout that first half was more like what we want it to be. Felt like the guys were urgent throughout. Just did a really good job of forcing hard shots. And early in the game, we didn't come up with the rebounds that we needed to. We shut it off pretty quickly and didn't give up any offensive rebounds the remainder of the half, which really ignited our offense. We were able to get out a little bit in transition and play like ourselves. It's kind of the same in the second half. You know, obviously, we knew they were going to make a push there and be very competitive. I thought our guys handled it well throughout the game, much more of a complete performance, you know, across the board, from all of our guys, more importantly, collectively together.

On the potential of Ugonna Onyenso offensively….

“I mean, that's a tough question. Probably not. I wouldn't have said, hey, you know, immediately in the recruiting process. But once we began to work with him and we got in the gym with him, then it became apparent, like, you know, he's more than just a shot blocker. I think certainly that was evidenced tonight. You know, he really played big for us.

On the burst Chance Mallory….

“I mean, huge. I mean, he's done that pretty much every game, you know, that he's subbed in. He's given us a lift. You think about him and Ugo coming in together and doing what they did in that game, that's huge. And to start, Sam (Lewis), that was one of his better performances. Dallin, steady Eddie, seven assists. You know, I mean, he can go on down the list, you know, of guys that did really well. Chance, you know, he's a big factor.”

On how close he is at cutting down the rotation…

“It's still too early at this point. We have guys like Elijah Gertrude who are still just coming back and getting their feet wet. Martin Carrere hasn't played a ton. But you could see out there, he has skills. He's good. He's a good player. (Devein) Tillis is not playing yet, but will be back hopefully sooner than later. So we do have some options.
But the guys that are out there playing the majority of the minutes right now are doing a nice job.”

On taking fewer three-point field goals than the last few outings…

“We never go into a game saying we want to shoot this exact number of threes. Certainly, we want to shoot the right ones. That's the key. Shooting the right threes, reading the closeouts. We always want to take layups when we can get them and limit the mid-range shots that we attempt. And sometimes the defense is just too good. It gets you into some of those shots, and they lock out and won't let you get all the way to the rim, and they're pretty good on the ball. Then you have to adjust. You have to find more things off the ball and screening actions to try to get your guys open. But, you know, I thought our guys did a nice job today, overall discerning and taking what the defense gave them and really attacking the basket.”

On the growth of Sam Lewis….

“Yeah, he's less tentative. He's getting more comfortable, and I think overall the team hopefully continues to get more comfortable together, but I think that's the biggest thing is just trusting himself, you know, I think a lot of these guys sometimes because they're in a new environment, and the lights are on now, and you have to trust, you have to trust all the work that you've done, and you have to trust the work that the team has done, you know, as well. And so it's not only an individual thing. It's obviously a team thing. Tonight was a good step in the right direction.”

On the first three games and what he has seen from his team…

“I think we saw a lot tonight, certainly. I think defensively, they took a step forward. There was more intensity. There was more willingness. I mean, even early in the game, we were able to get them deeper into the clock, which certainly is a goal of ours, to take some time up the court, you know, after we score a basket and our press and then get them later into the clock, you know, in the half-court. A pretty good rep recipe for potential success. Then you have to contest right, and then you have to block out and rebound. And I thought, for the most part, in that first half, shy of the beginning, we did a nice job. Gave up a few late in the game to get them to double digits. I thought overall, our guys did a pretty good job. Still need to get better. There's no question about it. There were some plays tonight where you saw Ugo block out and get in the air and grab it with two. Hadn't necessarily been doing that. Just the decisions and the switching, the late switches were pretty good, which gave us a chance to rebound. So I'm pleased with the mood of the team, the attitude of the team right now, and their willingness to be coached and understanding that they don't have it all figured out. They understand that they need to get better. They come in every day with the right attitude to do that.”

On Jacari White and how he gells guys together….

“Jacari, he's sneaky funny too. When you have the guy that can make others laugh, you know, at any time, maybe it's a stressful laugh, maybe it's a stressful time, maybe it's the perfect time, you know, that lends itself to being followed. People are drawn to you, you know, when you're able to do that. He has that type of personality. He's played a lot of college basketball. The guys, especially the younger guys, look to him, and he's always around, you know the offices in the locker room and willing to spend time with the guys. I think that is the first step in leadership is that you know it's not just you know going into the locker room, playing the game, going back into the locker room shower and going home you know it's being around. I think they spend a lot of time together outside. And Jacari’s a big part of that.”

On the team having 22 assists…

“I think they've definitely bought in. I mean, they understand how we want to play and what the standard is. They chose to come here. So they knew that on the front end, you know, when they decided to come. This is not like, oh, I didn't know it was going to be like that. You know, we pride ourselves on, pride ourselves on being very honest with people, and we're not for everybody. If you want to just score 25 a game, maybe this isn't the place to come. And it doesn't mean you won't score 25 in a game. But in terms of usage rates and things like that, we share the ball. So we're going to have multiple guys that have opportunities to make the decision, and they all chose to come here for a specific reason. They're doing everything that we ask them to do right now. Thanks, Coach. Thank you. We'll bring in Coach Thomas and then follow it up with Ugo and Sam.

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