Everything Ryan Odom Said After Virginia’s Blowout Victory Over American

It didn't take long for the Virginia Cavaliers to heat up tonight at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers clinched a 95-51 victory over American, sealing one last non-conference win before opening ACC play against Virginia Tech on Dec. 31.

Leading the pack tonight was freshman forward Thijs De Ridder with 27 points and eight rebounds, shooting 52.2%. Although De Ridder claimed the most points out of both programs, he also logged the most rebounds (8). During head coach Ryan Odom's postgame press conference, he weighed in on the game played out. Here's everything he had to say.

Opening statement...

"Really excited for our guys. I thought they, on a one-day prep, did a really nice job overall in this game. We have a ton of respect for American, Coach Simpkins, and the team that he's put together. He and his staff, we've watched them plenty over this season. They're going to have an excellent year in their conference, and I know they're pushing for another NCAA tournament. You know, having said that, our guys were on it today. They did a really nice job from the tip and, you know, we just challenged our guys to, you know, play every possession of this game like it was the last and every possession matters. And, you know, throughout that game, our guys did that. We were not going to play perfectly. We knew that we were going to make some mistakes, and we did, but we played through the mistakes and, you know, I thought our guys, you know, continued to play no matter who we subbed in. There was energy, there was effort, there was a desire to play together, and all the way to the end of the game, the end of the Maryland game, we made it clear to our guys that we were not excited about the way that we finished that game with a minute left or really three minutes left. And we've got to be better. And tonight, certainly, we were much better. Now we're moving oneven though we have one more non-conference game. Moving on to Christmas and then moving on to preparation for, you know, conference play, which we know is going to be tough. Six of eight on the road to start. It's not easy."

On how feels about his team heading into ACC play...

"We feel good. We certainly, we would have loved to have beaten Butler, but we didn't. I think we've developed some shared experiences. This group has that, can propel it, you know, forward. The other night against Maryland clearly helped us today. It opened our guys' eyes to like you have to play every play regardless of, you know, the opponent or what the score is or where you're at, you know, at that particular moment. And, you know, just encouraging our guys overall to be present, to be present and in the moment, and we realize that the crowds are going to get bigger, whether it's on the road or at home. The stakes are going to get higher. The pressure is going to elevate, and we have to handle it, you know, really, really well. We're not going to be perfect at that. And we understand that because this is a really good league this year. Our league's off to a great start relative to its competitors, and we're excited to get going."

On any updates regarding Jacari White...

"So, he has to have surgery tomorrow, a wrist injury, unfortunate play. It happened on the dunk. He kept playing through the injury and then, you know, we learned shortly after, he looked at me and was like, I got to come out, you know, with however many minutes left, took him out, and then after the game, they x-rayed and saw the unfortunate news there. But it's his off hand and so that's the best news that we could get in a situation like this and, you know, the strength of this team is the depth that we have and you saw it tonight with Elijah getting in there and playing, and we have options, you know, no different than we did when Devin was out to start the year and so, you know, we're confident overall in this group and we're confident in Jacari, you know, getting back. He's going to have surgery tomorrow and then be able to still see his family for Christmas and come back and be with us."

On Thijs De Ridder...

"This was a big step forward for him today. You know, he was frustrated after the game the other day, not frustrated about winning, of course, but his individual play, and he and I talked for a while a few days ago, and, you know, I think he played with more purpose today. He played, you know, not so much on edge, and I think that's really important for his growth, you know, going forward. He is a beast. He's a really good player, and when he lets the game come to him but then attacks when it's there, you know, he's really good, and so we're excited that he played much better today."

On preparing for the first two ACC games...

"Yeah, we've watched, you know, each of the teams play. You know, we haven't studied each team, but we've watched each of the teams play, and there's already been preparation going on. I do it differently from most. I don't assign one team to one coach. We're all involved, no different than our players are all involved. And so, everyone's involved in some form or fashion regarding the scout. I just believe personally, I've always done it that way as a head coach. I've just seen it done the other way, and it's really successful the other way, too, where one guy has a scout, and he's in charge of everything. I just like the aspect that our staff is a team, no different than our players, and I want everybody, you know, pulling their weight and, you know, being involved in the preparation so we can discuss things and everybody's not thinking ahead to the next game. They're involved in what's going on at the moment. We're asking our players to be present. We want our coaches to be present as well. We'll come back on the 26th. We'll practice late that evening, just to get the guys sweating again and back in the gym together and around one another, and then, you know, the prep will begin that night, and then we'll get ready for, you know, what's to come right after that. But we focus on one game at a time, and we don't move forward, no different than any other coaching staff, probably, you know, so we'll be ready."

On Elijah Gertrude...

"Yeah, continued work in the gym. Positive attitude, you know, he's athletic, he can shoot. He made some shots tonight, which was great. He was very poised with his ball handling and took it when it was there multiple times. He made really nice passes, you know, out there tonight. And so I think you saw the beginning of what could become, you know, a very confident and important player, you know, for us going forward, not just now, but the future, you know, here. So I'm excited for Elijah."

On if his players are excited for ACC play...

"They definitely are. Yeah, they're really excited about the ACC. We know it's going to be really challenging. You can look at all the records and just go up and down, you know, every conference member, and you take notice that there are a lot of good records out there right now. And so we've got a big challenge ahead of us, and the first ones, you know, at Virginia Tech."

On what his international players will do over the holidays...

"They'll be here, and some of their family will come over, and they'll have a chance to be with them, and then they'll also be at either coaches or, you know, teammates houses that do live here. The Langs are awesome. You know, the Mallory’s are great. Des and his family as well. So, we have options, plenty of options, and the majority of the coaches are staying hereas well. So, it's, you know, it'll be fun. Some will travel, though."

On Virginia Tech's Neoklis Avdalas...

"He's a dynamite player. Like he's excellent. You know, he's got tremendous size. He can really pass the ball. He kind of reminds you of Luka (Doncic) in some ways, you know, with his ability to see the floor, shoot the basketball, and get assists, and provides, you know, a big matchup problem. He's an excellent player, one of the better players in our league."

On if he had the chance to speak with Dawn Staley...

"Yeah, that was tremendous. You know, last time she and I probably spoke, I was sitting on the sidelines watching her practice, and I was a little boy, you know, over there at, you know, 10, 12 years old, you know, watching her go at it, and she was a maestro and obviously has meant so much to the University of Virginia and women's basketball, and just this place and I know everyone's so proud of what she's accomplished in her basketball career, not only as a player but also as, you know, the Olympic team and then as a coach, now, I mean, she's killed it and she's mentored so many players and made them better, been there for them and just a great person for all of us to emulate. We're excited that she was back today."