Three Players Ryan Odom Must Retain & Prioritize This Offseason For The Cavaliers

Virginia is in offseason mode officially after losing on Sunday against Tennessee. As they turn the page and get ready for the offseason, there are several key players they must retain. Let’s take a closer look.

1. Thijs De Ridder

De Ridder was the Cavaliers' best player this past season as a true freshman. In the Tennessee game, he gave them life and was one of the main scorers for the Cavaliers in the 79-72 defeat. He finished with 22 points and five rebounds and shot 66.7% from beyond the arc. He averaged 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and shot 50.8% from the field. He led the Cavaliers in points and rebounds this season.

Now, it won’t be easy to bring back De Ridder with his dreams and aspirations of making the NBA. There is one caveat, however. This 2026 NBA Draft class is loaded with top-tier freshmen like AJ Dybnasta, Caleb Wilson, Cameron Boozer, Darius Acuff, Darryn Peterson, and several others. Another year of development for De Ridder could prove very valuable. Yes, he would enter the NBA closer to his 25th birthday, but he would be a polished player who could have grown more in the Ryan Odom system and probably won’t have as great of a class to compete with in NBA circles. It is a big decision, but for Coach Odom, bringing him back would do wonders.

2. Chance Mallory

Mallory flourished in his role this past season with the Cavaliers, coming off the bench and providing a spark. He averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, and led the team with 1.6 steals. Mallory would be the perfect candidate for Coach Odom to run his offense next season and be the lead point guard. He did it for a chunk of the season in 2025-2026, especially late in games and often made the plays necessary to help pull off the victory. With Dallin Hall gone after this season, Mallory is the clear-cut pick. It will be vital that Virginia doesn’t let him enter the transfer portal and see what is out there, and show him that he is a priority. If they do that, the Cavaliers will have a solid foundation in the backcourt.

3. Johann Grünloh

Grünloh got better as the season wore on and continued to prove he can be a rim-protecting big man. He finished the year averaging 2.2 blocks per game. Grünloh averaged 7.1 points and 5.2 rebounds as a freshman. The biggest question will be his offensive game, and seeing that take a jump. Virginia will definitely need more out of their big men if they want to take a step forward and go deeper in the NCAA tournament.

If Grünloh can develop an offensive bag, that should help out more. Regardless, you have a good big man who can play defense and slide his feet, and he showed in the opening round of the NCAA tournament against Wright State that he can shut the paint down for stretches of the game. In the win over Wright State, he finished with three blocks and led the team. Grünloh is another who should be a priority this offseason.