Ryan Odom

Ryan Odom (born July 11, 1974) He previously coached UMBC, Utah State, and VCU, taking each program to the NCAA tournament by his second year.

Odom has many unique ties to the Virginia program having run the gamut from being a ball boy in University Hall through the 1980s to being the coach who defeated No. 1 seed Virginia—the first NCAA Round of 64 win by a men's No. 16 seed—in 2018.

Early life and education Odom was born in Durham, North Carolina, when his father was the high school basketball coach at the former Durham High School. Odom lived in Charlottesville from third through tenth grade. During this time, he would ride his bike to University Hall to watch UVA teams at practice and was a ball boy for their home games.

After his father was named head coach at Wake Forest, Odom graduated from Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1992. He went on to graduate from Hampden–Sydney College in 1996, with a degree in economics.

Playing career Odom was a four-year starting point guard for the Hampden–Sydney Tigers under head coach Tony Shaver, serving as team captain his senior year. He led the Tigers to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight in 1995 and left ranked as the school's all-time leader in three-point field goals as well as fourth in assists. As of 2025, Odom still holds the Hampden-Sydney records for most three-point field goals in a season, with 82 in 1994–95, and most consecutive games with a three-point field goal, with 24 in 1995–96. During the 2018 NCAA tournament, the Retrievers became the first No. 16 seed to win in the first round with a 74–54 victory over Virginia. After the historic win, the Retrievers lost in the second round to Kansas State, 50–43. The following season, Odom led the Retrievers to another 20-win season and another appearance in the 2019 America East tournament final, where it fell to Vermont. In his final year at UMBC, Odom guided the Retrievers to a share of the America East regular season crown for the first time since 2008.

Utah State In April 2021, Odom was announced as the head coach at Utah State. In his two years at Utah State he led the team to a 44–25 record and a berth in the NCAA Division I tournament in 2023.

VCU Odom was named the men's basketball coach for Virginia Commonwealth University Rams in March 2023. In his two years at VCU he led the team to a 52–21 record.

2023–24: NIT Quarterfinals When Odom was announced as the next VCU coach, just five scholarship players remained on the team with virtually all key players having entered the transfer portal immediately after Mike Rhoades left the program. Odom wasted no time in rebuilding the roster with Richmond, Virginia, native Joe Bamisile transferring in from Oklahoma and Max Shulga following Odom from Utah State. The two guards would go on to lead the Rams in scoring for both years of Odom's tenure. With Odom at the helm, VCU exacted revenge on their former coach, defeating Rhoades' Penn State squad 86–74. In the 2024 National Invitation Tournament, VCU defeated No. 1 seed Villanova on their home floor and advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to No. 2 seed Utah.

2024–25: Atlantic 10 Tournament and regular season champions In the 2024–25 season the Rams were the Atlantic 10 Conference favorites from beginning to end, having been voted the No. 1 team in the conference in the pre-season. In the early season, VCU won the Veterans Classic against ACC team Boston College, 80–55, in Annapolis, Maryland. The Rams went on to win both the Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season and Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament championships, winning 18 of their final 20 games en route to a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to No. 6 seed BYU in the first round.

Virginia Odom was named the men's basketball coach for the University of Virginia Cavaliers on March 21, 2025. The VCU Athletics Department released a statement that read in part: "We made a very competitive offer for him to remain as our coach, yet support him fully as he returns to a university so close to his heart"; a Richmond Times-Dispatch headline read "Odom-to-UVa was written in the stars" because "for the Odoms, Charlottesville has always been home" and all the ways Odom and UVA have crossed paths throughout the years. Odom's VCU squad had defeated UVA in a "secret scrimmage" in October before the season, 71–49, which may have also helped get the program ball rolling toward Odom very soon after Tony Bennett's surprise October retirement. and doubled the previous year's win total, going 30–6 and 15–3 in the ACC, finishing second of 18 teams in the ACC regular season and Runners Up in the ACC Tournament. Controversial out of bounds and foul calls in the final minute helped seal their fate in the NCAA Tournament against Tennessee.

His son Connor, who played for him at Utah State and VCU, was one of two recipients of the USBWA Most Courageous Award in 2023. Connor received the award for his advocacy on mental health issues after going public about struggles with anxiety and obsessive–compulsive disorder following a teenage bout with Lyme disease. He shared the award with Saint Louis's Terrence Hargrove, another player who openly discussed mental health issues.

Head coaching record

Charlotte head coach Alan Major took an indefinite leave of absence due to medical reasons on January 6, 2015. Charlotte's record at the time was 6–7 (0–1 C-USA).

Footnotes