It’s a big week for the University of Virginia men’s basketball program.
In addition to fans getting a chance to see coach Ryan Odom’s team for the first time Friday when the Cavaliers host Villanova University in an exhibition game at John Paul Jones Arena – tickets remain available – Episode 3 of “Proving Grounds” will debut Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on Fox Virginia in Charlottesville and across Virginia Athletics’ digital channels.
Since August, “Proving Grounds,” a documentary series on a new era in UVA men’s basketball, has provided monthly access into the building of Odom’s program and the many characters who will define the 2025-26 season in particular.
The viewing audience has been introduced to 12 new players.
“‘Proving Grounds’ is a way for us to get the personalities out there,” Odom said recently. “Get our fans excited about Devin Tillis, get our guys excited about Elijah Gertrude, get our (fans) excited about Martin Carrere, and the different people that will make up this year’s Virginia basketball team.”
With the season-opening game just over a week away, here are five things we’ve learned so far about the Wahoos thanks to “Proving Grounds.”
You can watch replays of Episode 1 and Episode 2 on YouTube.
Ryan Odom: Proving Grounds is a way for us to get the personalities out there. To get our fans excited about Devin Tillis, to get our fans excited about Elijah Gertude, to get our guys excited about Martin Carrere and the different people that’ll make up this year’s Virginia basketball team.
You’re going to get access to the coaches and the folks who are leading this program and mentoring these young people.
So, I would encourage all Virginia fans who are out there to watch. So, we want to get the message out there that this is an excellent thing and a chance to get to know the team.
A ‘speed dating’ approach to building a roster
In the aftermath of Tony Bennett’s sudden retirement last fall and the subsequent 15-17 season under interim coach Ron Sanchez, Odom had to move quickly to fill out a depleted roster as the bulk of the 2024-25 Cavaliers headed elsewhere to continue their careers.
“It was a dogfight (to get players),” assistant coach Darius Theus said in Episode 1. “It’s like speed dating. The (transfer) portal is like speed dating.”
Odom and his crew were able to woo a dozen additions while retaining three players – Gertude, Carter Lang and Desmond Roberts.
Most of the new players, said director of recruiting Ahmad Thomas, committed to the Hoos without visiting Grounds.
“(It was) coach Odom on the Zooms, talking to (the recruits) and saying, ‘This is why you’ll be fine at UVA,’” Thomas said. “And those guys trusted us. That’s why they’re here now.”
Malik Thomas’ inspiration
Malik Thomas was among UVA’s biggest transfer portal splashes. Averaging nearly 20 points per game for the University of San Francisco last season, he led the West Coast Conference in scoring.
But that hardly tells the graduate student’s full story.
In Episode 2, Thomas reflected on his approach to life since losing his sister, Chanel, in early 2023.
“Chanel was all about exploring new things and trying new things and living life to the fullest,” Thomas said. “And it just showed me and my family that you never know when you’re going to take your last breath on this earth, and you never know when God’s going to call you up to be with him.
“It just taught me a lot and built a lot of character in me.”
Introducing Dutch and Reggie
Gertude and Tillis, a transfer from the University of California, Irvine, are roommates as well as new cat dads.
Episode 1 chronicled what they brought home from a team visit to the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA: a pair of kittens they’ve named Dutch and Reggie.
UVA basketball players Devin Tillis and Elijah Gertude hold their cats during a taped “Proving Grounds” segment. (“Proving Grounds” screenshot)
“They put five cats on the table, and she came up right to me,” Tillis said of Dutch. “She was super shy but just sat in my lap. I was like, ‘Ah, this is how the shelter gets you, man.’”
Book club
Perhaps Dutch and Reggie have joined Gertude and Tills on the couch while the duo reads “Legacy,” a book on New Zealand’s legendary All Blacks rugby team that was assigned to the Cavaliers.
In Episode 2, viewers were introduced to assistant coach Bryce Crawford and director of culture and alumni engagement Michael Crowder, the stewards of UVA’s “book club.”
“The principles and ideas in (‘Legacy’) are things we want to live out,” Crawford said. “Us being able to play for something beyond just winning. Winning is obviously very important, we have to do that the best we can, but when you’re trying to win something – and you have a ‘why’ behind things – I think it drives (the team).”
