A place no stranger to memorable nights, John Paul Johns marked another special evening in its history on Monday. Ryan Odom took the floor for the first time (officially) as the head coach, and Charlottesville native and Virginia freshman point guard Chance Mallory lived out a childhood dream by playing his first game in orange and blue. All the other new faces on the floor and on the home side bench made their presence known by the time the final buzzer sounded.
In no way was it a perfect game for
the Cavaliers, but we saw glimpses of what this team can and will develop into as the season goes on. A lot to like, a lot to work on. The perfect recipe for a coach to take to practice and prepare for game number two.
I was on the baseline for game one and these are the top five photos I captured.
5. Now checking in for the Cavaliers, No. 2, Chance Mallory
Chance entered the game for the first time early in the first half, beginning his college career in Charlottesville. As many fans witnessed for maybe the first time, Chance plays with passion, joy, and more energy than anybody on the court. When he is checked into the ballgame, you will see 110% effort from him.
4. The Odom Era
1-0 at UVA, 1-0 vs. UVA.
Ryan Odom is a winner, and he expects his team to go out and do precisely that. He put together a team that, first and foremost, has a brotherly/family vibe, and the players on the floor will be fast, efficient, disciplined, fearless, and (get ready for this one) score at an epic rate.
Odom was constantly demanding more from his players on Monday night, knowing they could be better. At one point in the game, moments before this picture was taken, Odom demanded that Malik Thomas stop hesitating to shoot the ball moments before he released a three-pointer. “Malik! Don’t hesitate, just shoot!”
He knows the potential of this team and will not let them fall short of it.
3. Guess ‘Hoos back
One of just three returning players, Elijah Gertrude, is back on the hardwood after missing all of last year due to an injury. Gertrude recorded ten minutes of playing time, earned a tough bucket on which he got fouled, and grabbed a single board as well. It wasn’t his best game in terms of filling up the box score, but seeing Elijah back on the floor was pleasing to the eye for all Virginia fans.
2. A man amongst boys
He makes a double-double look easy.
The name is Thijs De Ridder, and his debut for the Cavaliers resulted in a double-double, which will not be his last of the season. 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Belgian as he starts to make his presence known in the college basketball world after playing in The Liga ACB in Spain for three season.
De Ridder said after the game that his dream is to play in the NBA, and he felt that coming to the United States and playing for Virginia gave him the best chance to do so. More performances like that, and he will be well on his way.
1. Go for Dos
Game one can bring out a lot of emotion for teams, and in some instances, you see teams orathletes give the most effort in game one. The excitement to be out there after a long off-season, performing in front of fans for the first time in a while, etc.
This is not the case for Chance Mallory. Yeah, he was a firecracker out there; wreaking havoc on defense, making an impact on offense, and doing it all with a smile, but this had little to do with the emotion that came with opening night. He played that same way in high school at Saint Anne’s-Belfield, and he will play that way every time he is on the floor for the remainder of his career.
