Ryan Odom has not locked in UVA Basketball’s rotation with the season opener against Drexel set for Tuesday night, and he said the lineup picture remains a work in progress. The coach said nothing is completely set yet, even as he looks ahead to a first week that also includes Northeastern on Friday at 5 p.m. and No. 12 Arkansas on Sunday in DC.
That matters because the early minutes already appear to be taking shape around a few names. Chance Mallory is the starter at point guard, while Sam Lewis and Nolan Adekunle are set to open at two and three. Adekunle, a 24-year-old from the Euroleague, is expected to split time between the three spot in the backcourt and the four in the frontcourt, and Odom called him a three-and-D player who did not play for UVA Basketball last year.
The biggest signal for the opening stretch may be Elijah Gertrude. Odom said the guard figures to play 18 to 22 minutes a game coming out of the gate, a notable shift for a player who went 3-of-29 from three in his first two seasons at Virginia. Gertrude has already flashed what that role could look like, scoring 11 points in 17 minutes in the 96-53 win over Richmond on Oct. 9, then adding 16 points in 18 minutes at Villanova on Oct. 22 while going 5-of-6 from three.
He is not the only bench option Odom expects to use early. Favour Ibe, a seven-foot freshman, seems set to get 8 to 10 minutes in each of the first couple of games as the first big off the bench. Odom said he likes the bench and the options available, but the way he phrased it left room for movement after the opener rather than a finished plan before it.
That is the reality for a team opening its season now: some roles are clear, some are provisional, and the first week should show how much trust Odom is willing to place in Gertrude, Ibe and the rest of the rotation once the games start counting for real. If the minutes hold, the opener against Drexel will not just start the season. It will begin the sorting process for the week that follows.
