Ralph Sampson’s No. 1 choice for UVA’s next coach is …

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia legend Ralph Sampson said that if the Cavaliers make a coaching change at the end of this season, he has a clear-cut No. 1 at the top of his wish list.

“I think the coach here should be Rick Carlisle,” Sampson said, referring to his former UVA teammate (1982-83). Carlisle is presently coach of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.

“Rick’s got a house here in Charlottesville now, Rick’s daughter is going to UVA now,” Sampson said during a recent appearance on “The Jerry & Jerry Show” podcast. “I don’t know if Rick is tired of the NBA, but I think having an NBA coach may attract some players to come play for UVA because he’s there, just like [Bill] Belichick at North Carolina. Rick would be my favorite.”

Carlisle, 59, signed a new, multi-year contract with the Pacers in October of 2023, but details of that deal were not made public. In 2021, he signed a four-year deal worth $29 million ($7.25 million per year), so the new contract is believed to be in the $8-million-per-year range, one of the top five coaching salaries in the NBA.

Carlisle transferred from Maine to UVA in 1982 and started for the Cavaliers for two seasons. He played in the NBA and has served as head coach of the Pacers (twice), the Dallas Mavericks and the Detroit Pistons.

Sampson said No. 2 on his wish list would be current VCU head coach Ryan Odom, son of longtime Terry Holland assistant Dave Odom at Virginia.

“Ryan Odom knows UVA, he was born and raised here. He’s done a great job at VCU,” Sampson said.

Ryan Odom was a ballboy at University Hall during the Sampson era. He was head coach at UMBC, leading the memorable No. 16 seed’s upset over Tony Bennett’s No. 1 seeded Virginia. Odom moved on to become head coach at Utah State until taking over at VCU two years ago.