UVA reportedly leading for German big man Grunloh

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Ryan Odom’s international recruiting connections are well known, and it appears the new Virginia coach is using those connections to get the Cavaliers’ program kick-started.

According to a report by Rupert Fabig in a Hamburg, Germany, newspaper, German big man Johann Grunloh is leaning heavily to join Odom’s UVA program. Grunloh is a 6-foot-11, 19-year-old upcoming standout who wants to bring his game to America.

It doesn’t hurt that Grunloh is playing this season with former Virginia forward Jayden Gardner for SC Rasta Vechta in Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the top level of professional club basketball in Germany. Gardner spent two seasons at UVA after transferring from East Carolina.

Gardner and Grunloh have comprised the Rasta Vechta frontcourt for 33 games this season, with Grunloh starting every game. During that span, Grunloh has averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots while clocking 23 minutes per game. He is shooting 47 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from the 3-point arc, where European players excel. He is coming off a 20-point performance and has posted 13 double-figures games.

Grunloh led the German U18 team to the European championships in 2023, where it won the bronze medal. He averaged 3.9 blocks per game during that tournament.

Odom has a strong history with international recruiting, with his recent VCU team boasting two players from London, another from France and another (Max Shugla) from Ukraine. The French player, 6-8 wing Martin Carrere, redshirted last season and followed Odom to Virginia.