Odom: De Ridder’s not here, but he’s coming
Posted on Tuesday, Jul. 8, 2025, 10:25 pm
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By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: UVA Athletics
All the pieces aren’t quite in place yet, but Ryan Odom and his staff are pressing on with summer workouts in building chemistry with their new Virginia team.
Big German 7-footer Johann Grunloh just arrived in Charlottesville on Tuesday, and was getting a tour of UVA’s campus and the city by an assistant coach and missed the rare summer media day.
Another huge piece of the puzzle, physical forward Thijs (we’re told it’s pronounced Tess) De Ridder, is not in town but awaiting NCAA clearance, although he has signed with Virginia.
“So he’s cleared, partly right now, not fully,” Odom said. “I don’t know what I’m at liberty to discuss, quite honestly. I think we’re still going through the process of finishing that. We’re at a point where we were able to tell the world, ‘We’re connected on this.’”
Odom said De Ridder wants to come, Virginia wants him to come, and now they just have to finish the job.
“Some of that’s not on us, it’s not our timeline,” Odom said. “It’s the NCAA having to go through that finishing process. You have fall sports beginning and so they’re not going to get to some of the cases right away.”
