That’s a big move for Virginia men’s basketball! transferring from Toledo is a strong pickup for Ryan Odom, especially with the team looking to rebuild with a fresh roster. It seems like the program is undergoing a bit of a transformation, especially with Elijah Gertrude as the sole returner for next season. It will be interesting to see how Odom molds the team, especially with a new guard like Lewis in the fold.
Do you think this is just the beginning of more transfers for the team, or do you expect them to focus on recruiting high school players to round out the roster?
Lewis stands at 6′ 6 and is coming off a season where he averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 47% from the field. Lewis also earned 2nd team All-MAC honors while starting all 33 games for the Rockets.
In relief of Isaac McKneely announcing his commitment to Louisville, Lewis gives the Hoos a reliable three-point shooter as he averaged 44.4% from three this past year.
Lewis saw action in 31 of 32 games his freshman year before taking a massive leap his sophomore year. The Chicago, Illinois native was a two-star prospect, according to 247, coming out of high school but, as a transfer, received a four-star rating, showing his improvement in just two seasons of collegiate basketball.
Lewis attended Simeon Academy in high school, averaging 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game while being named to Illinois’s all-public and all-state teams.
Lewis becomes the current fourth-rostered player for Odom for the 2025-26 season, joining Elijah Gertrude and high school commits Chance Mallory and Silas Barksdale.
From a coaching standpoint, Odom has named Griff Aldrich as his associate head coach and Matt Henry, Bryce Crawford, and Darius Theus as assistant coaches as they look to continue to construct Virginia’s roster for the 2025-26 season.
With Lewis being the first commitment of the offseason. Other transfer targets include – VCU freshmen Brandon Jennings and Luke Bamgboye and Oklahoma guard Duke Miles who Virginia has hosted or is set to host. Jennings, Bamgboye and Miles have yet to announce their decisions. Meanwhile, 10 Cavaliers have entered the transfer portal, and five of them have committed to other schools: Blake Buchanan (Iowa State), Dai Dai Ames (Cal), Isaac McKneely (Louisville), Andrew Rohde (Wisconsin), and Anthony Robinson (Xavier).
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