It was late in the evening on Nov. 3, but Ryan Odom was apparently still in the Halloween spirit. The first-year University of Virginia men’s basketball coach stood before his team with a costume-prop in his right hand.
In most settings, this would seem odd. Why would a 51-year-old man, dressed sharply in a navy suit, be holding a sword?
But this is UVA, and it wasn’t just any kind of sword. It was a sabre, a longtime symbol of the University and its affiliation with the “Cavaliers” nickname.
Odom, since his hire last March, has been determined to connect his players – most of them new to Grounds – to this place. So, following the Cavaliers’ 87-53 win over Rider University in the 2025-26 season-opening game, he announced a new tradition.
Ugonna Onyenso’s emphatic sabre sparks a reaction from his Cavalier teammates in the home locker room at John Paul Jones Arena. Onyenso earned the sabre on March 7 with a 16-point performance in a win over Virginia Tech. (Virginia Athletics photo)
From then on, following each UVA victory, he’d hand the sabre to a player of his choosing.
“We want to have something that we do after wins,” Odom told his players in the home locker room at John Paul Jones Arena. “We want to celebrate the wins.”
Moments later, Odom called up freshman forward Thijs De Ridder after his 21-point, 10-rebound performance, and the burly, 6-foot-9 Belgian was soon trying to holster the sharp prop weapon into the side of his shorts – before unsheathing it as if he were to enter a duel.
“It’s always funny,” De Ridder said, “but well-earned when you get that (sabre).”
Dallin Hall, right, presents the sabre to teammate Johann Grünloh after 鶹ƽ win over N.C. State on Feb. 24. While Odom initially picked Hall as that game’s sabre recipient, Hall felt Grünloh, who had eight blocked shots against the Wolfpack, deserved it more. (Virginia Athletics photo)
The Cavaliers, with a 29-5 record, have been slicing and dicing their opponents en route to Friday’s NCAA Tournament first-round matchup against Wright State University (23-11).
The beauty of this team comes in its balance. From De Ridder, the leading scorer, to Ugonna Onyenso, the snail-fed shot blocker, to Jacari White, the electric sixth man with his own fan club, Wahoos of all kinds have been honored with the sabre.
The prop’s keeper is Michael Crowder, a UVA alumnus and the team’s director of culture and alumni engagement.
“Coach Odom picks who’s going to get it,” Crowder said, “and hopefully it’s who in that game really exemplified the pillars and what we want to be about.”
