CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – For Thijs DeRidder, it’s been the food. For Johann Grunloh, it’s been the weather.
Virginia basketball’s international imports are getting acclimated to their new team on the court and their new lives off of it.
And while there have been some challenges, the pair said, overall, it’s been a smooth adjustment.
“You’re playing overseas in Europe, close to home. And now you’re across seas. It’s kind of different,” DeRidder told Cville Right Now. “But the same way, you’re here for playing basketball and a thing you love to do. You know the reason why you’re here, so it’s easier than expected.”
The two figure to play key roles as coach Ryan Odom starts his tenure at UVA. Odom is no stranger to international recruiting. His teams at Utah State and VCU all head foreign players, including one of his best, Max Shulga.
Martin Carrere, a wing player who followed Odom from VCU to UVA, is from France.
“I don’t know that I’ve coached a year without an international player,” Odom told Cville Right Now. “It’s certainly an area that we want to continue to cultivate. It matches our university, a lot of these kids are good students and care about the academic side of things, but they also love basketball and want to play professionally.”
Odom signed DeRidder, a Belgian power forward who played professionally in Spain, and Grunloh, a German center who was playing in his home country, without ever seeing them play live, relying on video and on connections he and his staff have in European basketball.
For coach and players alike, it has been a bit of a leap of faith.
“100%,” Grunloh said. “I lived 40 minutes from home. My parents could come see me any time they want to. I could go home any time I wanted to. Now, it’s a 9-hour flight back home so it’s different for me. I was pretty nervous landing here.”
And the first thing Grunloh noticed?
“It was really hot out here,” Grunloh said. “The heat. The humidity. That struck me the first time I stepped out of the airport.”
DeRidder quickly made an observation about much of American food.
“Everything here is so greasy and just all the refills with your drink,” he said. “Everything here is big.”
On the court, the pair said they’re adapting to the American college rules, which have some differences from Europe. Grunloh shares an apartment with Carrere and all three international players spend time reminiscing about European players they all competed against and talking about their new home.
Playing professionally, often against older and stronger opponents, DeRidder and Grunloh are well equipped to play a physical brand of basketball. But Grunloh found the pace of UVA’s practices eye opening.
“It was more athletic and fast,” Grunloh said. “Running five on five against those guys, I was exhausted. You could see me trying to keep up with them.”
Odom favors a fairly up-tempo style, pressing on defense and opportunistically running on offense.
The 7-foot Grunloh prides himself on being a rim protector who can step out and shoot 3-pointers and work in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop situations.
The 6-foot-8, 231-pound DeRidder is a powerful rebounder with skill and confidence as a spot-up shooter.
Odom may not have gotten to see DeRidder in person, but he got an eye full of his potential watching video.
“It’s pretty clear who he has a chance to be, to be an impactful player in the ACC,” Odom said. “And certainly what we needed.”
Deciding to recruit DeRidder was an easy call. Getting him to Virginia was far trickier. And the drawn-out process of certifying his eligibility had DeRidder feeling anxious, especially as European pro teams were filling their rosters while he lingered in NCAA limbo.
“It was stressful for my whole family, my girlfriend, everybody, because you’re just waiting for something. Maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s yes,” DeRidder said. “And in Europe, the market is getting opened, so teams are signing players. Then you have to say no to good teams in Europe. Then they’re just signing other players. They don’t care. They don’t wait for you.”
Still, DeRidder didn’t waver. He believed that his best path to the NBA is playing American college basketball at UVA. Through May and June and into July, DeRidder and the Cavaliers waited for word.
It finally came when DeRidder was at home in Belgium, having a family barbeque and getting ready to eat his dinner. He got a phone call from UVA associate head coach Griff Aldrich, his lead recruiter.
“He said, ‘Guess who’s eligible?’” DeRidder said. “We started screaming and laughing on the phone. It was an amazing feeling.”
Both DeRidder and Grunloh have quickly forged relationships with the UVA coaches, who impressed them during recruiting, over Zoom and phone calls. Aldrich and assistant Matt Henry spearhead Virginia’s international efforts, and Odom was front-and-center with the two prospects, as well.
“Every coach is different. Every coach I’ve had,” Grunloh said. “From Serbian coaches, who would scream at you if you did something wrong, to coaches who are pretty nice. I think Coach Odom has a good mixture of it. He knows when to be strict and when to let a little bit loose.”
Grunloh has been with the team since July. DeRidder joined workouts this week. UVA starts its season Nov. 3 against Rider, hoping to get back to the NCAA Tournament after a down year in 2024-25. DeRidder and Grunloh’s contributions figure to be significant.
And they’re looking forward to that challenge.
“I’ve seen videos, playing in Duke. Those are the teams you want to play at,” DeRidder said. “All the fans, the students there are crazy. The basketball is just basketball. The rules are a little different. I’m here to play basketball and we’ll see how that goes.”
