CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Dallin Hall has played 100 games of college basketball in his career, with 61 starts, all for BYU. He’s been a part of multiple NCAA Tournament teams and is coming off a season where his Cougars went to the Sweet Sixteen.
Now, for his final season of eligibility, Hall is eschewing the familiar sights of Provo for a new experience in Charlottesville, playing for a first-year head coach in Ryan Odom and hoping to help return Virginia basketball to prominence in the ACC.
Despite the unfamiliarity with the region, Hall says central Virginia has been kind to him.
“Charlottesville has treated me really well,” Hall said in an interview on Best Seat in the House with Luke Neer on WINA. “It’s crazy. We go out to places with the team and people know our names and they tell us how excited they are for the season, and so you can just tell how much this community cares about UVA sports and basketball in particular.”
That excitement comes as Odom takes the reins for his first season leading the program. Only Elijah Gertrude, Carter Lang, and Desmond Roberts from last year’s Virginia roster chose to stay after interim coach Ron Sanchez was dismissed, meaning Odom had to rely heavily on the transfer portal.
Hall announced he was entering the portal on April 2 and committed to Virginia one week later.
“I had some really close friends who had played for Coach Odom at Utah State,” Hall said, “And in talking to them about him and his style of play and his staff, they only had super positive things to say.”
Odom also got a first-hand look at Hall while Hall was playing at BYU. The Cougars beat Odom’s VCU team last season, 80-71, in the NCAA Tournament. Hall came off the bench to score six points and dish out four assists. He did not commit a turnover in 22 minutes in the game.
Odom’s style of play at Virginia is one that Hall has found to his liking. “Yeah, we play super fast here, which I know is probably new for fans out here. I think it’s a very fun style of basketball, it makes you make decisions quick, keeps the defense on their heels.”
Despite excitement around a new roster and an up-tempo playing style, some Virginia fans may wonder how a roster made up of almost entirely new players can create chemistry with one another.
“I would say it’s probably the challenge most of college basketball faces now with the transfer portal and so many shifting pieces,” Hall said. The college basketball veteran has had to take on a leadership role along with other transfer additions who are seasoned at the collegiate level. “Me and Malik [Thomas] and Devin Tillis, you know, three of us older vet guys who have come from some winning programs, have really sat down and talked and tried to find ways to help our team really bind together and keep the main thing the main thing, which is finding ways to win, and it’s led to some great conversations, been some ups and downs, but we’re ultimately growing together.”
The leadership Hall has displayed is evident to his new head coach as well.
“Dallin Hall is somebody that the players look up to,” UVA coach Ryan Odom said. “He’s very consistent in the way that he works and approaches the game. There’s just a trust there you know that exists.”
Virginia basketball began official practice on Tuesday preparing for their season opener November 3 against Rider. Though no one can say how a Cavalier team with multiple new additions will fare, Virginia will count on the steady hand of the veteran point guard from Utah to lead it.
