VCU HIRES FATHER-SON TO REPLACE ODOM

 Noteworthy:

So VCU hired the Martellis, father and son, to replace 

 RYAN ODOM and run the men’s basketball program. 

Officially, PHIL MARTELLI JR., 43, will be the coach 

while Phil Sr., 70, will join him … “in some capacity,” 

which has become the description most used by people 

who seem to know what’s going on while everyone seems 

reluctant to say what that really means … assuming they 

know, of course.

Given senior’s lifetime of college-coaching expertise to 

go with, at times, an overly-aggressive A-personality … 

and you can count on him being THE (if unofficial) 

spokesman for Rams’ hoops as well as taking on anyone 

who dares being critical of junior. And a lively time 

should be had by all, eh? Sounds like fun to me.

RICHARD PITINO, son of Rick, likewise was in the 

mix … and might have been VCU’s first choice … that is, 

we’re told, until he wouldn’t commit to staying more than 

a few years. “We didn’t want someone who was always 

looking for a bigger, better job,” said a source close to the 

program. “We’ve had enough of that.”

Odom left for Virginia after two highly-successful 

seasons but, the source said, “That had been his dream, to 

go back to Charlottesville where he grew up … when his 

father was an assistant there. He told us … he could have 

stayed here a long time … but that job came open and ...”

Richard Pitino, 42, was named coach at Xavier of the Big 

East Conference Tuesday … when word leaked Phil Jr., 

was en route to VCU … While Pitino had 13 years of 

experience as a head coach -- FIU (1), Minnesota (8) and 

New Mexico (4) -- Martelli has two … at little, 163-year-

old Bryant University located in Smithfield, Rhode 

Island, where he was 43-25 including 23-12 this past 

season, winning the conference championship, playing in 

the NCAA championships for only the second time 

EVER in school history and being named conference as 

well as Mid-Atlantic coach of the year … Bryant has a 

student body of 2,700-plus. Its original name: Bryant and 

Stratton Business College.

Martelli Jr., called VCU “my dream job.” For sure he’ll 

get a generous bump in salary after making in the 

neighborhood of $500,000 a year at Bryant … We’re told 

Odom was paid an annual base of $1.8 million at VCU … 

with incentives that boosted it to about $2.5M in 2024-25 

when the Rams finished first in the Atlantic-10 then won 

the conference tournament before losing to Brigham 

Young in the first round of the NCAA playoffs … He 

probably will make upwards of $4 million annually at 

U.Va. Average for D1 coaches is $2.7M … starting with a 

high of $8.8 by BILL SELPH of Kansas.

At U.Va., from all indications, it came down to Odom or

 SHAKA SMART, another former VCU coach who left 

for Texas and currently is at Marquette (which lost to 

New Mexico in the first round recently) … There were 

conflicting “reports” about Richard Pitino’s interest and 

the search committee’s interest in him … Among others 

said to be on the list of finalists: Furman’s BOB 

RICHEY; Drake’s BEN McCOLLUM, who wound up 

at Iowa; and Iowa State’s TJ OTZELBERGER.

Finally … Virginia plans to hire a general manager for 

basketball … someone to help a staff deal with the ever-

growing complexities of major-college sports, especially 

football and men’s hoops. It’s a new but crucial position 

that, frankly, was news to us when BILL BELICHICK

 hired former NFL executive MICHAEL LOMBARDI

 to serve as GM with his new football program at North 

Carolina/Chapel Hill.

Former Cavalier basketball star CURTIS STAPLES is 

interested. Is he ever! Only problem is, contrary to a story 

published yesterday, Staples has not spoken to athletic 

director CARLA WILLIAMS, nor has an interview been 

scheduled … Bright, well-spoken, Staples would seem a 

logical candidate. He did ask WALLY WALKER, a 

member of the search committee that selected Odom, 

about the new position. “I told him I was VERY 

interested,” Staples said, “but he said they hadn’t started 

on it yet.”… Come to think of it … Walker might be an 

aspirant for the job himself.

Staples, 48, was the first great shooter of three-point field 

goals these old eyes can remember. Four straight years, 

starting in 1994-95, he led the ACC in treys, making 38.8 

percent from beyond the arc, and his total of 413 still 

ranks second … The 6-3 shooting (what else?) guard 

from Roanoke resigned this week after seven years as 

coach at Lakewood Christian Academy in White Pine, 

Tenn. “I decided it was time for me to transition to 

something more … as a teacher or counselor … and made 

up my mind to do it after this season,” Staples said.

Until next time ...

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