After working out for the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets earlier this year, the sentiment provided from those franchises back to Belgian forward Thijs De Ridder was similar.
He wasn’t established enough yet in NBA Draft circles.
“Both were saying, ‘We want to see you compete with college guys who are probably next in line for the NBA,’” De Ridder, who is now at Virginia, told The Daily Progress last week. “So, I was saying, ‘Hey, let’s do it!’ and I’ll show them I can play with those guys and that I might be better. You never know. So, that was a challenge to me and to let the NBA scouts, NBA coaches and NBA teams see that I can compete.”
So, De Ridder, a 22-year-old who’d been playing professionally for Surne Bilbao in Spain for the last two seasons, had his first decision made for him. He still needed to choose, though, what school to attend and which hoops program would best prepare him to reach his NBA dreams.
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De Ridder said that’s what led him to UVa.
He said first-year Cavaliers coach Ryan Odom’s strong track record with European imports made an impression on him and that Odom and associate head coach Griff Aldrich had a plan.
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JULY 24 - Thijs De Ridder (28) during Virginia Men's Basketball practice in Charlottesville, VA on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Photo by Jamie Holt/Virginia Athletics Virginia Athletics Photo
De Ridder picked UVa from a group of three serious suitors that also included UConn and Iowa.
The 6-foot-8 forward was deemed eligible by the NCAA in July, and he will have two years to play with the Cavaliers.
“If I stayed overseas in Europe, I think my game would become more mature in the things I can do now like rebounding and giving the energy on the court,” De Ridder said. “But now that I’m here, I think my game can be expanded and I can put more in my total package — ball-handling, passing and shooting. We talked a lot and [Odom and Aldrich] said, ‘We can help you with this and that,’ and so it was like, ‘Alright, if you can put more in my bag to help me with this and achieve my goals, let’s go.’”
Seven-foot center Johann Grünloh, a native of Germany and pro with Rasta Vechta in his home country, said he’s excited about the chance to progress into a more well-rounded player under the watch of Odom and assistant Matt Henry, too.
In Germany, the 20-year-old said he was usually assigned to match up against 250- and 260-pound, experienced front-court players. But Odom’s offensive style allows for Grünloh to function with more freedom.
He’s been working out with the Hoos since July.
“Back in Germany, I was the youngest guy on the team,” Grünloh said, “and I had some veteran teammates playing pro for I don’t know how many years, so it’s not easy to make your own decisions. Back there, I was mainly just pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop. I’m trying to get here to do a little more play-making on passes, back-door cuts and dribbling the ball.”
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JULY 24 - Johann Grunloh (17) during Virginia Men's Basketball practice in Charlottesville, VA on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Virginia Athletics
At first, that took some significant adjusting, Grünloh admitted.
He averaged 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for Rasta Vechta this past season, but practice alongside new teammates in Charlottesville revealed a drastic contrast.
“They were pushing the ball, jumping all over the court,” Grünloh said. “I wasn’t used to that. We had two Americans [with Rasta Vechta], who could jump a bit. But everyone here can jump and everyone can spread the court. So, it was pretty exhausting the first two practices. I couldn’t keep up, but now it’s more settled in and I got my 5-on-5 conditioning back and it’s better now.”
Grünloh said he had three options after the campaign ended with Rasta Vechta — stay there for another year, declare for the NBA Draft or pursue college basketball.
He said his agent explored the various routes to choose from, and by late March, Grünloh heard from the Cavaliers.
Grünloh couldn’t visit UVa then, he said, because he was still in the midst of his season in Germany, but that Odom and the Hoos’ assistants called him before each of Rasta Vechta’s games.
It didn’t hurt either that Rasta Vechta teammate Jayden Gardner had a successful two-year stint as a member of the Cavaliers before turning pro. Grünloh said he was able to ask Gardner questions about UVa.
De Ridder had valuable run-ins, he said, with UVa alums Justin Anderson and Mike Tobey in Liga ACB, the top Spanish League.
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JULY 24 - Thijs De Ridder (28) and Head Coach Ryan Odom during Virginia Men's Basketball practice in Charlottesville, VA on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Virginia Athletics
Anderson was with Barcelona, and the two squared off in May.
“He was looking before the game at me, and I was thinking, ‘What’s up with this guy? He’s looking at me and laughing,’” De Ridder said about Anderson, “and then I remember, he played at Virginia, too, and he came up to me and said, ‘Hey, congrats,’ and all these nice words, and after the game we swapped jerseys.”
De Ridder said he spoke with Tobey a few times over the phone ahead of making the choice to attend UVa.
Tobey told De Ridder that, “it’s just an amazing school not only for basketball, but academic wise it’s one of the better schools in the country,” De Ridder said.
Both De Ridder and Grünloh are a long way from home.
De Ridder is more accustomed to that than Grünloh.
“But it’s a lot further right now,” than being in Spain, De Ridder said with a laugh.
Said Grünloh: “It’s really different here than back home. I really don’t have anyone else I can talk to like family or close friends. I’ve had to get to know other people like my teammates and coaching staff, but it’s going along pretty well.”
He said he is also excited to meet more UVa students during his classes, which started last week.
The pair is clearly motivated to be in the United States and find success at UVa. Both De Ridder and Grünloh said they were familiar with the Cavaliers and knew the Hoos won the 2019 national title before UVa ever began recruiting them.
Grünloh said the Americans he played with in Germany would always make his fellow countrymen fill out brackets during March Madness. Both Grünloh and De Ridder both said they want the chance to participate in the Big Dance.
“When I’m here, I want to win with the team and make it to March Madness and make it as far as we can,” Grünloh said.
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JULY 24 - Johann Grunloh (right) during Virginia Men's Basketball practice in Charlottesville, VA on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Photo by Jamie Holt/Virginia Athletics Virginia Athletics
They’ve also enjoyed trying the local cuisine.
De Ridder said the food is greasy and he was stunned to learn free refills exist, but he’s taken a liking to chicken wings.
Grünloh loves burgers, he said, frequenting Riverside Lunch in Charlottesville and Five Guys.
“In Germany, we have good burgers. But these burgers here, they are great,” Grünloh said with a chuckle.
They’ve each appreciated getting to learn more about their new teammates, too, and De Ridder said the group was welcoming ever since he visited Grounds for the first time this past June. Collectively, the Hoos are a squad with significant college experience on their roster. Of the seven transfers Odom acquired, five are grad transfers or seniors, and given the ages and international experiences of De Ridder and Grünloh, they fit well with that bunch, too.
“Now, you’re a family and you’ve just got to figure out how to click with each other,” De Ridder said.
Greg Madia
gmadia@dailyprogress.com
@GregMadia on X
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