At this time last year, Belgium’s Thijs De Ridder and Germany’s Johann Grunloh were new to the Virginia basketball team and new to the United States.
Now both big men are returning starters for a squad that is ranked No. 9 by The Associated Press and No. 2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the preseason polls.
De Ridder and Grunloh will look to hit the ground running on Nov. 3 when the Cavaliers open their season against Drexel in Charlottesville, Va.
“It’s so much different now,” said Grunloh, a 7-foot sophomore who averaged 7.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks last year. “You start to know the place, know where to go, where to get something to eat or just hang out a little bit. You really start appreciating the place. It never gets boring.”
De Ridder, the ACC’s Preseason Player of the Year, and Grunloh are joined by returning starter Sam Lewis and sixth man Chance Mallory from a squad that finished 30-6 in head coach Ryan Odom’s first season in Charlottesville.
“The starting five is going to be pretty much the same as last year, with Chance on and with another new guy, so I think it’s going to click right away,” said De Ridder, a 6-foot-9 sophomore who averaged 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds last season. “I think that it’s one of our big advantages going into this season, so I’m excited for that.”
The Cavaliers brought in six new scholarship players, including projected starter Jurian Dixon. A 6-foot-4 senior guard, Dixon averaged 15.9 points last season at UC Irvine. Fellow transfers Kalu Anya (Saint Louis), Jan Vide (Loyola Marymount) and Christian Harmon (Arkansas State) are joined by freshmen Nolan Adekunle from Germany and 7-foot-1 Favour Ibe from Nigeria.
As Virginia prepared for its season opener against Drexel, Odom said he has seen De Ridder and Grunloh grow closer on and off the court.
“They were pretty comfortable right away last year,” Odom said. “I think that’s one of the reasons they’re still here: They found a home away from home. So there’s definitely a level of comfort. They know what to expect to meet the challenges necessary to be successful but also enjoy UVA as well.”
Virginia lost five rotation players from a team that reached the ACC tournament title game and fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, including team leaders Dallin Hall and Devin Tillis, No. 2 scorer Malik Thomas (12.4) and 3-point marksman Jacari White.
Drexel finished 17-16 last season, the Philadelphia program’s sixth consecutive winning campaign under coach Zach Spiker. The Dragons were picked to finish ninth in the preseason coaches poll in the Coastal Athletic Association.
Drexel fell 81-52 in its Oct. 14 preseason opener at St. John’s, with Amaree Abram and Panagiotis Pagonis leading the team with eight points apiece.
Spiker is counting on the leadership of junior guard Josh Reed, who returns after averaging 7.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 33 games (one start).
“Every year someone comes back to your program, it’s a gift, and it speaks to their belief in our development and our system,” Spiker said of Reed during the CAA media day on Oct. 15.
Virginia won both previous meetings with Drexel, prevailing 72-58 in Charlottesville in 2007 and 49-35 in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands in 2011.