A coaching change and a six-month wait did not give Chance Mallory a change of heart in the end. After originally committing to the Virginia men’s basketball team led by Tony Bennett last September, Mallory made the call for the Cavaliers again on Saturday. The public decision came just hours after UVA officially announced Ryan Odom as the next coach of the program.
Mallory, a consensus top 100 guard in the class of 2025 from Charlottesville, shared his choice at St. Anne's-Belfield in front of family and friends as well as on social media.
Mallory selected Virginia over offers from a long list of schools, including UVA, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee, a trio of schools that were finalists both last summer and this spring. Other programs with interest in the last year that were finalists at one time were Miami, Clemson, Villanova, Vanderbilt, and Maryland. Ultimately, the opportunity to stay and play in his hometown won out.
"It means a lot to me to be able to play for this school," Mallory told local media outlet ScrimmagePlay.com. He also added: "I'm definitely very excited to see what the future holds and to be able to play in JPJ. I've been going there ever since I was a kid. It's basically a dream come true."
The major recruiting services all have Mallory safely inside the top 100. Rivals currently lists him at No. 61 nationally and rising, while 247 Sports has him at No. 54. On3.com ranks at No. 56 in the country. He’s a 4-star recruit across the board.
A 5’9”, 170-pound point guard, Mallory brings a lot of scoring and playmaking ability into the fold. He has flashed deep 3-point range as well as the skill to score against bigger players near the rim. He'll obviously need both skills as he steps in Power 4 basketball at the next level.
Mallory became the all-time leading scorer at St. Anne's with 2,270 career points. He averaged 25.4 points as a senior with 6.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.9 steals while his team went 21-8 with a state semifinal appearance. As a junior, he posted 26.0 points, 4.8 assists, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game while helping his team to a 26-4 record. The Saints lost in the 2024 VISAA Division 1 title game to Paul VI, but Mallory poured in 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Over the last two seasons,, Mallory shot 39.7% (85-214) and 36.0% (83-231) from 3-point range for STAB.
Mallory played for Team Thrill last summer on the AAU travel circuit. In seven games in the Under Armour Next events, he had 151 points (21.6), 30 assists (4.3), 24 rebounds (3.4), and 12 steals (1.7). He made 19 of 50 3-pointers (38.0%) and 36 of 40 free throws (90.0%).
Highlights for Mallory can be found on his Hudl profile here. There are many videos on YouTube as well, including one here.
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