CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) The last time Elijah Gertrude took the court for Virginia basketball, Tony Bennett was the Cavaliers coach, Reece Beekman led the team in scoring and Ryan Odom had VCU in the NIT.

That was March 19, 2024 when the young guard played two minutes in UVA’s NCAA Tournament First Four loss to Colorado State.

A month later, Gertrude suffered a second torn ACL during a scooter accident. In October, Bennett retired, UVA played the season under interim coach Ron Sanchez and, in March, Odom took the program’s reins.

“I’m the last one here,” Gertrude, the last remaining scholarship player from the past two years, told Cville Right Now.

While Sanchez dutifully shepherded the team through a forgettable season, the program’s first losing campaign since 2009-10, Gertrude was rehabbing his knee.

And when Sanchez was dismissed on March 12, hours after the team’s ACC tournament loss to Georgia Tech, Gertrude faced a decision – Would he stay or go?

Odom was hired less than two weeks later, but, other than Gertrude, all the remaining scholarship players opted to leave the program.

“UVA is where I wanted to be,” Gertrude said. “I committed here, I came here for a reason. Charlottesville is the place I wanted to be. I’m grateful for the opportunity Coach Odom’s giving me, still being able to play for the city of Charlottesville and play for the University of Virginia. This is where I want to be.”

Gertrude, a 6-foot-4, 179-pound wing from Jersey City, N.J., missed his senior season of high school basketball after tearing his ACL in November 2022. A year later, after a surprisingly rapid recovery, Gertrude made his UVA debut, corralling a defensive rebound 31 seconds after checking in for the first time during Virginia’s 59-47 home win over No. 14 Texas A&M.

But Gertrude played only sparingly the rest of the season, as Bennett rarely turned to the freshmen despite UVA’s frequent offensive lulls. Gertrude logged limited minutes while appearing in 16 games. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

Still, hope ran high that Gertrude’s roll would expand as a sophomore.

Then came his April 30 scooter wreck.

“I was on a scooter and there were potholes. It was like manhole covers that dipped into the ground,” Gertrude said. “I didn’t really see them until I hit. I tried to catch my balance and ended up falling off. Tried to catch myself. It was like any other accident if you fall off a scooter, but unfortunately, I ended up tearing my ACL again.”

He underwent surgery on May 17.

Suddenly, Gertrude was back to the all-too-familiar process of rehabilitating his knee, a grueling process that took both a physical toll and an emotional one. Sitting on the side as UVA struggled in the wake of Bennett’s retirement burned at Gertrude.

“Last year’s group was a very close group,” Gertrude said. “What happened with Coach Bennett, that brought everyone a lot closer. It was definitely tough not being able to go out there and play with those guys.”

For Gertrude, it brought back painful memories of having to sit and watch his Hudson Catholic Regional teammates play without him after his first ACL tear.

But that experience, Gertrude said, also gave him confidence he could navigate the process again.

“I went through it once, so i already knew I could get it through again,” Gertrude said. “And as we can see, I have.”

Gertrude went to work with a pair of familiar faces, strength coach Mike Curtis and trainer Ethan Saliba, both holdovers from the previous staffs. As soon as he could safely put weight on his leg, he was back on the court doing limited dribbling and shooting work.

He started to get back into basketball shape by, at first, riding a stationary bike on one leg. Gertrude said he had no major setbacks during his recovery is on schedule to be fully healthy when the season starts in November.

And, he said, he’s eager to play for a new coach and with his new teammates, a Cavaliers squad that bears little resemblance to the one he last suited up for. Only walk-ons Carter Lang and Desmond Roberts, who both played locally at St. Anne’s-Belfield in high school, are back.

Odom rebuilt the roster with seven transfers and three incoming freshmen, brought most of his staff from VCU and added Longwood coach Griff Aldrich as his associate head coach.

Gertrude met with Odom shortly after Odom’s hiring and the two quickly agreed Gertrude would remain with the program.

Odom’s style of play, pressuring defensively and pushing the ball in transition, may even be a more natural fit for the bouncy, athletic Gertrude that Bennett’s slower-paced, pack-line approach.

“A system like this is pretty much how I play,” Gertrude said. “I love to get up and down. Athleticism. Defense. Getting a lot of shots and getting downhill. I’d definitely say it’s a great fit.”