CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – After undergoing an arthroscopic knee surgery the last week in October, Devin Tillis wasn’t sure when he’d be returning to the basketball court. 

“The doctor, after I had my scope, was like, ‘You could be back in three weeks,’” said Tillis, a Virginia  forward who transferred from UC Irvine before this season. “But then everybody else was like, ‘We’re not going to rush you.’ I think everybody was kind of surprised how I came along.”

Tillis returned to the court a week ago, playing limited minutes in UVA’s games at the Greenbrier Tip-Off.

Friday night, Tillis came off the bench to score 13 points, grab five rebounds and dish out an assist in 18 minutes of playing time in the Cavaliers’ 94-69 dispatching of visiting Queens.

Thijs DeRidder, who starts at the same power forward position Tillis plays, scored 21 as Virginia bounced back from its first loss of the season with a comfortable handling of the preseason favorite in the ASUN. 

Sam Lewis added 15 points, Johann Grunloh had 13 and 10 rebounds, and Chance Mallory and Jacari White each had 11 as UVA scored over 80 points for the sixth time in its first seven games. 

Virginia (6-1) knocked down 15 3-pointers and assisted on 24 of 32 made baskets, a marked improvement over its ball movement against Butler on Sunday at the Greenbrier, its first loss under new coach Ryan Odom.

“We learned a lot over the course of that weekend about ourselves,” Odom said. “One of the focuses for us was just to simply pass the ball and execute a little better on offense. I thought our guys did a nice job of playing together.”

“The thing Coach Odom is building is five guys that can dribble, pass and shoot and can make decisions with the ball,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said.

Wearing a sweater with an image of a turkey and the words “leftovers are for quitters,” Leonard praised a former assistant, former UVA star J.R. Reynolds, with helping getting Friday’s matchup with the Cavaliers scheduled. 

He also talked about coaching against Odom back when both were working at Division II schools.

“He was ahead of the curve,” Leonard said. “Our league, at the time, we had four teams go to the national tournament, but we had a bunch of teams that were still running high-low, like old-school type offenses. He came in with the spread ball screen and changing angles on ball screens and … Ryan revolutionized our league.”

Guard Nasir Mann scored 18 for the Royals (3-5), who still have Power Conference matchups with Wake Forest, Arkansas and Auburn in December before opening league play. 

Friday the Cavaliers used a 16-1 run late in the first half to grab firm control of the game, going up 43-19 with just under three minutes until halftime. A 20-2 surge midway through the second half put things out of reach for the visitors, UVA going ahead 74-41 after a Lewis jumper with 11:30 left.

Tillis, a 6-foot-7, 240-pounder, suffered a knee injury during the team’s preseason win over Villanova on Oct. 24. He underwent an arthroscopic procedure the next week and made his UVA debut on Nov. 21 in a win over Northwestern at the Greenbrier. 

Friday, against Queens, he logged his most minutes of the season.
Wearing a black sleeve over his right leg – and a white one on his left arm – Tillis went 3 for 4 from the floor, connected on both his 3-point attempts, hit all five of his free throws and grabbed five defensive rebounds.

Before suffering a knee injury in an October preseason exhibition, Tillis had worked to carve out a role this season.

Following his surgery, the graduate transfer is working to reestablish what that might look like.

Friday, Odom tinkered with different lineup combinations that included – at times – Tillis playing alongside DeRidder and one of the team’s centers – Grunloh and Onyenso. 

“I think I was in a pretty good spot,” Tilli said. “Obviously, I’ve got an NBA that I get to play with, Thijs DeRidder. So just finding my spots when I need to get in there. Literally last week I told Coach Odom, ‘Hey, whenever you need me, throw me in there. I got you.’ I’ve kind of taken on that role, trying to be a leader, having these guys’ backs. Like I said, wherever he needs me, I’ll be there.”