The 2017-18 UMBC Retrievers men’s basketball team was constructed perfectly to upend a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Heady upperclassmen guards, high-energy bigs inside, sharp shooting on the perimeter, and a coaching staff capable of leading them to believe the impossible was, indeed, possible.
While the upset came on March 16, 2018, the win was history nearly two years in the making.
MORE: Who is UMBC? Five fast facts about the first-ever No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed
On March 2, 2016, UMBC entered the America East Tournament as the bottom seed of an eight-team field. In the opening round of the tournament, the Retrievers fell to eventual conference champion Stony Brook 86-76, effectively ending a disastrous 7-25 season.
The loss called university Athletic Director Tim Hall to action to shift the culture of a program that was spiraling downward.
After parting ways with then-head coach Aki Thomas, UMBC began its search for his replacement. On March 30, exactly four weeks after the season had come to an end, the University announced the hiring of Ryan Odom as its ninth-ever basketball coach.
Odom, the son of Wake Forest and South Carolina coaching legend Dave Odom, came to Baltimore having just finished his first full season as a head coach at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, NC. Under Odom, the Lenoir-Rhyne advanced to the Sweet 16 and finished the season with a record of 21-10.
FAGAN: Turns out, UMBC's humiliating loss to Albany was a springboard, not quicksand
Despite having only spent one full season as a head coach, Odom had over 20 years of coaching experience under his belt. He served as an assistant at South Florida, Furman, UNC Asheville, American, Virginia Tech and UNC Charlotte before moving on to Lenoir-Rhyne.
Though Ryan Odom’s coaching history has grown to be complex, his father called back on each point effortlessly when recalling Ryan’s journey, “he’s made a lot of stops… the thing that you know is that he left every single job feeling he was more prepared to move forward, and all the head coaches he had worked for were all very pleased with what he’d done.”
The elder Odom added: “When he made the commitment to coach, every waking day has been spent trying to improve himself, and it’s been fun to watch him.” While Ryan Odom’s basketball pedigree made him more than qualified to coach UMBC, it is his personality that made him the perfect candidate to shift the culture.
“Last night was another step in the right direction for Ryan as a coach and a human being, really,” his father added. The often lost human element of coaching is what has allowed Odom and his staff to remain grounded and continue to get through to their team. Dave Odom concluded his thoughts on the upset by stating that “it was a well-earned and very deserved win and he’s handled it very well today.”
MARCH MADNESS 2018: UMBC students hope historic win brings national attention to school's accomplishments
As a second-generation Demon Deacon, I have had the pleasure of knowing both Ryan and Dave Odom for several years. Through my basketball journey, I have also grown to know UMBC assistant coach Nate Dixon, who has worked alongside Ryan Odom for the past seven years. In the midst of the frenzy that comes with the territory of making unprecedented history, all three still made a point to strike brief, but genuine conversations with me; it was something none of them had to do, but actions that are a testament to the quality of who they are as people.
You can tell when an individual is truly genuine in their words and actions. It’s just different. That is how the 2017-18 Retrievers' confidence has grown to be what it is now. They genuinely believe everything that their coaches tell them.
In addition to becoming the first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the tournament, the win over Virginia was UMBC's 25th of the season, a new school record. Six members of the team that finished 7-25 in 2016 are a part of the 2018 team that is making history in its tournament run. I spoke with three of them and each had similar things to say when asked about Coach Odom’s impact on them personally and on the program.
In one sentence, junior guard Ishmail Jabbie indicated just how quickly Ryan Odom got UMBC back on the right track, “From day one, he came in and changed the culture.”
MORE: UMBC's win earns everyone in U.S. free pizza
Junior forward Joe Sherburne, who finished with 14 points in the victory over UVA, was finishing up his freshman year when Ryan Odom was hired to be the head coach. He also noted an immediate shift in the culture of the program at the onset of Odom’s hiring, “I remember, I had a little meeting with one of our assistants, (Griff Aldrich), and he said, ‘So what are your goals for this year?’ and I said ‘I just want to go .500’ and he said ‘Dude, we’re not going to go .500, we’re going to be better than that.’”
They were.
UMBC finished the 2016-17 season eight games over .500 with a record of 21-13. Its season ended with a semifinal loss in the CBI. The Retrievers' 21 wins last year was greater than the 20 they amassed in the three seasons prior to the hiring of Ryan Odom and his staff combined. UMBC's turnaround earned Odom the 2017 Joe B. Hall Award, given annually to the top first-year coach in Division I. When presenting Odom with his award, AD Tom Hall stated "Ryan is an excellent coach, but a better person." It’s true.
UMBC’s success in 2017 allowed the team to continue to buy in to Odom’s philosophies and appreciate his approach. Sherburne added, “He’s a player’s coach…Even when we’re down 15 at halftime some games, or when we had 12 points at halftime, he’s not coming in there screaming. He knows what we need to hear and he’s really good at delivering the message.” (True story, the 12 point first-half is a reference to UMBC's 44-point loss to Albany in late Jan.) Odom’s calm demeanor and genuine personality allow his team to bounce back from adversity and believe in themselves when outside factors could lead them to do otherwise.
When asked about his coach, senior guard Jourdan Grant's face lit up.
"He’s the friendliest guy...," Grant said. “As a coach he just instills confidence in us. I think it shows in the way we play – freed up – and, when we step out on the court he has complete confidence and he trusts us.” In 27 minutes against Virginia, Grant played a major role in UMBC’s historic win, contributing eight points off the bench.
Read This
Odom’s father appeared in nine NCAA Tournament as a head coach and won 10 games. Naturally, I asked what advice he had for his son with the quick turnaround from Friday’s win. His response was simple: “Take care of today. Plan for tomorrow, but take care of today. Every time he and I talk, if I think he’s getting off track, I say ‘coach your team.’ And everything else will work out.”
As long as Ryan Odom coaches his team his way, things will continue to work out just fine.