Gamecocks' coach may be considered for U.Va. job Dave Odom spent seven seasons at Virginia as an assistant coach to Terry Holland, but Craig Littlepage has not confirmed the rumor.
BY DAVID TEEL
247-4636
Published April 4, 2005

ST. LOUIS -- Dave Odom, a three-time ACC basketball coach of the year while at Wake Forest, has emerged as a candidate to take over the foundering program at the University of Virginia.

Odom completed his fourth season as South Carolina's head coach Thursday as the Gamecocks defeated Saint Joseph's in the National Invitation Tournament championship game.

He has since arrived here at the NCAA Final Four, where sources said Sunday that Odom and Virginia have mutual interest in one another.

Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage, attending the Final Four as a member of the tournament selection committee, said via e-mail that "nothing has changed" since Friday, when he described the search as progressing gradually. Odom could not be reached for comment.

Odom, 62, has spent much of his career in the ACC. He served as an assistant at Virginia under Terry Holland from 1982-89 and as head coach at Wake Forest from 1989-2001.

Odom's son Ryan is an assistant coach at Virginia Tech.

Prior to resigning as the Cavaliers' coach to become athletic director at Davidson, Holland sought assurance from then-athletic director Jim Copeland that Odom would succeed him. When Copeland declined, Odom left for Wake Forest.

Odom guided the Deacons to eight NCAA tournaments and three NIT appearances. Led by Tim Duncan, Wake Forest won the 1995 and '96 ACC tournaments, and in the latter year advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAAs.

In 19 seasons as a head coach, three at East Carolina, 12 at Wake and four at South Carolina, Odom has compiled a 355-229 record. His teams are 10-9 in the NCAA tournament.

Odom received Southeastern Conference coach of the year honors last season when the Gamecocks earned their first NCAA bid since 1998. They lost to Memphis in the first round.

Still on Virginia's radar, according to sources: DePaul coach Dave Leitao. He has guided the Blue Demons to one NCAA and two NITs in three seasons. Leitao worked as an assistant coach for Jim Calhoun at Connecticut and was on the staff when the Huskies won their first national title, in 1999.

Leitao said Sunday morning that Virginia has yet to contact him. He declined to say whether the job interests him.

Virginia is replacing Pete Gillen, forced to resign March 14 after seven years on the job. Gillen compiled a 118-93 record, 46-67 in ACC play. Virginia (14-15, 4-12) this season tied Florida State for last place in the conference and missed postseason for the first time since Gillen's first year.

The Cavaliers earned one NCAA tournament bid under Gillen, in 2001, and lost in the first round to Gonzaga. Virginia has not won an NCAA game since 1995, the longest gap of any ACC program, including newcomers Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College.

Odom emerges as coaching candidate
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
April 4, 2005

Several sources indicate that South Carolina coach Dave Odom, an assistant coach at UVa from 1982-1989 and the head coach at Wake Forest from 1989-2001, has emerged as a candidate for the Virginia vacancy.

Pete Gillen stepped down from the position after seven seasons on March 14.

There is some question to how far any talks with Odom have progressed, if they have progressed at all.

Some sources suggest Odom very well could be the next coach at Virginia while others insist he is just one of a handful of coaches being looked at by Virginia and its Athletics Director Craig Littlepage.

Odom was considered a possible successor to Terry Holland at Virginia but left for the head coaching job at Wake Forest in 1989.

Odom led South Carolina to a 60-57 win over St. Joseph’s in this year’s NIT Championship.

The Gamecocks lost the 2002 NIT title game to Memphis. Odom’s Wake Forest team won the 2000 NIT Championship.

South Carolina, which finished the season with a 20-13 record, reached 20 wins for the third time in Odom’s four seasons in Columbia, S.C.

Odom, 62, was the SEC Coach of the Year in 2004 and the ACC Coach of the Year in 1991, 1994 and 1995. The East Carolina graduate earned National Coach of the Year honors in 1995.

Odom has 29 years of collegiate coaching experience under his belt. In his 19 years as a head coach, Odom has accumulated a 355-329 record.

Odom led Wake Forest to 11 consecutive national postseason appearances while averaging 20 victories per season in Winston Salem.

Tar Heel baseball completes sweep
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
April 4, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Three road games, three tough losses.

That probably sums up Virginia baseball coach Brian O’Connor’s feelings after his team was swept on Sunday by No. 21 North Carolina.

For the second time in three days, Virginia squandered a late lead, allowing UNC to escape with an Atlantic Coast Conference win in extra innings at Boshamer Stadium.

The Cavaliers took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 10th inning on a solo homer by Matt Street, but the Tar Heels rallied for a single run in the bottom half of the frame and added another in the 11th to claim a 3-2 win in the series finale.

With the loss, Virginia falls to 19-9 on the season and 4-6 in league play. UNC (24-5, 8-2) improved its home record to 22-0 on the year and the program has won five of the last six contests against Virginia.

“On the road, you have to be a little bit better and a little bit tougher,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “We just have to find a way to win these games on the road.”

Virginia has been near perfect at home this year (16-1), but they have won just three of its 11 road games.

The loss for Virginia spoiled a sensational starting performance by Jeff Kamrath. The senior kept North Carolina at bay - going 8.1 innings - by allowing just one run on two hits. He also struck out six batters.

“Jeff Kamrath was tremendous today, he showed what a veteran pitcher does in a difficult situation, when we were down 0 and 2 in the series,” O’Connor said. “That is the best baseball he has pitched all season. It is funny because I keep saying that every weekend [about Kamrath].

“He just had [UNC] tied in knots all day long. It is unfortunate that we couldn’t muster up a couple of more runs to get him a win.”

Closer Casey Lambert took the loss in relief after allowing seven baserunners (five hits, two walks) and two earned runs.

UNC took an early 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly to left by Jay Cox in the second inning.

Virginia tied the game in the fourth when freshman Sean Doolitte drove in Ryan Zimmerman from second with an RBI double to the gap in right-center field.

Both teams remained scoreless until the 10th inning, although Virginia had more than its share of chances to take the lead. The Cavaliers stranded two runners on base in the fifth and left the bases loaded in the seventh.

Street gave Virginia a 2-1 lead with a deep homer to left. It was the first home run of the season for Street.

UNC answered for a run in the bottom-half of the inning after they opened the inning with back-to-back singles. After Lambert recorded an out, Cox delivered another RBI with a single to left.

In the top of the 11th, Mike Mitchell walked for the Cavaliers with two outs and moved into scoring position with a stolen base. UNC reliever Matt Danford, who was credited with the win, escaped the jam by getting Tim Henry to fly out to left.

With runners at the corners and two outs in the 11th, UNC’s Matt Ellington delivered the game-winning hit – a single to right field.

Virginia lost to UNC on Friday night 8-7 in 14 innings and let an early lead on Saturday slip away as the Tar Heels won 10-5.

Zimmerman paced Virginia at the plate Sunday, going 2 for 5 with a run and two stolen bases, wrapping a weekend to remember for the slugger.

The junior finished the series 10 for 15 with six runs, four RBI and four stolen bases. Zimmerman’s batting average climbed to .420 on the season by the end of the series.

“Ryan Zimmerman was just outstanding this weekend … and that is what he is capable of doing,” O’Connor said. “He can be the best against the best. And he showed what kind of player he is this weekend.”

Despite being swept in ACC-play for the second time this season, O’Connor said his team would bounce back as they enter a week that includes a road game at Liberty on Tuesday and a weekend series at home with league-foe N.C. State.

“I have so many people who tell me how hard our team plays and how hard we go about our business,” O’Connor said. “This team will not quit at all. It’s a long season and there are a lot of ACC games to be played. They have a lot of pride and they will keep fighting.”

Coaches see Odom as U.Va.'s choice
Littlepage says he has not identified a candidate publicly
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Apr 4, 2005

Basketball people around the country - particularly those with ties to this state - are closely following the University of Virginia's search for a new coach. The buzz this weekend among many coaches in St. Louis for the Final Four was that U.Va. has settled on South Carolina's Dave Odom, a former U.Va. assistant, and that his hiring is imminent.

Other coaches say U.Va. plans to interview DePaul coach Dave Leitao, a former assistant to Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, if it has not done so already.

In an e-mail yesterday to The Times-Dispatch, Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said, "I continue to be focused on finding the right coach and have not identified anyone as a candidate publicly. Those passing along or giving credibility to rumors haven't spoken to me."

Littlepage, a member of the NCAA tournament selection committee, has been in St. Louis since the middle of last week.

U.Va. announced March 14 that Pete Gillen was stepping down after seven seasons as coach. The university's president, John Casteen, in an e-mail to the T-D yesterday, described his role thus far in the coaching search as "active." That, Casteen added, "helps keep under control the tendency to get a full night's sleep or a day off" with his family.

Asked if he'd met with prospective candidates, in or away from Charlottesville, Casteen answered, "Yes." He did not elaborate.

South Carolina capped its third season under Odom, 62, by winning the NIT last week. Odom was an assistant under Terry Holland at U.Va. for seven seasons before departing in 1989 to become coach at Wake Forest. He left Wake in 2001. He has two sons, one of whom, Ryan, is an assistant Virginia Tech.

 

Odom Close to Taking Virginia Job
By Mark Schlabach and Eric Prisbell
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, April 4, 2005; Page D09

ST. LOUIS, April 3 -- Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage has offered the school's head coaching vacancy to South Carolina Coach Dave Odom, whom two sources said Sunday night was poised to accept the job.

Odom, 62, led Wake Forest to 11 consecutive postseason appearances during his 12 seasons at the ACC school. Odom, who has a 335-219 record in his college coaching career, has had mediocre success at South Carolina, guiding the Gamecocks to two appearances in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Gamecocks finished 20-13 this past season and won the postseason NIT by beating Saint Joseph's, 60-57, last week in New York's Madison Square Garden.

Odom, a native of Columbus, Ga., would replace former Virginia coach Pete Gillen, who resigned after guiding the Cavaliers to one NCAA tournament in his six seasons at the school.

The Cavaliers lose two of their best players, senior center Elton Brown and senior forward Devin Smith.

Littlepage, who is serving on the NCAA men's basketball committee, was in St. Louis on Sunday night and was unavailable for comment. Odom did not return calls to his hotel room in St. Louis.

Odom would fill Virginia's need for a basketball coach with a recognizable name. The school is scheduled to open John Paul Jones Arena for the 2006-07 season, and the facility will have a capacity of more than 16,000 seats. Virginia also contacted Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey, Texas Coach Rick Barnes and Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith, but they all indicated that they weren't interested in the position.

Upbeat Odom concentrates on recruits
By RON MORRIS
Columnist

RARE IS THE time when Dave Odom cannot put a positive spin on the subject of South Carolina basketball. His ability to convey those optimistic vibes to his team accounts in part to whatever success USC has enjoyed in Odom’s four seasons.

Yet there sat a despondent Odom in an Atlanta hotel lobby the morning after USC was eliminated by Mississippi in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Odom was convinced his team could have won a couple of tournament games and sneaked into the NCAA Tournament field. Clearly, he was having a difficult time dealing with defeat.

When asked if he was headed back to Columbia to await word on an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament, Odom was short with his response.

“Nope,” he said. “I’m going out to find some ball players.”

That is the crux of Odom’s tenure at USC. Few would question his teaching skills, his ability to prepare teams for games or his way of motivating. But for the Gamecocks to meet the athletics director’s goal of consistently playing in the NCAA Tournament, Odom needs to begin recruiting top-level talent.

Those programs that year in and year out not only play in the NCAA Tournament but advance a couple of rounds consistently field teams with one or more NBA-caliber prospects.

Odom has recruited one player, Brandon Wallace, to USC who falls into that category.

Otherwise, Odom has done at USC essentially what he did in 12 seasons at Wake Forest. He generally goes after the second-tier player, then coaches the heck out of him. At Wake Forest, Odom was most known for discovering All-American center Tim Duncan. Yet the only other big-time recruit he landed there probably was Rodney Rogers.

Generally, Odom was known at Wake Forest for annually getting the most out of his teams’ abilities, which only occasionally matched those at rivals Duke and North Carolina.

He is doing the same at USC. Only Frank McGuire among USC coaches has reached the 20-victory plateau as many times as Odom.

McGuire did it six consecutive seasons, from 1969 through 1974. Odom’s teams won 22 games in 2002, 23 games in 2004 and 20 this past season.

USC has an NIT runner-up finish, an NCAA Tournament appearance and an NIT championship in Odom’s four years. While impressive, that success is short of what Odom and outgoing athletics director Mike McGee expect from the program.

Even as USC was marching to the NIT title, McGee repeated that the program’s goal remained to consistently play in the NCAA Tournament. But you have to wonder if those expectations are reasonable and attainable given the recruiting climate at USC.

Odom has recognized how difficult it is to land the nation’s top-level players to USC. High school players recognize the ACC as a basketball league and the SEC as a football league.

So Odom is taking a different path to find success. Seven of the 12 players on the 2005 roster either transferred from a two-year school or attended a prep school out of high school. Of the three players he has signed for next season, one is enrolled in a prep school and another is a junior-college player.

The problem with junior-college players is you never know what you are going to get. Antoine Tisby might be the best example.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward came to USC with great expectations out of Allen County (Kan.) Community College. He arrived as a formidable player during the second half of the season, occasionally flashing signs of brilliance. But even then USC did not know what to expect game to game from Tisby.

In relying so heavily on transfers, Odom will have difficulty building continuity. Often with junior-college players, they prove to be productive performers only in their second season. Then they are gone.

Since such a recruiting strategy appears to be the best means to the end, USC and its fans probably should be more realistic in their expectations and appreciate the fact that USC has one of the game’s top coaches in Odom, a man who serves as an outstanding ambassador for the school.

USC should expect Odom teams to occasionally challenge for an SEC East championship and get to the NCAA Tournament and win a game there every couple of seasons.

USC fans should learn to appreciate the kind of coaching job Odom did this past season. Odom reached down deep and motivated his team to play hard and win the program’s first postseason tournament in 34 years.

As he said, it was not the national championship in college basketball, but it was a national championship. Now, if somehow Odom can bring in some better ball players, USC could begin to think about challenging for the national title.