UMBC welcomes Ryan Odom as new head coach of men’s basketball

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 21:14:07 -0400
athletics, community

UMBC introduced Ryan Odom as the Retriever’s new head coach of men’s basketball at a press conference held on campus today, April 7, 2016. Odom joins the America East program as its 9th head coach.

“We are so happy to have Coach Odom join the UMBC family,” said UMBC Athletics Director Tim Hall. “The hiring of Odom is an important step in the future of UMBC athletics. We have found a fantastic fit for UMBC as Ryan Odom embodies and lives our values.”

Coach Odom has twenty years of coaching experience. He joins the UMBC program after leading the Lenoir-Rhyne (NC) University basketball team to a 21-10 record last season and the school’s first appearance in the NCAA Division II Regional Finals.

Prior to his success at Lenoir-Rhyne, he served on UNC Charlotte’s staff for five years and helped them earn a bid to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) in 2013. Odom also held assistant coach positions at Virginia Tech, American, UNC Asheville, and Furman. He served as a graduate assistant at South Florida during the 1996-97 basketball season.

Odom graduated from Hampden-Sydney (VA) in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in economics, where he was a four-year starting point guard on the men’s basketball team. He finished his career as the school’s leader in made 3-pointers and served as team captain his senior year. The team record was 80-30 during his time at Hampden-Sydney. They earned two bids to the NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament. Ryan is the son of retired South Carolina head coach, Dave Odom.

“I’m so excited to join the UMBC family and so grateful for the opportunity to lead the UMBC men’s basketball program. I look forward to developing lasting relationships throughout our campus and the greater Baltimore community,” said Odom. “My goal is to establish a winning culture and support our student athletes so that they perform at their best, on and off the court.”

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Media coverage:
Baltimore Sun: “New men’s basketball coach Ryan Odom calls UMBC a ‘sleeping giant’”
WBAL: “UMBC hires Ryan Odom as men’s basketball coach”
PressBox: “UMBC Names Ryan Odom As New Head Coach For Men’s Basketball”

Images: UMBC Athletic Director Tim Hall and Ryan Odom, new head coach of men’s basketball, Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.