Inside USU head coach Ryan Odom’s authentic approach to building a winning culture
Editors note: The original version of this story was published in the Winter Sports Preview Magazine on Dec. 2. It has since been modified.
Raising his arms and sliding his feet from the sideline, passionately yelling at his team in huddles and bear-hugging fans post-game, Craig Smith set a new standard for what it meant to be the head basketball coach at Utah State.
But after three years as the head coach of the Aggies, Smith jumped on an opportunity to coach in the Pac-12 at the University of Utah, and Utah State had to find someone else.
USU’s new coach, Ryan Odom, brings a much different vibe.
Odom seldom raises his voice when he communicates with his players. He’ll call out plays from the sideline, then fold his arm and observe. You may even see him sitting down, watching the game like a spectator.
As the son of Dave Odom, who was Wake Forest’s head coach for 12 seasons, leading a division one basketball program seems perfectly natural for Odom.
In 2018, when his UMBC Retrievers knocked off top-seeded Virginia in the NCAA Tournament — the first time a #16 seed has ever beaten a #1 seed — he seemed unmoved, calmly shaking Tony Bennet’s hand as if he’d just won a game against Montana Western.
“He’s probably different than pretty much everyone I’ve ever worked for,” USU head assistant coach Nate Dixon said.
Odom’s soft-mannered nature is the first thing you notice, especially after becoming accustomed to Smith’s persona. But it shouldn’t be mistaken for passiveness.
His competitive fire was on display on Dec. 2 in Logan, following a controversial 60-58 loss to Saint Mary’s. Despite being the beneficiary of a questionable foul call, Gaels head coach Randy Bennett was visibly irritated as he walked over to shake Odom’s hand post-game. Odom, also frustrated, took exception to Bennett’s behavior and told him how he felt face to face.
here’s the Randy Bennett and Ryan Odom handshake— or lack thereof, lol pic.twitter.com/TV1QEbpTGl
— Seconds to Madness (@Seconds2Madness) December 3, 2021
But 20 minutes later, in the post-game press conference, Odom was back to his good-natured self. He played off the incident as being “the guts of the game” and shared his respect for Bennett.
“I think some people get confused when they see him because there’s this image of coaches that you have to be like, rah rah,” assistant coach Matt Henry said. “And Ryan is really, really competitive, right? But he channels that in really productive ways.”
Odom’s task at Utah State is to learn how to take his poised competitiveness, and use it to help lead his team to consistent winning. Because he inherits a program that is well acquainted with success and has come to expect it.
Under Smith, Utah State won two Mountain West Championships, qualified for three straight NCAA tournaments and drafted players into the NBA in back-to-back years. Since 2000, the Aggies are just one of 17 teams that have 16 seasons with 20 or more wins to go along with at least 11 NCAA tournament bids.
Well into January in Odom’s first season, Utah State is 10-5, with wins over Oklahoma and Richmond, but losses to UC Davis and Air Force. Sitting just outside of the “at-large bid” conversation, Utah State has some work to do in Mountain West conference play if they’re going to return to the NCAA tournament.
The odds are stacked against them. Picked to finish fifth in the conference preseason rankings, the Aggies are underdogs in 7 of the 15 scheduled conference games remaining, according to Ken Pom.
Whatever ends up happening in Odom’s first season won’t define him as a coach and what he can accomplish in his tenure in Logan.
But there is still meaningful basketball to be played in the 2021-22 season. And Odom has shown throughout his coaching career he has a knack for exceeding expectations and getting the most out of his players when needed.
Just three years before he defeated Virginia at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, Odom found out he wouldn’t be UNC Charlotte’s next coach after carrying the interim tag the late portion of the season and was out of a job.
He was hired as head coach of Lenoir-Rhyme, a Division 2 school in Hickory, North Carolina, for the 2015-16 season.
Going 8-18 the year prior, the Bears needed a much-needed boost from the new coaching staff. And Odom delivered, in his own authentic way.
One of the first things he did was bring in Keenan Palmore from Old Dominion, a senior guard who his teams at Charlotte had faced annually. For Palmore, who is currently a graduate manager at Utah State, playing for Odom was a refreshing experience.
“At Old Dominion the coach was more of it’s my way, no matter what happens, no matter how it goes, I’m going to do things my way.” Palmore said. “As opposed to playing with Coach Odom, it was kind of what’s best for the team? How can we make this team as successful as it can be? He kind of geared it more towards the personnel and what we had.”
Coach Odom playing knockout with the students at #latenightattheshu pic.twitter.com/xZNOBbHgyf
— Lenoir-Rhyne Men’s 🏀 (@LRU_Basketball) October 30, 2015
Lenoir-Rhyme and Palmore — who Aggie assistant coach Bryce Crawford described as a “cheat code” — completely out-did expectations.
It began in an exhibition game when the Bears took an ACC school double overtime. According to Dixon and Palmore, the game was a huge confidence booster, setting up an impressive season. The Bears finished with a 21-10 record and a trip to the NCAA Division 2 regional finals.
One of the final games of the regular season was on the road at Queens College, which was ranked #12 nationally in Division 2. Palmore scored 36 points in the game, and the Bears spoiled Queens’ senior night, winning in overtime 94-90.
One thing Palmore remembers most about the big win is something Odom did after the game.
“So we’re all in the locker room celebrating, like dancing and Coach O goes in the middle and does a little dance. Everybody went crazy.”
Busting a move may have been a way for the normally stoic Odom to show his team his appreciation.
“The kind of the culture he built was, it was about us. It wasn’t about him, he was about us.” Palmore said. “So we kind of bought into that. And we enjoy being there every day. We enjoyed working hard and getting extra shots and practicing hard. We played harder for him because we knew that he believed in us and he cared about us.”
Odom’s success at Lenoir-Rhyne helped him land the head coaching job at UMBC. And the success found in North Carolina was carried over to Baltimore.
In the first season at UMBC, Odom and company won 21 games and advanced to the semifinals of the CIT tournament. In their second year, they won 25 games, including the win over Virginia.
For the Retrievers, the win over the Cavaliers was no fluke. It was something they had prepared for. Because Odom, who in previous seasons had opted to not load the non-conference schedule with difficult games, decided to test his team during the 2017-18 season.
They opened the season with road games against SMU and Arizona.
Playing without starting point guard KJ Maura against SMU, the Retrievers had a 63-61 lead with 6 minutes to play. They’d ultimately lose 78-67. Against Arizona, who was ranked #3 in the nation, they trailed by three in the second half, before losing.
Despite dropping both games, being competitive had the same effect on Odom’s squad as it did at Lenoir-Rhyne when they took the ACC school to overtime.
“Gave us the confidence,” Dixon said. “We felt like we could play with anyone in the country.”
That confidence was carried into a program-defining win over Vermont in the America East Conference Championship game, and the tournament game against Virginia.
“Going into the Virginia game in the tournament, we never talked about losing that game,” Crawford said. (Odom) was just like ‘we’re gonna be who we are, and we got a chance to beat these guys.’ He just kind of breeds confidence into people with his preparation.”
There’s the overlying theme from speaking to those who have worked with or played under Odom: He brings out the best in people.
At Utah State, it’s bringing out the best in senior forward Justin Bean, who described the offense under Odom as “free-flowing.” This season, Bean’s averaging a double-double while leading the Mountain West in scoring (19.9 PPG) and rebounding (10.5 RPG).
Having players that can respond well to the coaching philosophy is no accident.
According to Dixon, Odom and his staff look to recruit athletes that have strong base skills, meaning they have a high IQ and can dribble, pass, shoot at a high level. Those kids are more comfortable adapting and utilizing their abilities, and as a result are more likely to be confident in a free-flowing system, opposed to a confined system where you’re expected to do things a certain way.
“He allows you to be creative and have autonomy yourself,” Crawford said.
Odom wants his players to play to their strengths. In fact, he’ll punish them if you don’t.
© Joseph F Myers Utah State V UC Davis
Dixon recalls a moment at Lenoir Rhyne when sophomore guard Reed Lucas passed up an open shot and was yanked out of the game. “If you don’t shoot it, you’re hurting our team,” Odom told Lucas.
The approach to empower his players goes beyond the court right now. He makes an effort to develop meaningful relationships with each of his players.
Odom has a set of core values he frequently goes over with the team. He’ll send encouraging messages to individual players via text message, and organize non-basketball team activities, such as a trip to Top Golf.
“For some coaches, how you play the game and who you are as a person is the same. And that’s really challenging,” Crawford said. “And that’s not how Ryan is. He sees you as a human being.”
Odom’s impact for a program — on and off the court — hasn’t reaped many rewards in Logan yet. But it’s clear his approach has an impact. Not just because of the wins he’s compiled, but because people he’s worked with seem to stick with him.
Dixon has worked with or under Odom since 2013. Henry joined the gang for the 2018-19 season, after UMBC assistant Eric Skeeters was hired as head coach at Delaware State. Crawford first worked with Odom when he was a graduate manager at Charlotte from 2011 to 2013. He was hired by Odom at Lenoir Rhyne.
“I spend more time with these guys that I work with and our players than I do with my own family,” Crawford said. “That’s hard. So you got to be around the right people.”
“As good of a basketball coach as (Odom) is — and he’s a great basketball coach — he’s a way better human being and person and friend and boss and family man as well,” Henry said.
Odom feels the same way about his assistants. He said he’s “fortunate” to have people under him that “make him a better coach.”
The ultimate goal is to foster a culture of trust, not fear. A culture where players can “mirror his calmness,” as Henry puts it. And then channel it into winning.
“Each year, your team has one chance to do it right,” Odom said in the preseason. “And work together to make the most of the opportunity.”