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South Carolina and Ryan Odom: How close was UMBC's coach to becoming a Gamecock? | The State

On April 10, 2001, when Dave Odom was introduced as the 30th head coach in South Carolina basketball history, a potential Gamecocks assistant hugged him on the way to the podium.

Ryan Odom was 26 years old and already down his father’s career path, working on Jeff Jones’ staff at American University. He stopped in Columbia to see Dad take his new job. But how close was he to staying longer?

The younger Odom threw himself into the national spotlight last Friday when he guided a 16-seed to a first-ever win against a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.