What VCU coach Ryan Odom said after losing to BYU in the NCAA Tournament
DENVER — VCU’s season is over, along with possibly its Ryan Odom era.
The Rams’ head coach has been a popular name in the ever-spinning coaching carousel. Following VCU’s 80-71 Thursday loss to BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Denver, he declined to answer any questions regarding his future with the program or possible interviews with other schools.
What Odom did do, however, was express gratitude for the Atlantic 10 championship year he and his Rams enjoyed as it came to an end against the Cougars.
“I’m proud of these guys. Proud of the season that they’ve had. They brought a lot of joy to a lot of people in Richmond and beyond,” Odom told reporters after the loss to BYU. “They certainly brought a tremendous amount of joy to our coaching staff and administration. 28 wins. We can talk about this game all we want, doesn’t feel good, but the season that these guys had was really impressive.
“To win the conference tournament in a pressure situation like that, it takes special kids with tremendous character, and a connected group in order to do that. Really proud of everybody in the locker room that has spent countless hours to help this team become the best that it can be. Like I said, credit to BYU. They played very well today. Made enough plays to be able to hold us off.”
The Rams and Cougars went back and forth for the majority of the first half, with the score deadlocked at 24 points apiece after nearly 13 minutes of play.
BYU would then catch fire, going on a 30-10 run over a nine-minute span to shove VCU into a hole it couldn’t escape from, despite its efforts to claw back and finish within nine points.
“That’s what happens in these games, the runs are so important,” Odom said. “You have to minimize the runs. I think they led for eight and change, we led for seven and change in the first half. That certainly ended up being a difference maker there. They obviously went on a run in the second half to get it to 20. Our guys fought back, tried to make a game of it.”
While typically known for leaning on 3-pointers, the Cougars went down low much more than usual against the Rams, scoring 38 points in the paint — 21 coming from Fousseyni Traore and Keba Keita.
“They did a really nice job of getting it inside the paint off the bounce,” Odom said. “Certainly they do a good job of what we call ‘punches.’ They’ll pass it into that big. They put us into some tough spots. That’s why we started trying to trap the ball screen a little bit in the second half. They did a nice job of clearing out that side and still getting it to Traore in there. They just made timely offensive plays in and around the rim.
“Obviously when you play against BYU, that is a tendency to worry about the three-point shooting. Certainly they made some in the first half. Then the second half it was just kind of they were on the glass on us. That’s where a lot of the baskets came from, tipping it, getting an extra.”
Additionally, BYU defended VCU well, holding the Rams to 41.3% shooting, keeping star guard Max Shulga a nonfactor for most of the night and forcing 11 turnovers.
“The turnovers got us. We had a few turnovers there, empty possessions,” Odom said. “In a game like this against a stellar team, can’t afford to have those.”
Despite the early exit from the NCAA Tournament — and Odom’s uncertain future in Richmond — it was a tremendous season for VCU, having won both regular season and conference tournament championships and compiling the second-most wins in program history (28).
“Every team that we’re fortunate enough to coach or be a part of has one life to live. This team lived a great life,” Odom said. “The seniors had a lot to do with that, the upperclassmen, the two that transferred in, the three that stayed and finished it out here. They brought championships. They brought fun times. They brought exciting plays. They brought character. They did their job in school. The group had a 3.29 GPA in the first semester. Just a lot to be proud of. I’m certainly blessed to have been a part of it, to coach these guys.”
