The guest speaker for our upcoming meeting will be Dave Odom, former Head Basketball Coach at Wake Forest and the University of South Carolina, and college basketball expert.
Odom began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Wake Forest University in 1976 under head coach Carl Tacy. After three years at Wake Forest (1976–1979), Odom became the head coach at East Carolina University, where his squad compiled a 16-11 record, the university’s best since 1965. Odom stayed with the program until 1982, when he was offered a chance to return to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as an assistant at the University of Virginia.
As an assistant at Virginia (1982–1989) under head coach Terry Holland, Odom participated in some of the university’s most successful seasons, including five National Collegiate Athletic Association berths and a trip to the Final Four in 1984. During this time, Odom coached future No. 1 NBA draft pick Ralph Sampson, who graduated in 1983. Odom served as acting head coach when Holland missed several games due to illness in the 1988-1989 season. Odom left Virginia in 1989 to return to Winston-Salem as the head coach of Wake Forest University.
Odom was named ACC coach of the year in 1991, 1994 and 1995. He led his team to consecutive ACC Championships in 1995 and 1996. Much of the success during these two years is attributed to star center Tim Duncan, whom he recruited as a player in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1994. In 1995, led by Duncan, the team put up a 26-6 overall record, including winning the ACC Tournament by defeating North Carolina by the score of 82-80, with the victory coming from a last second shot by point guard Randolph Childress. In 1996, the team successfully defended its title with a record of 26-6 by defeating Georgia Tech by a score of 75-74.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
4/3/19 – J J Cooper, Executive Editor, Baseball America
4/17/19 – Paul Haagan, Duke Law Professor and Head of The Center for Sports Law a
5/1/19 – Tim Brewster, Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach, UNC