VCU’s Ryan Odom is a Name to Watch for the NC State Men’s Basketball Head Coach Opening

Earlier, we reported that McNeese St.’s Will Wade is expected to be a candidate for the open NC State Men’s Basketball Head Coach position. Based on what I’m hearing, there’s legitimate interest from the Wolfpack.

Another name to watch is VCU Head Coach Ryan Odom, the son of legendary Wake Forest Head Coach, Dave Odom.

ESPN ranks Odom as the top coach among ‘mid- and low-major men’s college basketball coaches ready for the next step.’ Will Wade and others were not included in these rankings because the list comprised only coaches without high-major experience.

Here’s what they had to say about Odom:

This was a fairly unanimous pick for the top spot. He checks nearly every box. He was a high-major assistant at Virginia Tech, led both UMBC and Utah State to the NCAA tournament as a head coach, and has VCU poised to win the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship. He also has an NCAA tournament win under his belt from when he led UMBC to its 16-over-1 upset against Virginia. He has the name, the pedigree and the track record. He has been linked with Virginia and will likely be named as a candidate at Villanova should it open. (ESPN)

Odom is in his second season as the Head Coach for the Rams, leading VCU to the Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship this year with a 25-5 overall record and a 15-2 conference record. In his first year with the Rams, Odom led VCU to a 24-14 overall record (11-7 conference record), with their season ending in the Quarterfinals of the NIT.

Prior to his current stint at VCU, Odom spent two seasons as the Head Coach at Utah State. After going 18-16 in 2021-22 (losing in the first round of the NIT), he led the Aggies to a 26-9 record the following year, making it to the NCAA Tournament (lost in the first round as an at-large #10 seed). In 2022-23, Utah State’s conference record improved from 8-10 to 13-5, finishing third in the Mountain West in his final season there.

Odom’s longest stint as a Head Coach was at UMBC, where he was at the helm from 2016-21. His second year in Baltimore was the most memorable, leading the Retrievers to win the America East Conference Tournament Championship (25-11 overall, 12-4 conference) and a historic win over #1 seed Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a #16 seed. In his final season with UMBC, Odom led the Retrievers to the America East Regular Season Championship and was named the Conference Coach of the Year. In five seasons in Baltimore, Odom finished with a 97-60 overall record and a 50-28 conference record. Prior to his arrival in 2016, UMBC had put together eight consecutive losing seasons. In year one, they saw a 14-win improvement, and Odom led the Retrievers to three consecutive 20-win seasons in his first three years.

Odom is a North Carolina native, born in Durham.

Many think that he is the top candidate for the UVA job, but I fully expect NC State to have Odom as one of their top candidates.