Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_Vol. 94, No. 75 Wednesday APRIL 11, 2001_ Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 ^ _ _ . .- -■ - ■ . - . WWW.DAILYGAMEC0CK.COM UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA, S.C. SEARCH ENDS, CHALLENGE BEGINS: USC names new men's basketball head coach . Dave Odom era begins Sean Rayford/The Gamecock New USC men’s basketball head coach Dave Odom addresses q crowd at Ihe press conference announcing his hiring. Odom spent 12 years In the Atlantic Coast Con ference at Wake Forest, where he took the team to the postseason for 11 consecutive years. Students optimistic on hiring of new coach by Charles Prashaw The Gamecock Rms and students said Tuesday they were optimistic iiboul new he;id basketball coach Dave Odom and his chances of making USC’s basketball program a national power. “Hopefully, he’ll turn things around. He won an ACC championship, and he has won games at the highest level of competition,” high school student Bennett Weigly said. # Weigly, who is from Orangeburg, left classes early to come to Columbia to be at the Tuesday press conference where Odom was officially announced as USC head basketball coach. About 200 USC basketball fans and students came to the Tuesday press conference. “We got Lou in football, now we have Odom for basketball,” Weigly said. Another fan, Wendel Henryhand, said lie was oil work and thought he should come to the announcement. “Odom’s a great recruiter, and he puts a good program together.” Henryhand said. “I actually shook hands with him one time at %Wake. He seems like a very good guy.” Some students at the press conference said they have high expectations for the program. “I don’t know a lot about this coach, but I heard he had a lot of wins at Wake Forest,” fourth-year administration information major Kevin Washington said. “I wish him the best at USC. Change is always good.” Josh Callahan, a firel-year business major, also attended the press conference. Callahan said he thought Odom would turn around the basketball team. “He (Odom) lias done a good job at Wake Forest. Hopefully, he can do a good job here,” Callahan said. Students outside Russell House Tuesday afternoon seemed optimistic, as well. “I’m not sure what kind of motivation he’ll bring to the team,” third-year media arts major David Mielech said. “He’s new blood — and it’s probably a good idea they got him.” Fourth-year political science major Ryan Hoffman was happy with Odom’s record, but questioned whether Odom had the mettle to take the Gamecocks all the way. “Odom doesn’t seem like he is mean enough to win a national championship,” Hoffman said. The university desk can be reached at gamecockudesk@hotmaiLcom ‘There’s no way to go but up.” Colleen Dixon Third-year political science major ■ l_-_—_1 “I’m not sure what kind of motivation he’ll bring to the team. He's new blood - and it’s probably a good idea they got him." David Mielech Third-year media arts major la_m—M_a_a “I like him; his record speaks for itself. I nev er liked Fogler very much. But Odom doesn’t seem like he is mean enough to win a nation al champi onship." Ryan Hoffman Fourth-year political science major Lit_VV_1 “I think Fogler was a good coach. But if he had to go, then I’m happy with Odom being our new coach." Andy Sides Third-year biology and Spanish major ■ Wake Forest coach leaves ACC, looks to salvage USC program by Kyle Almond The Gamecock The search is over. Nearly a month after Eddie Fogler resigned as head coach of the USC men's basketball team, Wake Forest's Dave Odom has been hired as his replacement. Odom's hiring was announced Tuesday at a press conference held in the volleyball practice facility adjacent to the Carolina Coliseum. “I think that this is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting days of my life,” Odom said shortly after bei ng introduced by athletics director Mike McGee and university president John Palms. Odom arrived in Columbia early Tuesday and said he had already met with both liis former team at Wake Forest and his current team at USC. “I started offbolh meetings the same way,” . Odom said. “Willi every beginning, tliere comes an end. With every end, another chapter. One (chapter) ended today, another began.... It's an exciting beginning for my family, and I hope you feel that it is an exciting beginning for your university.” Odom s hiring brings an end lo a coaching search that lias been filled with plenty of rumors and speculation. “This [coaching search] was especially long, but 1 believe especially fruitful,” McGee said. “It's time now for the Gamecock family to look forward to a bright future as we welcome one of the outstanding coaches in the country.” Odom echoed McGee’s plea to Gamecock fans. “I know, without being told, this has been an exhausting and sometimes maybe confusing search,” Odom said. “But it's over, and as I told the team a while ago, my eyes are forward. I look ahead, and 1 see a vision. I have a vision that's very bright for this university.” Odom, 58, inherits a team that finished 15 15 last season and hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game since 1973. The Gamecocks have made four appearances since then, but lost in the first round each time. Nevertheless, Odom sees USC as an excellent caching opportunity. “My excitement in talking about this university and the potential of our basketball program energizes me beyond words,” he said. “It's a great opportunity, yes. Am I leaving behind a lot of terrific memories and what I think is a terrific basketball team? Yes. But it's lime. The lime is now and the place is here.” Odom is leaving a Wake Forest program that lie lielped rebuild over 12 seasons into a perennial ACC power. While coach of the Demon Deacons, his teams won two conference titles and itlvanced to the postseason for 11 consecutive years. Odom's overall record at Wake was 240 132. “I didn't plan to start over,” he said. “This was totally unplanned... but the best tilings in life happen spontaneously.” During its search for a new coach, USC had offered the job to two other coaches before Odom: first to Kentucky's Tubby Smith, then Connecticut's Jim Calhoun. But when both Smith and Calhoun chose to stay at their respective programs, Odom was next in line. However, Odom said he didn’t have any Odom seepages Dave Odom: In his own words “I think this is the first time that I’ve ever come to the Carolina Coliseum and gotten applause.” “I appreciate ... the opportunity that Dr. Palms and Mike McGee have extended to »» me. ‘They [the basketball team] are a group that is worthy. I chose them, they didn’t choose ^ _ »» me. “I ask but one thing from them, and that’s that they give me a chance to be their friend first.” “I suspect that McGee and Palms’ goals will be the same as mine, and that is we want to, first of all, recruit student-athletes who are serious about their education, who are serious about developing their basketball talents to the best of their abilities and who are serious about developing themselves as young men.” iiMoiDc: Udom s track record and a look at tne anatomy or tne searcn — page « Weather Coming Up Quote of the Day Online Poll Today 88 61 Thursday , 91 64 f, (Trustees to discuss Palms ’ potential Senate I run at meeting Friday “There are two kinds of people: those who finish what they start and so on.” — Robert Byrne c Should Palms retire as USC president? Vote at www.diiilygamccock.com. 9 Results will be published Friday.