'That takes a lot for a man to do that'

Player Reaction

COLUMBIA — As South Carolina basketball coach Dave Odom announced Friday morning his plan to retire at season's end, he continued to circle back to the concept of fan support.

He said he was stepping aside so the fans could rally behind the Gamecocks (9-8, 1-2 SEC) without the "cloud" of his future hanging over things.

Although he said "I'm not a martyr or anything like that," but there was a sacrificial quality to his decision — that Odom and his 400-plus wins as a coach had put aside his reputation for the sake of his players.

"Yeah, I see it as kind of like that," said junior guard Zam Fredrick, who transferred to USC to be closer to his home in Calhoun County. "He's taking it on himself and taking himself out of it. That takes a lot for a man to do that. That says a lot about him."

During an hour-long news conference, Odom echoed for the second time the story that, on the way home from the team's upset win at Arkansas on Wednesday, he overheard the conversation of a couple of players.

While they weren't critical of South Carolina's fans, per se, Odom said they were envious of the road environments at Arkansas and Vanderbilt.

"I don't want to knock our fans, but that was really an unbelievable atmosphere," sophomore Dominique Archie said.

By no coincidence, Odom said the Gamecocks have played better on the road so far in conference play.

He urged the fans to get behind the team, at his expense. The Gamecocks next play Wednesday against Florida in the Colonial Center.

"Our fans owe it to them," he said. "Not to me. To them."

The Gamecocks refused to be openly critical of the fans. At least one, though, was realistic in painting the same picture that Odom did — of an arena that lacked passion.

"Sometimes it just seems like they're not into the game," Fredrick said. "I don't know why that is. Maybe it's like coach says and they're just against him."

Added point guard Devan Downey: "I'm not going to be critical of the fans, but if coach Odom is stepping down for that reason, I have a whole lot of respect for him. That shows us that he cares about us."

Odom quelled concerns that Friday's announcement would turn him immediately into a "lame duck" coach. He said he plans to give "every waking second" to the Gamecocks until April 1.

He seemed to have the ear of at least one player, the team's leader on the floor and off.

"As a leader, I'm going to make sure we respond in a positive way," said Downey, who is leading the team in scoring, steals and assists. "Coach Odom is a great guy. It's sad it's going to end, but we've got business to take care of."

A short list of coaches is being compiled, but Fredrick, second on the team in scoring, said he won't be too concerned about the future because of the job at hand.

"I'm not worried about next season and all that," he said. "We can't get to next season without playing this season."

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com.

---

Notice about comments:
The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Post and Courier does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our Web site.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.

---

Comments

This article has  1 comment(s)