Wake Forest Basketball: 5 candidates to replace head coach Danny Manning

4. Ryan Odom (UMBC)

There’s some sort of connection between Wake Forest and all of these candidates, typically through geography, but the connections with Odom are pretty strong. His father Dave spent twelve seasons as Wake Forest head coach from 1989 through 2001. Would the younger Odom be a good fit to rebuild the program his dad once led to the Elite Eight?

Obviously, the biggest accomplishment of Odom’s coaching career is the victory his Retrievers pulled over top-seeded Virginia during the 2018 NCAA Tournament. That victory alone holds a lot of clout. Odom also possesses ACC experience, spending seven years on Seth Greenberg’s staff at Virginia Tech. He’s coached at nearby UNC Asheville and Charlotte and would certainly have the connections to recruit a solid roster for the Demon Deacons.

Familial connections aside, it’s fair to wonder how Odom would handle the transition to the ACC. UMBC is not a powerhouse in an America East mostly dominated by Vermont. The Retrievers were under .500 last season, but continue to finish in the top half of the league despite reloading their talent. A motivating factor for both sides is the fact that Odom’s stock may never be higher than it is right now. It’s quite unlikely that UMBC can pull of a similar feat, though perhaps Odom can do much more at his father’s old school.