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When the NCAA cheering ended, UMBC head coach Ryan Odom headed home to Annapolis

By far the biggest story to come out of the first weekend of the 2018 NCAA Tournament involved UMBC beating Virginia. It marked the first time a 16th seed had ever beaten a No. 1 seed and has been called the greatest upset in college basketball history.
An entire nation was captivated by the improbability of the lightly-regarded Retrievers routing the powerful Cavaliers by a convincing score of 74-54. It was a stunning victory that put the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on the map and brought unprecedented pride to everyone associated with the campus located in Catonsville.
 
UMBC players sang the NCAA Tournament theme song “One Shining Moment” in the locker room afterward and the win was cheered wildly in certain quarters of Annapolis. That’s because when head coach Ryan Odom finished work at the end of the day, he comes home to the capital of Maryland.
 
Odom and his family have lived in Annapolis since shortly after he was hired by UMBC in April, 2016 and currently live in the Murray Hill neighborhood. Second-year assistant coach Nate Dixon also lives in Annapolis while graduate assistant Jake Brudish was raised in the city.
“My wife and I love it here in Annapolis,” Odom told The Capital Wednesday. “We found a wonderful house in a great little neighborhood. We like walking to places and there are a lot of nice restaurants and shops close by. We are very happy here.”
Odom served as head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, before being hired by UMBC. He was a familiar with Annapolis because a fraternity brother from Hampden-Sydney lived in the city for several years. Odom also received a positive recommendation about Annapolis from current Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski, a Severna Park native and good friend.
 
“My fraternity brother and Wojo both suggested we come and take a look at Annapolis,” Odom said. “My wife and I visited a few times and found that Annapolis just felt the most like home.”
 
The Odoms initially rented a condominium in the Grand View high-rise building at Annapolis Towne Centre in Parole. They enjoyed having a Whole Foods across the street and numerous restaurant options within walking distance.
 
They lived there for three months before settling on the house in Murray Hill, a quiet neighborhood of leafy streets, big houses just off West Street. It’s the same neighborhood where Mayor Gavin Buckley lives.
 
The Odeoms have a 16-year-old son who attends St. Mary’s High and is a member of the varsity basketball team and an 11-year-old son who attends St. Mary’s Elementary.
 
“Murray Hill is a great little community and are neighbors are all great people,” Odom said. “We love St. Mary’s and want to continue to send our kids to Catholic school. Annapolis really has all that we were looking for.”
 
Ryan and Lucia Odom enjoy eating at Tsunami on West Street and taking walks to City Dock. They enjoy traipsing around Eastport and testing all the restaurants in that part of town.
 
Many of of the Odom’s neighbors knew he ws the head coach of UMBC men’s basketball even before the NCAA tournament made him a national name. When UMBC upset Vermont in the championship game of the America East Tournament, a group of neighbors decorated the Odom house in celebration or brought over newspaper articles as a keepsake.
 
UMBC had suffered 23 straight losses to Vermont, the dominant program in the America East Conference. Standout senior guard Jairus Lyles made a spectacular 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Retrievers a 65-62 victory over the Catamounts and their first automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament since 2008.
 
Virginia, the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament champion, entered the tournament with a gaudy 32-2 record and earned the top overall seed. The Cavaliers, whose patented pack-line defense has been perfected by head coach Tony Bennett, were naturally one of the primary favorites to capture the national championship.
 
Lyles, who is actually a graduate student, scored 28 points as UMBC dominated the second half and steadily pulled away from Virginia before 17,943 fans at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. It was the first time a 16th seed had beaten a No. 1 in 136 attempts.
 
“Obviously, a historic game for UMBC — just unbelievable. I’m so proud of these kids, I take so much joy in watching them smile not just at the end there, but throughout the game,” Odom said during the post-game press conference. “I think it’s pretty easy to tell everybody in the arena that these guys have passion. These guys love to play this game; this game means a lot to them. It was just a special, special effort.”
 
UMBC was the darling of the NCAA Tournament for the next two days as it prepared for a second round game against No. 9 Kansas State. The Retrievers (25-10) played with tremendous heart and grit, but a miserable shooting night led to a 50-43 loss to the Wildcats and brought an end to the magical run.
 
Odom is now a hot coaching prospect because of the job he has done at UMBC, which has amassed 46 wins over the last two seasons. The Retrievers endured a 7-25 record in 2015-2016 under former head coach Aki Thomas, but rebounded to post a 21-13 mark during Odom’s first season at the helm.
 
There is speculation that several power conference schools will pursue Odom, who is the son of former Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom. UMBC athletic director Tim Hall said earlier this week he intends to restructure the young head coach’s contract in order to keep him at UMBC.
 
 
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