Dave Odom Quotes (144 Quotes)

It gives fans new hope it gives coaches new hope. Certainly, it should give players new hope, as well.

I'm tremendously proud of our team and the effort they gave. We beat a very good team that was playing its best basketball. To be able to be able to beat them speaks volumes about the distance our team has come in the last month or so.

The loss is disappointing. Physically and mentally we gave in there at the end. It doesn't mean we didn't try. We made bad decisions at the end and you can't do that against a team like Tennessee.

I told them I'd let them mourn until we get back home. When we get off that bus, I'll do whatever I've got to do holler, scream, throw chalk, whatever. We will be ready to play on Saturday.

We make no apologies about being here. We look at it as a special opportunity and we're excited about it.

We had an opportunity to win the game, we really did. We just didn't get it done.

Both teams were short of bodies -- not a lot of depth, but with a lot of heart.

During my 26 years of college coaching, I have had the opportunity to experience exciting games played in great arenas across the country. Capacity crowds cheering for their teams in 'fan-friendly' arenas are what made those atmospheres special. No doubt, The Colonial Center is among the best in all of college basketball ... the place to be for every Gamecock fan.

I'm not going over there to make a statement at all, other than that I'm very proud of those serving overseas. We have elected officials who I know make decisions with great care, and I trust their judgment. I think that's all you can do.

We lost Carols Powell and we have no one to fill his spot. We don't have anyone to assume the sole role of leadership that he had. But collectively, I think we do. I think we have enough on the board to make up for that difference.

Sparks shot that one from the museum some place. Even if we were man-to-man, I doubt we would have guarded him that far out.

If not for golf that day, I don't know if he'd of known about us wanting to do that.

Tennessee will play better in the NCAA tournament than they played today as most teams do at this level ... because what happens is you get away from people that know you best.

It doesn't bother me. An occasional 3 to put a question in the opposing team's mind, I think that's OK.

It certainly was a big loss for them. They would not have been the same team tonight had Courtney Lee been here. They would have been a much better team. No question.

There is no league that can refurbish its rosters as quickly as this league, and I think the coaches have done that once again. The Southeast is as talent-laden as there is in the country. Coaches can go out and get (good) players rather quickly so it doesn't surprise me that our league is strong this year.

The beauty of basketball is that you do have conference tournaments to retain some lost glory. But you're going to know pretty well, going into Wednesday, what you're faced with.

We're going to play everything we've got to try and win one game. I'll figure out something else for the second one. I hope that's a problem that I have no answer for. I hope we get to that fourth game, then we'll grind it out with five guys if we have to. I figure if I can last four games, then they can. I know I can.

We're probably not catching them at a great time, but our guys want to win too.

I was a big proponent of it when it came up. I think anything we can do to draw attention to the SEC and to the history of the SEC is the right thing to do. Our uniforms came in a couple of weeks ago. I showed it to (the players), and they were excited about it.

Will this test our motivation Oh, yeah. The key in my opinion is what happens between now and (the end of practice at) 6 o'clock Tuesday night.

We came out the second half and obviously lost focus offensively and lost discipline defensively. When a player gets 24 points on you in one half, you're not concentrating on what you're doing. Why that would happen, I have no idea. He (Sparks) shot the b

A big, big factor in South Carolina 's favor. They do a great job of forcing turnovers and making assists. Didn't happen today.

I don't think it is an elimination game (from the NCAA) for either team. I think it is an important game. If Kentucky wins, certainly it gives them a leg up (over us) because they will have beat us twice. But there is still too much basketball to be played for both teams to say this is an elimination game.

It is possible to win at Florida, but we are playing a team with good depth and good inside talent. When (senior center Adrian) Moss is your fourth post guy, you have a very good inside game.

The truth of the matter is that's what I do. I've got to control that. I've got to influence that first. And I will. The best way to get through that is to work together and to lean on each other and not allow your sorrow to overcome the good things that happened. That's what we've got to somehow focus on and do it, not because that's all you have left but because it's the right thing to do.

We shot the ball well at Kentucky, the team rose to the occasion. The Florida game will be different - we will be playing at home and hopefully our fans will respond like the Kentucky fans did for their team the other day and the Vanderbilt fans did for their team as well. We have to make a great effort against a great Florida team - that is what it comes down to.

We want to make this night as special for B.J. and his family as it is for the fans.

It is strange playing Kentucky at this time of year with similar records. Their record is better than ours, but they are more similar than in recent years. The game is being played with meaning for both teams.

I don't know how you explain that, particularly in light of the fact I had personally lost to them eight straight times. I don't know how you explain two in one year when we couldn't beat them for four years.

Charles Rhodes is the best-kept secret in the league. He is big and strong and took on Auburn's whole front line. This is an important game and we will play as best we can.

He's going to bring a large dose of energy to Kentucky at the right time. He's an excellent post player, probably one of the best in the league.

There is a sense of urgency with me, with our staff and with our team. I can't say it any more clear than that. How quickly does it need to happen Now. It needs to happen now.

Ole Miss is a better basketball team because they have better players. They have greater depth, are quicker in faster in all areas. They haven't changed in terms of their style of play, they are just doing it better.

Randolph Morris has to be more and more comfortable every time he plays. The further into the season he gets, I think he'll be better and better. The other thing is that I think a lot of Kentucky's struggles came because they did not shoot the ball the way they were capable.

People would be foolish to go to sleep on the big 'Cats. They are a dangerous basketball team, particularly when they are mad or when their coach is mad, which I'm sure Tubby (Smith) is. It would be a huge mistake to go to sleep on those guys.

(Downey)'s exciting to watch, much like an Allen Iverson is. We've to make sure we don't watch him, we guard him. James White, we know about because he played at Florida. He has a propensity and a knack for getting open and getting shots.

They hurt, but you're so ever close to being where you want to be. But I don't care how bad I hurt, I try not to bring that to the locker room or the gym. I truly believe the players are going to take their lead from their leader.

For once, we came out of the locker room in the second half and played liked we wanted to win the basketball game. But at one point, we decided we had played well long enough and reverted back to some old habits.

We didn't make free throws they did. We had them down by eight points and didn't build on the lead at a time when we had a chance to do so. We let them back in the game because our offense didn't get its job done. That's when we made some turnovers. That's when Sam Young did his damage.

We obviously took some 3s, no question about that. Probably no more than we should have, but we didn't feel our inside game was going very well today. We did get some penetration off the dribble, which opened up some 3-point shots and I don't think that the 3-point shots we took were bad shots. We just didn't make enough of them.

I would think that the committee would certainly look at that and say that South Carolina has done well and deserves a chance to be part of this new format. I don't think it would be automatic. I think a lot would depend on how we play in our next couple of games, win or lose.

My guess is if we win all three games, we'd still have some work to do. But if you win all three games, you certainly are going to be in better shape than you are today.

You have to be concerned with him. You can't come down on guys like Randolph Morris and the other giants, and you've got to stay out on them. It is particularly difficult with a team like ours with not a lot of size. We have got to find a way to guard on the perimeter as well as inside at the same time.

When you put down goals that you have and things that you want to do and things that you want to accomplish, that was not something that we put down and said we're going to get this done. But that's where we are and that's what we're going to deal with.

To be able to come back and play like that in the second half I think speaks volumes about where our club is right now. They still believe that they can play well, they believe they can win, and they believe they can win on the road.

(Monday) is kind of an extra day to get ourselves ready. We're really using yesterday and today to get ourselves caught up.

You have to be concerned with him on the perimeter and not come down on guys like Morris and Bobby Perry. You have to stay out on him. That is particularly difficult for a team like us that does not have a lot of size. We have to find a way to guard on the perimeter and on the inside at the same time.

I have time on my contract. I fully intend to honor it.

I'm sure there'll be some type of argument from somebody, but I can't think of a team that needed a win more than ours did anywhere in the country.