Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 16, 1994 TAG: 9403160017
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RALEIGH, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Dave Odom, who guided Wake Forest to consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in a decade, was chosen coach of the year in the Atlantic Odom Coast Conference on Tuesday.
"It's really a wonderful honor and experience," said Odom, who also won the award in 1991. "Winning awards is not something you start out saying you'll do. I'm just really pleased that the sports writers have shown that kind of confidence in us."
Odom, whose Demon Deacons are 20-11 and landed a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament Southeast Regional, received 53 of a possible 110 votes cast by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association.
Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, who led the Blue Devils to the ACC regular-season title, was second with 34 votes. Gary Williams of Maryland was third with 18. Virginia coach Jeff Jones received two votes.
Wake Forest was picked to finish seventh in the ACC after the departure of 1993 player of the year Rodney Rogers to the NBA.
But Odom deployed a three-guard offense to offset the loss of his star and take some of the pressure off freshman center Tim Duncan. The strategy worked as Wake Forest finished third in the league with the best 3-point shooting team and Duncan blocking more than 100 shots.
"Our team has accepted everything we've asked them to do. And then they've followed through on it," Odom said. "That's what makes coaches look good. When there's an obvious plan that's being followed, that's what makes coaches look like they're doing a good job."
The Demon Deacons were supposed to receive help this year with two recruits, Makhtar Ndiaye and Ricardo Peral. But Ndiaye transferred to Michigan following NCAA scrutiny in connection with his recruitment. Peral ran into troubles with his eligibility and did not play this season.
Despite those two losses, the fifth-year coach guided his team to its unprecedented fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
"Every team is different, but I think what's happened this year is a product of what's happened in the four years previous to that," said Odom, a former assistant at Virginia with. "It kind of builds on itself, it kind of snowballs. You hope that it feeds itself, it nurtures itself from one year to the other."
by CNB