The last time UMBC recorded a winning season was 2008. That year, the Retrievers finished atop the America East (AE) and won their first championship in program history. In the eight years since, however, they have languished at the bottom of the AE.
A new season, though, brings fresh hope. And a new head coach — which the Retrievers have in Ryan Odom — brings fresh perspective and a commitment to change.
UMBC hired Odom at the end of last season to replace four-year head coach Aki Thomas, who amassed at 29-95 record during his time at the helm. Odom previously served as head coach at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University, where he led the Bears to a 21-10 mark in 2015-16.
While UMBC’s coaching staff has undergone a serious overhaul, its roster has not. The Retrievers have lost just one player — forward Cody Joyce — to graduation. The rest of the roster will return to the court, including a particularly talented group of guards.
The strength of this UMBC squad will undoubtedly be its backcourt, which is set to be one of the best in the conference.
“I’ve been impressed with our guards,” Odom said. “This team will go as far as our guards will take it. I’ve been very pleased with what these guys have shown me so far.”
Leading the effort is junior guard Jairus Lyles, who was one of just six players in the league selected to the All-Conference team. Lyles, a product of basketball powerhouse DeMatha Catholic, drained an average of 23 points per game and led the squad with a 47.2 percent shooting clip in 2015-16.
Joining Lyles in the backcourt are junior Rodney Elliott and senior Will Darley. Elliott, the 2014-15 AE Rookie of the Year, was second only to Lyles in scoring last season, averaging 12.8 buckets per contest. Darley followed close behind, contributing 12.2 points per game and rounding out the Retrievers’ top scorers.
Junior guard K.J. Maura is also expected to compete for time in the backcourt. At the College of Central Florida last season, Maura led all junior college players in assists per game with 9.6. UMBC as a team averaged just 12.3 assists per game.
“K.J. [Maura] is the most experienced of our new recruits,” Odom said. “He’s fit in very, very well with the core group of guards that we already have in place and with the other players.”
Another newcomer with the potential to make an immediate impact is freshman forward Max Curran. At 6-foot-9, Curran is the tallest member of the team and possesses a dynamic skill set that Odom believes will be key to UMBC’s success.
“He’s got a good combination of athleticism, shooting ability and ball handling ability,” Odom said. “At 6-9 that’s a good combination for a basketball player. He’s a freshman so it takes time to adjust to the college game and all that, but he’s certainly meeting and exceeding our expectations so far.”
One of the Retrievers’ main goals this season will be improving their performance on the defensive end of the ball. In 2015-16, UMBC ranked seventh in the conference in scoring defense, allowing an average of 80.6 points per game.
“Giving up 80 points is too many,” Odom said. “We’ve got to make it harder for the other team. Our guys are working extremely hard against each other right now to try to understand what our principles will be on defense.”
According to Odom, if the Retrievers are able to pull down more boards, their defense will see significant improvement. Last season UMBC was tied for last in the AE in defensive rebounds, averaging just 23.1 per contest.
“Any time you play defense, you’ve got to finish the play with a rebound,” he said. “You can play great defense and not finish it because you don’t block out or you don’t pursue the basketball. We’ve got to do a great job of emphasizing that on a daily basis — attacking the rebounds.”
UMBC was chosen sixth of nine teams in the AE preseason coaches’ poll. If the Retrievers can meet this prediction, it will mark their highest finish since 2012.
“Certainly, we want to try to be a factor within the America East; we want to have a winning season,” Odom said. “I don’t put any ceiling on where my teams can go.”