Ryan Odom: Keys to Scoring Quickly in Transition

with Ryan Odom,
University of Virginia Head Coach;
VCU Head Coach from 2023 to 2025;
2025 Atlantic 10 Regular Season Champions;
2025 Atlantic 10 Tournament Champions;
Utah State Head Coach from 2021 to 2023;
UMBC Head Coach from 2016 to 2021;
2021 America East Coach of the Year;
made college basketball history when he coached UMBC to the first ever #16-seed win over a #1-seed in the NCAA Tournament (2018);
led UMBC to a 25-11 record, including the 2018 America East Conference Tournament Championship, in his second year (a school record for wins);
2018 Hugh Durham Award recipient (Given to the nation's top mid-major coach);
2017 Joe B. Hall Award recipient (Given to the top first-year coach in Division I)

Want to learn from the first coach to ever lead a 16-seed over a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament?

In this video, Ryan Odom shows you the transition concepts that led the UMBC Retrievers to the best season in school history. He breaks down his transition philosophy and gives guidance on how his team runs zone offense. You'll learn Odom's basketball philosophy and exactly how he's been able to take less talented players and turn them into a potent team, capable of beating anyone on a given night.

Coach Odom outlines his three-step philosophy for shooting and scoring in his aggressive transition offense system. You'll learn how ball movement, spacing and defensive motion opens up scoring opportunities in this fast-paced offense.

You'll also learn how to instill confidence and build a "no-fear" mentality in your players' shooting abilities, and how smaller guards can use floor spacing to their advantage.

Philosophy Behind the UMBC Break

Coach Odom begins with the beliefs behind his transition offense. He brings his love for shooting the 3-pointer from his playing days and incorporates it into his current-day philosophies. Because of this, his teams aim to get up and down the court, play with tremendous energy, and shoot when open.

The key concepts behind his break include:

• Search for open 3-pointers
• Search for layups
• Score in the first 7-10 seconds
• Scramble the opponent's defense

Odom believes that it's essential to build confidence in his shooters. He does this by always encouraging them to take the open shot, even if they've missed a few previously. However, he also wants players to understand the type of shots he wants on offense: 3-pointers and layups.

Next, Coach Odom breaks down the main components of his transition offense. While the offense is quite effective, it's also incredibly simple, which will allows your players to learn it quickly and act on instinct. Some of the main principles of the offense are as follows:

• The 5-man must try to beat their defender down the court
• The wings sprint to the deep corners
• The wings must be ready to shoot at all times
• The point guard directs the offense, pushes the pace, and must make quick decisions

Coach Odom uses the 4-man in a simple flat screen action to start the flow of the offense. The point guard is then immediately able to gain an advantage and get the wings and other big involved. Throughout the video, you'll learn the options that arise based on how the defense deals with the initial attack.

Offensive Drills

Once the building blocks of his transition philosophy have been covered, Odom passes on some drills directly related to the offense. These drills work on repeating important actions in the offense that are used frequently. Once players get those necessary reps, running the offense becomes second nature.

Finally, Odom shares 10 principles his program lives by when facing zone defenses. He emphasizes that it doesn't matter what zone offense you run because the principles behind beating a zone are almost always consistent.

Coach Odom's Retrievers proved that playing fast, shooting 3-pointers, and attacking the basket as basic foundations in an offense can translate into historical wins. In this terrific, on-court video, Odom shares some of the secrets behind how his team accomplished the biggest upset in the history of the NCAA Tournament!

104 minutes. 2018.