With Clemson coach Oliver Purnell doing some good things in Death Valley, you know South Carolina fans were only going to take it for so long. Apologies to Renaldo Balkman, but there hasn't been much to cheer about for Gamecoack fans of late.
NIT appearances aren't going to cut it in Columbia and the fans were clammoring for something to change. Well, they've got their wish. Dave Odom was beginning to feel the pressure and finally decided to step down yesterday. This will be the last season for the 65-year-old, who's decided to retire and move on to the next phase of his life.
"There will be those, through you (the media), who will stick their chest out and say 'We got it done," Odom said. "We were loud and we were angry and our voice was heard and a change was made. And I will tell you without any fear of contradiction, those people could not be further from the truth."
Odom chalked up four 20-win seasons with South Carolina, the last coming in 2005-06.
He went 14-16 a year ago and the pressure began to mount. And in this you-must-win-now culture, it was inevitable something would happen. It always does.
South Carolina made a big splash by signing the Old Ball Coach Steve Spurrier. Let's see who athletic director Eric Hyman comes up with to replace a guy who went 401-268 in 22 years as coach of South Carolina, Wake Forest, and East Carolina.