17. Rhode Island
The Rams are loaded with talent—and much of it belongs to Lamar Odom, who at 6'10" has the skills of a point guard
Posted: Wednesday November 18, 1998 02:02 PM
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Odom may be the top pick in the '99 NBA draft. Manny Millan |
On June
17, Rhode Island held a press conference to announce that
6'10" sophomore forward Lamar Odom was going to be
admitted as a full-time student at the end of the summer.
In most cases such news would barely warrant a press
release, but the announcement of the impending eligibility
of the highly touted Odom was
deemed so important—coming as it did just 24 hours after
the school announced plans to build a $50 million
arena— that the state's governor, Lincoln Almond, was
in
attendance.
Later that day Rams coach Jim Harrick called Odom and
senior forward Antonio Reynolds-Dean into his office and
asked Reynolds-Dean to serve as Odom's mentor this season.
It was a wise move on Harrick's part, given Odom's academic
troubles, which made
him ineligible last season. The two players have since grown
tight. But Odom doesn't need anyone to tell him that big
brother will be watching. "It seems like I've been
talked about
in Rhode Island more than some pros," he says.
"Sometimes people build you
up to be something you're not ready to live up
to."
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| STARTING LINEUP |
| POS. | HT. | CLASS | KEY STAT |
| SF Lamar Odom | 6'10" | So. | 25.1 ppg** |
| PF A. Reynolds-Dean* | 6'7" | Sr. | 7.6 rpg |
| C Luther Clay* | 6'9" | Jr. | 9.8 ppg |
| SG Tip Vinson | 6'4" | Fr. | 23.1 ppg** |
| PG Preston Murphy | 6'1" | Sr. | 9.1 ppg |
'97-98 record: 25-9
Final rank (coaches' poll): No. 11
*Returning starter
**ppg as high school senior ('96-97 for Odom)
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Odom is ready. In his debut, an 87-85 victory over TCU, he
was one assist shy of a triple double, hit the game-winning
shot and flashed a range of skills that could make him the
top pick in the 1999
NBA draft. His arrival will help fill the talent void
left by the departure of the Rams' two best players, guards
Tyson Wheeler and Cuttino Mobley, who last season led the
team to the Elite Eight for the first time in school
history. While Odom will start on a front line of
Reynolds-Dean and
6'9" junior Luther Clay, who came on strong after
battling through ankle and foot injuries during the regular
season, he'll be playing power forward, small forward and,
on occasion, the point. "It's a huge amount of
pressure," Odom says. "But I think I've
matured a
lot."
Last December, Odom's college career appeared to be in
jeopardy when, as a nonmatriculating student, he abruptly
left school for 12 days during final exams. The road back
hasn't been easy, but he appears to be on the right path.
"I've had to go through
some rough times, but I'm here now," he says.
"It's just time to
play."
—Seth Davis Top 25 | Rest of the Best
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