Freshman Shy Odom continues to emerge as Howard Basketball heats up

 

By Ray Rogers

Howard Basketball defeated Mount St. Mary’s 63 - 62  in a nail biter led by evolving freshman Shy Odom.

Entering Wednesday’s contest Odom was named MEAC rookie of the week for the second time this season on the heels of scoring a career high 18 points in a Bison victory vs Harvard on Sunday.

From the outset of today’s contest, Odom set the tone early from the perimeter, knocking down consecutive jump shots including a three pointer that gave Howard an early 8 point advantage. The Bison led by as many as twelve points in the first half, however that lead was reduced to a single basket with a halftime score of 31 - 29 as Howard recorded an unprecedented 14 first half turnovers.

Line Changes

Following two early turnovers to start the second half Howard Head Coach Kenneth Blakeney removed his entire starting five with just over 18 minutes to play and the score tied 31 - 31. 

This coaching strategy proved momentous and provided a much needed spark as the Bison would proceed to outscore Mount St. Mary’s 16 - 6 to take a 10 point lead with 13:38 remaining in the second half.

Coach Blakeney reinserted his starting five at the 12:40 mark with a nine point advantage, aiming to rejuvenate the turnover plagued lineup that at times showed promise during spurts of the first half. 

Conversely, this decision was a key contributor to a momentum shift in favor of Mount St. Mary’s who swiftly cut the deficit to four points with just over 10 minutes left to play.

Blakeney explained his decision making in a postgame interview, stating “Our guys are tired, this was our fifteenth game since January 7th and I don’t know how many teams in the country have had fifteen games so I’m happy that we’re getting to the break and we have a chance to regroup after Christmas”.

Blakeney elected to stick with his starting group down the stretch in spite of the fatigue factor which resulted in the Bison going several minutes without a basket and saw a surging Mount St. Mary’s gain a two point edge with just over three minutes to play.  

Odom’s experience comes up big

With exactly three minutes remaining and the shot clock expiring, Shy Odom nailed a tough step back jumper to knot the game at 62 a piece.  A late Elijah Hawkins free throw with 1:19 remaining put the Bison ahead for good although there was plenty of drama in the final minute. 

Both teams battled to the final buzzer with Mount St. Mary’s missing a potential game winning basket in the waning seconds. 

During the offseason, Blakeney raved about Odom’s experience playing as a key member of the illustrious Sierra Canyon High School basketball team that has featured many prominent names including Bronny James, Zaire Wade, and Amari Bailey. 

That level of exposure aided the first year forward’s ability to come up big for the Bison who have now won three games in a row. Shy Odom led Howard with 14 points and 6 rebounds. 

Following the Christmas break, Howard will face La salle University at home in hopes of getting back to .500 with their record currently standing at 7 - 8. 

The Bison are playing winning basketball just ahead of conference play which is slated to begin in January. 

Success in the MEAC will be key to securing a second consecutive winning season as well as a possible NCAA tournament bid.