Patience Pays Off for Rashard Odomes

When Oklahoma opened the 2015-16 season in Memphis, head coach Lon Kruger was still putting together the pieces of his eventual Final Four team's rotation. It was a veteran group that featured four core upperclassmen in Isaiah Cousins, Buddy Hield, Ryan Spangler and Jordan Woodard.

Rashard Odomes, a 6-6 guard from Copperas Cove, Texas, made his collegiate debut that night, seeing just three minutes of action in Oklahoma's 84-78 win.

The next night, Odomes took to a public platform to proclaim a personal message, tweeting three short words.

Be patient RO.

It was a message that coaches, teammates and friends continued to preach to Odomes throughout the season. A freshman guard playing behind two eventual NBA draft picks and other experienced backcourt players, Odomes saw limited opportunities during important games. By the time Big 12 play came around, Odomes saw action in just nine of Oklahoma's final 28 games – totaling 29 minutes and six points in those contests.

“We told him it just wasn't his time yet,” said Cousins. “We had me and Buddy taking the majority of the minutes. We knew that once we were gone next year, he was going to have a lot of minutes so we told him that's why it's so important to build that confidence so he'll be ready to play.”

Odomes spent a majority of the 2015-16 season as a member of OU's scout team - guarding players like Buddy Hield and Isaiah Cousins each day in practice.

Odomes knew the level of talent he was playing behind and that it wasn't yet his time, but that didn't make things any easier. He admits he could've easily sulked in his lack of playing time, but instead, he embraced his role on OU's scout team and took advantage of going up against some of the country's most prolific scorers every day in practice to prepare for the future.

“I had people around me always telling me to keep my head up, be patient and my time would come,” said Odomes. “Just keep working…I just felt I had to keep working. I kept working and learning from the seniors we had there and from the coaches as well.”

While waiting for his time, Odomes was given the daunting task of guarding the national player of the year every day in practice. The assignment proved beneficial for both Sooners, as Hield was given a given a physical 6-6 guard to apply game-like pressure in practice and Odomes was forced to step up his game.

“It made me so much better,” said Odomes. “In high school, if you watch my film, on defense I was so lazy. I didn't play any defense at all. When Coach (Kruger) came to me he said that's what he wanted me to do on scout team. Defend Buddy, make him take tough shots, sometimes foul him. They'd get frustrated, but it made them better.”

The whole experience opened Odomes' eyes to the type of player he could grow into.

“That's when I started to notice that maybe I could be a good defender,” said Odomes. “I just had the size and the length and the strength of a good defender, I just had to put it all together.”

His transformation as a player was evident to his teammates as well.

"It just shows how much better you can get in a year. Just shows me to always keep working, no matter what the situation is."
— Rashard Odomes

“As the year went on, Rashard kept getting more confident in his game,” said Cousins. “Each and every day in practice he got better, stayed after and would even come to the gym later. He just gained that confidence and the way he is right now, helping the team out and putting up numbers and stuff.”

Now a sophomore, Odomes finds himself in a reversal of sorts. Despite being in just his second season with OU, he is already one of the most experienced guards on the Sooner roster. He has gone from the scout team to the starting five after just one season.

As Oklahoma opened this season in November, Odomes went back to his tweet from a season ago, quoting his message of patience and adding an updated line.

#ItsTimeRo

The patience and practice of last season has paid off as Odomes has made the biggest jump in minutes and production of any Oklahoma returner. Odomes, the only OU guard to start in all 22 games this season, is third on the team in scoring with 10.1 points per game while adding 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He averages 12 more minutes per game in conference play than he totaled in 2015-16. He is averaging over eight more points than last season while playing over 20 additional minutes per game.

Odomes

As his offense comes along, he continues to stick to the defensive principles he built last season.

“I feel like (defense) is real important,” said Odomes. “I know every game I'm not going out there scoring 20. So games when my offense isn't going, that doesn't affect my defense. It shouldn't affect my defense at all. Nobody else can affect my energy but me. I come out every game trying to energize everyone and be the toughest defender out there.”

Now a solidified member of the Sooner starting lineup, Odomes reflects on the time he spent preparing last year and how he has grown as both a player and a leader.

“That time last year matured me,” he said. “It grew me as a person, not only on the court but off of it as well… Probably a year ago I was just trying to think about scoring the ball. I wasn't thinking about executing plays and things like that. Just realizing that everyone has a role and just trying to play that role that everyone has. I just learned what I can bring to the team and what helps the team the most.”

Patience will continue to be a factor for Odomes, who seeks to continue his upward trend while encouraging similar growth from this year's freshman class. The potential of newcomers such as Kameron McGusty and Kristian Doolittle encourages him about the future of Sooner basketball and the young core of players Kruger will build upon in seasons to come.

Although different in nature, Odomes faced trials in his freshman season that have yielded a grittier toughness and prepared him for a primary role a year later. He sees the same coming true for the young Sooners fighting their way through a season of close calls and nightly battles in Big 12 play.

“It just shows how much better you can get in a year,” said Odomes. “Just shows me to always keep working, no matter what the situation is. There will always be brighter days, just keep working…It's real exciting knowing the guys that we have and that we're going to be here for a couple years.”

Players Mentioned

Isaiah Cousins

Kristian Doolittle

Buddy Hield

Kameron McGusty

Rashard Odomes

Ryan Spangler

Jordan Woodard

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics