Mayer: ISU Will Go as far as Jake Odum Pushes Them

Courtesy ISU Athletics

Forgive me if I'm late to the news, but Jake Odum is very good at basketball. I'm still new to Sycamores (and for that matter Wabash Valley) hoops, but Odum has jumped right off the screen. While covering the Sycamores in their last two contests against Truman State and Ball State, Odum has been the ISU leader in every sense of the word.

I'm sure most people who follow hoops around these parts are not surprised by Odum's success. He was a great player at Terre Haute South and continued his productive ways as soon as he stepped foot on the Indiana State campus. For someone new to the area, Odum immediately distinguishes himself on the court in a myriad of ways. 

Purely from a basketball standpoint, Odum gets the offense going and seems to be taking on the role of most dangerous scorer as well. He has an incredible ability for finding spots to drive hard to the hoop. Even more impressive is the body control Odum shows while in the air. He is able to adjust into seemingly awkward positions in order to finish at the rim or get a shot off. A couple of his hard drives that turned into fade away jumpers off the glass against Ball State left me thinking...WOW.

Of course, scoring is not Odum's first job as a guard who often has the ball in his hands setting up the offense. He is seen directing teammates and is constantly moving, never letting the defender rest. Every pass from the guard is crisp and is usually followed by a quick cut, screen, or other movement that helps continue the flow of the offense.

The energy level that number thirteen brings to the Sycamores cannot be quantified. Basketball is a game largely based on momentum. Most teams need an emotional leader that can get get teammates fired up and create ways to stop runs from the opposition. Odum has admitted he knows this is his role as a veteran of the young Sycamores and he has done nothing but excel. Two instances from last night's victory over Ball State perfectly exemplify what Odum is capable of. After a Cardinals player ran the floor, but failed to finish at the rim, Odum snatched the rebound darted down court and scored with numbers in Ball State's favor. Later in the game, he sunk a late three which truly put the game away and gave a quick salute while running back on defense.

There's a big difference between confidence and cockiness. Odum is confident, has an endless motor, and is not afraid to show his emotion on the floor. To put it frankly, he's got swagger. You'll find this same characteristic in many of the best leaders in sports and especially basketball. He is the perfect person to take the reigns and lead ISU. That is meant in a literal sense as he has shown his superior all around game and an emotional stand point as well. If a play needs to be made or a message needs to be sent, coach Greg Lansing knows where to turn first. 

Pensky: ISU Men's Basketball First Glance

At first glance, the 7th place finish that's predicted for Greg Lansing's Sycamores seems a bit insulting, since the Coach and top player are still around from ISU's 2011 Missouri Valley Conference title team. Upon further review, I think the Sycamores are in a perfect position. There's no denying they have some extremely talented newcomers that will be added into the mix. The top two newcomers, Khristian Smith and Manny Arop, each had to sit out last season, so expecting them to be at their best, right off the bat is probably too much to ask. 

More importantly, expecting a team that will be forming a new identity to be properly gelled early on, is also too much to ask. Hence patience is needed from Sycamore fans early, while it is easy to see how someone outside of Terre Haute, might look at the roster, and wonder what this group will be like without regulars Lathan, Richard and Printy.

The good news is the brief track record of head coach Greg Lansing. When he took over it was not an overnight process for him to instill the toughness, mindset, and practice habits he wanted for this program. He also inherited a team that had a brutal early season schedule. The result might have been a 3-5 start, but once this team forged an identity, they went on to become a respectable 3rd place team in the regular season, and eventually a conference tournament champion.

This season's schedule is not easy (at UCLA, New Mexico), but it also isn't as harsh as the 2010-11 slate. It will take some time for Lansing to figure out roles, and rotations, and for Smith and Arop to get their bearings as they return to competitive basketball. The optimistic, glass-half full side of me, knows that they have more talent than most people realize. I know Jake Odum is healthier than he was last year, and I know they don't have a senior on the roster. This is a process with this group, one that will be worth watching unfold, and one that should have many good times ahead, over the next couple of seasons and beyond.