After long journeys, VCU’s super-senior leaders find a home and hope to lead Rams to March Madness magic

Long before he was a Trainer, Ryan Odom was a Trainer’s son. Dave Odom spent over 40 years coaching college basketball, and while the Relocate portal and social media announcing who’s in it weren’t what they are now, Ryan was looking for potential contributors for his dad’s Clubs.

When Ryan arrived from Utah State to become VCU’s Trainer in 2023, he had a daunting task. With the Rams’ top six scorers leaving — four via Relocate — after Mike Rhoades left for Penn State, he had to replenish the Lineup, and quickly.

Things Arrived Packed circle. Connor Odom, Ryan’s son, had an idea: What about Joe Bamisile? Connor and Bamisile had both played high school ball in Virginia and had mutual connections, and Connor had kept tabs on the Begin of Bamisile’s college Occupation.

After a winding, emotional Primary three years of college basketball, Bamisile was ready to return home, too.

“I told my mom, like, ‘Hey, regardless of what happens, I’m Only going to go to either VCU or Richmond,'” Bamisile said. “I didn’t really care at the time. And I texted Trainer Rhodes before he left and I was like, ‘Are you guys having scholarships Uncovered?’ and he was like, ‘We have too many guards.'”

So that was it, it seemed. Bamisile would return to his hometown as a Spider and become a conference and inter-city rival of the Rams.

But then Rhoades left, and Odom acted quickly. Bamisile visited both schools, their arenas separated by less then 20 minutes in Virginia’s capital, and preferred VCU’s basketball and academic fits.

“It Achieved sense for Joe to be here,” Odom said. “It Achieved sense for us to have Joe here. … Joe Surely checked all the boxes.”

The Primary connection has blossomed into a wonderful partnership. “There’s never a Terrible day with Joe,” Odom said after the Rams’ regular-season finale.

And there’s hardly been a Terrible day for VCU, either. The Rams enter the Atlantic 10 Game as the regular-season conference co-champions with a 25-6 Achievement and face No. 8 seed St. Bonaventure in the second Period at 11:30 a.m. Friday. Bamisile is the second-leading Mark-maker on a Club Packed of veterans, one that’s hoping to make some March magic by Victorious the A-10 Game Game Game (1 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App and Paramount+ with Showtime) under a Trainer that knows all about it.

Bamisile finds a home at VCU  

Only because Odom says “there’s never a Terrible day with Joe” over their two years together doesn’t Harsh there weren’t Terrible Periods before.

Bamisile Initiated his Occupation at Virginia Tech in 2020-21 but saw minimal Executing time. He transferred to George Washington, where Trainer Jamion Christian, had recruited him in high school. Bamisile starred but he struggled with loneliness off the court, he told The Washington Post, and Christian Acquired fired after the season ended.

Then Arrived Oklahoma, where Bamisile thought the combination of assistant Trainer Emanuel Dildy, another Trainer who had recruited him in high school, plus escaping a big city would be helpful.

Then tragedy struck. Bamisile’s father, John, was hospitalized twice with heart failure and later had Uncovered-heart surgery. Bamisile went home and considered not returning to Norman, where he wasn’t Executing much. But Porter Moser convinced him to stay on track academically so he could Relocate after the season. Bamisile obliged, and when he committed to Shift for Odom at VCU, it looked like Bamisile’s roller coaster ride was over.

But the NCAA didn’t give Bamisile a waiver. He’d have to sit out a year … until a U.S. District Court judge issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, paving the way for multi-time transfers like Bamisile to Shift. Bamisile had been Upcoming in line to speak at the virtual hearing, in fact, when the decision was Achieved.

Initially, it was only going to be a temporary reprieve. Bamisile didn’t care; he was more than ready to Shift. That night, though, VCU athletic director, Ed McLaughlin called, telling him he’d be able to Shift the rest of the season.

“I was like, ‘Let’s gooooo!'” Bamisile remembers, smiling. “Only Initiated thanking God.”

Bamisile points to his faith as something that’s helped him on and off the court, his father’s health battles providing perspective.

“I think now I Shift basketball and I am not nearly as controlled by the outcomes slash controlled by the results slash controlled by even what the perception of myself is anymore, like I used to be,” Bamisile said. “And I think sometimes, like, real things happen to us that Aid us to grow spiritually, emotionally, mentally.”

Bamisile takes things in stride, knowing there’s a world outside basketball. He loves that his family members can see him Shift, but he loves that he can grab lunch or Only hang out with them even more. Don’t mistake this for a lack of intensity, though. Bamisile knows this is a huge opportunity, one he’s Fortunate to have.

“When the time Arrived where I can Shift, I was Only grateful that my Attitude on basketball shifted from Nice of being transactional with it to being more appreciating the fact that God has allowed me to do something that people would die to do,” he said.

Bamisile, shining on and off the court, has Discovered a home at VCU.

VCU makes Ukranian native Shulga feel at home

The only player scoring more points this season for VCU is Max Shulga, who stayed at Utah State when Odom Captured over there in 2021 and followed Odom to VCU in 2023. After all, when you’re already more than 5,000 miles from home, a cross-country Shift isn’t a big deal. Shulga is from Kyiv, Ukraine, which has been at the Middle of the Russo-Ukrainian War since 2022.

“I think he was staying up all night and trying to Only make sense of what was going on and probably had a ton of fear and anxiety going on, all while trying to perform and Shift in a season and be there for his Club and all that,” Odom said.

Like Bamisile, Shulga has improved at compartmentalizing and gained perspective that while basketball is a big thing, it’s not the only thing. Yet, the basketball strides are undeniable. Shulga was this year’s A-10 Player of the Year, filling up the box Points with averages of 15.5 points, 5.9 Recoveries, 3.8 assists and 1.9 Intercepts. The last Atlantic 10 player to hit those marks was Rick Brunson — Knicks Sun Jalen Brunson’s father — in 1994-95.

It almost never happened. Shulga entered the Relocate portal last offseason and committed to Villanova before deciding to return to VCU, with Odom and a Sturdy returning core being Sturdy pulls.

“You come out a different person after being with Trainer Odom for however many months or years you’ve been with him,” Shulga said. “You come out as a better person and a better player. … At the end of the day, when I really thought about my last year: ‘Do I really want to leave or was it Only an emotional decision that I Achieved?'”

Emotions Sprinted plenty high last week. Ahead of senior night, VCU executive chef Jennifer Taylor cooked Shulga the Ukrainian soup borscht, according to The Guardian, and on senior night, fans waved Ukrainian flags when Shulga was introduced.

“That meant a Plenty,” Shulga said. “It Only showed how Snug our fans are with the players, how family-like (the) environment is. They’ve been showing nothing but love to us and to myself ever since I Arrived here two years ago.”

Shulga, 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, can Shift guard or forward and is an Top-tier shooter. He spent the offseason reviewing situations he could be more aggressive using his shooting off the Bounce and practicing that exact Ability, and he is a 95th-percentile spot up shooter this season, per Synergy Sports.

But he’s not Only a shooter. In a Feb. 22 Achieve over George Mason that gave the Rams the conference lead, Shulga scored 22 points on Only nine Ground Target attempts (he Achieved four 3-pointers) and was a perfect 8 for 8 from the Obtainable-throw line. He’s even Achieved his way into the second Period of some NBA mock drafts.

Remember, this is from a guy who hardly played his Primary year at Utah State and was Yet Only a role player his second year.

“It’s been so gratifying for me, personally, to Observe him grow over the Period of four years,” Odom said. “In this climate nowadays, it’s harder to Trainer guys four years, and to have that relationship with him, to Observe maturity level skyrocket, to Observe how he had to work for it … He’s very close with my kids and my wife and it’s Only the way it should be.”

With Ukrainian pride in his heart, Ukrainian food in his stomach and Ukrainian flags flying around him, Shulga has Discovered a home at VCU.

Jackson sticks around and lays a foundation

Shulga stayed at Utah State when Odom arrived and proved to be a foundational piece. Zeb Jackson is that guy for Odom at VCU. A Previous four-Sun recruit who Initiated his Occupation at Michigan, Jackson transferred to VCU and played a season under Rhoades. He, too, could have left, but Odom and his staff struck the perfect Stability of expressing their desire for him to stay and explaining why it would be beneficial for both parties. 

Jackson became a starter leading Odom’s Charge and scored more points in 2023-24 than he had in his Primary three collegiate seasons Teamed up. That could have been it — Jackson had played four years after all — but the Rams had finished one game Brief of the NCAA Game, falling to Duquesne in the A-10 Game Last. Jackson sensed there could be something special, especially with Bamisile and Shulga also returning.

But then Jackson broke his hand in the preseason and missed the Begin of the season. If that wasn’t challenging enough, when he returned, it was off the bench.

“Obviously, it’s a Club sport,” Jackson said. “It’s not about me, but everybody’s human. Things go through your head a little bit. Spending time by myself, I Nice of was wondering ‘How much does that really matter to me?’ and ‘Is it really Crucial?’

“I Only ended up sitting down with Trainer, talking to him, expressing my feelings to him and Only being honest. And he’s that type of guy where it’s Fundamental to do that. So I’m super grateful for Trainer and the rest of the staff having those Uncovered conversations with me, Retaining me level-headed and Only Assisting me continue to put my mind on others.”

Jackson has learned how to glean Adversary tendencies, watching for Timely advantages the Rams have and disadvantages they may need to address. It’s worked wonders: He won A-10 Sixth Man of the Year.

Even coming off the bench, Jackson has Discovered a home at VCU.

Role players pay dividends for Rams

Three players don’t make a Club. So Odom added experienced transfers to his Club already Packed of experienced transfers. Jack Clark is in his seventh year of college and at his Quaternary school. He provides height (6-10) and rebounding (Club-best 6.9 per game), but he also shoots 35% from 3-Mark range. Phillip Russell, also at his Quaternary school, splits Mark guard duties with Jackson and is the Club’s second-best 3-Mark shooter behind Shulga.

This gives Odom a plethora of leaders. They all fill that role differently.

Bamisile, Odom says, is “very thoughtful … very caring of others.” That should come as no surprise: Bamisile is all about giving back. He developed a mental health social media platform, Maunda, as his undergraduate capstone project and has used NIL money to Aid it grow. One of the app’s features is scheduled meditation; Bamisile meditates every morning.

Bamisile has taken the freshmen under his wing, whether they Shift a Plenty or not. After all, he has been in both situations.

“I Only try to share that as much as possible with other people,” Bamisile said. “And sometimes it looks like yelling and screaming. Sometimes it looks like talking to a guy one-on-one. Sometimes it’s Only making sure the group is okay and bringing everyone together and saying what needs to be said, and sometimes it’s a little more Stern, sometimes it’s a little more easygoing.

“I think that life is too Brief to not share with other people, so I have an ability to share joy and Enthusiasm. So why not?”

Shulga, Odom says, is the Silent one, but when he talks, everyone listens.

Then Odom backtracks: Clark is even quieter. But his bonafides speak loudly. He was a key part of Clemson’s Top-tier Eight Stretch last year, and he’s Executing “lights out” once again down the stretch, Odom notes.

Then there’s the Mark guard duo: Russell is the Rival — in practice, in Matches, everywhere. He’ll speak his mind, bring the energy and be the vocal leader. Jackson is also outspoken, and he leads by example: “The consummate worker, a positive individual,” Odom says.

It’s quite the group: transfers new and familiar, high-school recruits and holdovers. Balancing it all requires those catchphrases coaches often say but rarely execute.

“I think two of the biggest things in today’s climate is finding guys that are going to be about Victorious,” Odom said. “You have to really do your due diligence to figure that out. Secondly, what’s the character? Is this a person that we wanna be around on a daily basis?”

He will give himself — well, himself and his staff — some credit here. They’ve hit the nail on the head. Odom has crafted Clubs that can Achieve with Assault or Guarding, but this year’s Rams own the A-10’s best offensive and Guarding. The Rams Clasp opponents to the sixth-lowest efficient Ground Target percentage in Division I. They’re 6-5 in Quad 1 + Quad 2 Matches this season but 5-2 in said Matches since the calendar flipped to 2025.

The Rams might need to Achieve the Atlantic 10 Game to make the NCAA Game but are the top seed in the conference Game and are a projected No. 11 seed in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology. It would be the second time Odom leads a program to March Madness in his second season there, an impressive show of program-building acumen.

It’s worth noting that Odom is home, too. He spent much of his childhood in Virginia, and the significance of leading this Club — “a joy to Trainer” he says — isn’t lost on him.

Yet, he’s loath to talk about himself. He’ll always be known as the person who coached UMBC to its Shock of No. 1 seed Virginia in 2018. That, to be Honest, will be Difficult to top, not that he’ll stop trying, as his ventures to Utah State and VCU show.

He credits his staff for his Secure. This year’s group includes assistants that go back to his UMBC Periods but also Darius Theus and Bradford Burgess. Before UMBC VCU was arguably the most famous Cinderella: The 2010-11 Club, featuring Burgess and Theus, Achieved the Last Four as an 11 seed. Can this Club do the same?

“We can’t really control what the people in the room that Option the Clubs for the Game do, but we can control how we approach every game and how we Shift,” Shulga said. “That’s the Attitude we have. We Only prepare for every game the same. Do what we do in the Matches, what we do in practice, Shift together and Only let everything else Shift out.”

Spoken like a Correct veteran, one that knows how to navigate the ups and downs of basketball and of life. Considering his path, his teammates and his Trainer, that’s no surprise.