Dave Odom Kept Wake Forest, Sean Allen Prepared

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Sean Allen transferred to Wake Forest after starting his college basketball career at South Florida, playing for coach Dave Odom from 1994-1997.

Allen chatted with Deacon Sports Xtra when he returned to LJVM Coliseum to see Odom's banner raised and the 1995 ACC Championship team celebrated.

What were your thoughts on coach Dave Odom's banner going up in the rafters of LJVM Coliseum?
Allen: "He's a really good guy. Obviously we didn't think he was such a great guy and nice person when we had to play for him. I don't think Coach Odom necessarily transcribes the two theoretical views of what great coaches are — that you either have to love a guy or fear a guy. Look at Dave. He's not a guy who you're going to outwardly fear. He wasn't a puntantive guy who would make you fear him through his actions. Coach Odom created almost a third category of coach — the CEO coach. Everybody has a job. It's like being a professional. He was more like a chess coach. Here's a pawn, a rook, a king and a queen — everybody has a role to play. A lot has to be said for that type of coaching. Within that doctrine, players will end up loving you or fearing you. He was real and up front with the players. The way he talked to the crowd is the way he talks to players. He keeps it real. He's open and he's going to tell you how it is. He's not afraid to get emotional. It invokes a kind of spirit that is hard to pull out of certain types of players."

What was unique about Wake Forest and playing for Coach Odom?
Allen: "Going to Wake with the structure and the scouting report was the biggest thing. You get a booklet for each game, with the first part of the booklet being individual players and the second part being their plays and the sets they run. In practice you go through a walk through and then you go at full speed. It's always structured and forces you to lock in."

What about the academic rigor while also being an athlete?
Allen: "The academic part of it wasn't that difficult, because of the class size. Every teacher knows who you are. At a huge school you can just float through and you're just a number. You have to actually apply yourself and build relationships. That was an adjustment, but it was a welcome one. The biggest thing I learned at Wake Forest was running sets and plays the right way. Steve Goolsby, you're coming off these two staggered screens. Your shot is going to be right there. Those players are more likely to make those shots if they know exactly where and when those shots are going to be. That's a concept I never even thought about in high school or the first two years in college. In high school all we did practically was run the flex, and that's not a very elegant offensive set."

Did guarding Tim Duncan in practice help lead to you becoming an acclaimed defender?
Allen: "You're always thinking a step ahead. If Timmy is at the far end of the post where the ball is, you're on top of him anticipating the ball coming around to that side, or you're behind him, pushing him out far enough to not damage you. It definitely did play a part. I learned a lot defensively from some of the concepts Dave (Odom) taught. It really was conducive to individual defense. The team was dialed into one another in terms of anticipating, and keeping teams down to one shot and hitting the boards. Playing against Tim every day definitely contributed to that, plus I got a lot of reps with the first team as well. All of those things helped."

Growing up in the Raleigh area, were you a fan of any college basketball teams?
Allen: "I was a Carolina fan growing up. I grew up in the Raleigh area, but I never had 100 percent loyalty to the team, but obviously growing up with (Michael) Jordan. I was a big fan of Jordan, Rick Fox and those guys. Being from Raleigh, I was a big Rodney Monroe and Chucky Brown fan. Dereck Whittenburg, Sidney Lowe and those guys were huge to me. I used to see them around. That was a contributing factor as well. I'm just a fan of basketball."

Wake Forest Athletics

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