UMBC head men's basketball coach Ryan Odom knows the Retrievers will be wearing a bullseye this year coming off the greatest season in program history.
And he wouldn't have it any other way.
"This is where we want the program to be," Odom said. "When the other teams you play can't wait to lace it up and give it their best effort against you, it means you've established yourself, but we can't focus on what other teams are going to do to try to beat us. It has to be about us."
Odom has to replace three seniors who at times carried last year's team (25-11 overall, 12-4 America East) on both ends of the floor. First-team all-conference guard Jairus Lyles departed, as did point guard K.J. Maura -- the America East Defensive Player of the Year -- and captain Jourdan Grant.
