Howard forward Shy Odom enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Howard forward Shy Odom has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. Odom, a sophomore in 2023-24, will have multiple years of eligibility remaining.

Odom and the Bison made the 2024 NCAA Tournament, losing to Wagner in a First Four game on Tuesday night. He entered the portal days later.

Odom, a power forward, will be a popular candidate as a potential up transfer in the portal. He won Mid-East Athletic Conference freshman of the year honors for the 2022-23 season. That year he averaged nearly 11 points per game and five rebounds a contest.

He saw his numbers dip in 2023-24 as he dealt with injuries. Odom played in 20 total games, starting 15 in 2023-24 after playing in 31 for Howard as a true freshman.

Odom isn’t the only former star freshman to hit the portal recently

There is some serious talent that just entered the men’s college basketball transfer portal. According to On3’s Jamie Shaw, Merrimack sophomore wing Jordan Derkack has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.

At Merrimack, Derack put together an impressive season, averaging 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on the season. That was also good enough to earn the sophomore guard the Northeastern Conference Player of the Year award. Arguably, Derkack’s best performance on the season came during an 82-79 victory over Long Island University. It was there that the conference player of the year scored a career-high 34 points on 8-17 shooting from the field while connecting on 17-25 of his free throw attempts. Derek also added on 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and one still to help lead the Warriors to win number 14 on the season.

There is one opportunity in Derkack’s game that will have to be addressed at his next stop: his three-point shooting. The six-foot-five-inch sensational sophomore is shooting less than 30 percent from beyond the arc, coming in at .275. That comes on an average of 3.8 attempts per contest with just one make. Also, Derkack, will have to hone in on his ball-handling skills. Last season, he nearly doubled his turnovers per game, going from 2.4 to 4.0 in 2023-24.

While Merrimack and Derkack had an impressive 2023-24 season, earning the regular season conference title, it did not amount to an NCAA tourney berth, thanks to the Wagner Seahawks. The Seahawks and the Warriors split their regular season matchup, but with all the chips on the line,  the Seahawks rose to the occasion, winning the series-deciding game in the tournament. In the northeastern conference tournament championship game, Wagner upset Merrimack, beating the Warriors 54-47 to claim the conference’s automatic tournament bid.