Dave Odell said the time was right for him to hand over the coaching reins of the San Marcos boys varsity basketball team.
Dave Odell steps down as varsity basketball coach at San Marcos.
Odell stepped down after two years at the helm, guiding the Royals to back-to-back CIF playoff appearances, including the 3-AA quarterfinals in 2013.
Assistant coach Landon Boucher will take over the position. Boucher, like Odell, played his college basketball at Westmont.
“Last year, I brought Landon Boucher in to help with JV, with an eye toward him taking over the varsity position,if (athletic director) Abe Jahadhmy and (principal) Ed Behrens approved,” Odell said.
Boucher has varsity coaching experience. He previously coached at Providence and guided a young team to the CIF Division 6 quarterfinals in 2013.
“I always appreciated Landon’s demeanor as a coach, his willingness to give of his time to the student athletes and his understanding of the game,” Odell said. “I will remain involved in the program and plan to assist wherever Coach Boucher would like me to help in a more limited capacity.”
San Marcos also is bringing one of the school’s all-time greats back to the program. Jon Korfas, a three-time All-CIF player in the late 1970s early 1980s, who went on to star at Pepperdine and enjoyed a successful professional basketball career in Greece, will be assisting Boucher and helping with the lower level programs.
“Getting Jon back at San Marcos is a major development,” said Odell. “He’s a wonderful guy and, clearly, highly experienced.”
Odell explained that when he accepted the San Marcos coaching position two years ago, it was with the understanding it would be a short tenure.
“I took over the varsity when Jarrod Bradley decided to take a sabbatical,” he said. “After the sabbatical year, he decided to step down, so I took on the next year. So, it was really one more year than I’d thought.
“With my family, business and Westmont commitments I just couldn’t commit to the position for the long haul.”
Odell operates several businesses in the community and is also the athletic director at Westmont.
He said he’s grateful for the opportunity to coach at San Marcos.
“I really loved my two years coaching at San Marcos. Of all the things I get to do, it was extremely enjoyable. The young men at San Marcos are fantastic and the leadership and the rest of the coaches in the athletic department are phenomenal.
“In the end, I know I will really miss it. I am grateful for the opportunity and I know the experience has taught me at least as much as I hope I’ve taught the players I coached.
He added: “If it weren’t for my other commitments, I could have seen myself coaching for years because of how much fun I had … but that was never in the plan. Maybe some time down the road I’ll be able to get back into it, but now was a good time to transition.”
