April 1, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
Sead Odzic will earn his bachelor's degree in business from Illinois State during the summer of 2009 and as a result he has decided to pursue his career instead of returning to the Redbird men's basketball team for the 2009-10 season.
Odzic, a native of Skokie, Ill., is a senior academically, but has one year of eligibility remaining after having to sit out the 2006-07 season to meet NCAA residency rules after transferring from USC.
"I've had a lot of fun in my two-and-a-half years at Illinois State," said Odzic. "It's been a great experience. I've really enjoyed playing under Coach Jankovich and I've made life-long friends in the process. I'm sad it's over, but I'm also excited to be done with this stage of my life and move onto other things."
Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich is also torn by Odzic's decision.
"When Sead told me of his decision, I was both excited for him and sad for us, because he's been a joy to coach in the time that I've been here," said Jankovich. "He worked very hard every day. He always brought a great attitude and was a positive contributor to our team. We will all miss him."
Odzic transferred to Illinois State prior to the 2006-07 season, and played two seasons under Jankovich. This past season, he played in 28 games, including two starting assignments. He averaged one point and one rebound, while posting 12.5 minutes per game. Odzic, who registered a 1.42 assist-to-turnover ratio, did miss five games during the season due to knee injury.
