Sahdi Odu practices Mondays thru Fridays for about nine and a half hours for the week. He plays basketball games on Wednesdays and Saturdays and works out in the weight room for a half an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Along with preparing for the basketball season, Odu goes to school full-time at Moorpark College taking 14 units. Odu is an undecided major who is playing his final season as a member of the basketball team.
The twenty year old is preparing for his leadership role of being the team captain. Athletic Director Howard Davis talked about the leadership that Odu brings to the team.
“Everything that I hear from the coaches and from what I see when I go to the games, Saudi is an excellent leader,” said Davis. “The kids on the team really like him and really look up to him and he has provided excellent leadership so far.”
Odu has been playing basketball for six years and started off at Birmingham High School. Odu wasn’t able to play in most of his high school career because his grades weren’t up to the schools standards.
“My freshman and sophomore year was kind of tough because I struggled in class so I was ineligible,” said Odu.
Head Coach Remy McCarthy talked about what Odu brings to the team.
“He is our returning starter, he is our team captain, he has shown a tremendous amount of leadership,” said McCarthy.
Odu had to change some of his basketball skills in order to adjust to playing a new position. Last year, Odu had to play center for his team while being 6’3. This year the team has a bigger lineup so Odu has to adjust to playing small forward.
“He has improved his perimeter skills, last year he was generally an inside player so he has improved his perimeter skills,” said Davis. “He plays almost exclusively on the perimeter and he has improved his perimeter shooting (three point shooting) and his ball skills, so he has been a very good asset to our team and he is going to continue to be.”
Odu is looking into applying to Division two schools, in and out of the state to play basketball. Odu is preparing for his last season as a student and athlete at Moorpark College.
“I love this place it has been a good ride so far, my time is ticking, I am about to be out of Moorpark pretty soon but this is my last season,” said Odu.
