Transfer Rules: Josh Oduro
Kim English is remaking the Providence roster in his image day by day
Two transfers from his former program in two days for new Providence head coach Kim English. Not all bad! I recently touched on Justyn Fernandez, who has potential but I do not expect to be an immediate impact transfer for the 2023-24 Providence Friars. The same cannot be said for 6’9 big man Josh Oduro. Oduro was a two-time all Atlantic 10 selection, who averaged 15.6 points (55.1% FG, 61.6% FT, 23.3% 3PT), 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this past season. I expect him to come in and immediately fill the void left by Ed Croswell, for his final year of eligibility. Oduro is not coming to Providence to sit on the bench.
The Stats:
Oduro’s best collegiate season was actually his junior year at George Mason where he averaged 17.7 points (52.9% FG, 70.1% FT, 29.2% 3PT), 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 blocks. I’d be lying if I said I did a deep dive on the George Mason Patriots season to figure the reason behind the dip in performance for Oduro this season, but if I had to guess a combination of being at the top of team’s scouting reports and opponent familiarity played a role. His free throw and 3 point shooting numbers also took a serious dip, which does give me some cause for concern. Looking at his shot chart from the 2022-23 season below, you can see the Ed Croswell comparison is an apt one.
I am already in love with Oduro’s efficiency in the paint. If I had to point to two areas for improvement this offseason that will allow him to be a contributor after a significant step up in competition, it would be free throws (need to convert at a better rate than 61%) and understanding his role. Oduro should attempt 0 shots from beyond the three point line next season. Zero.
The other aspect of Oduro’s game that sticks out to me as the biggest difference between him and Croswell is his passing ability. A few possessions in the highlight package above show Oduro with an innate ability to find cutting teammates for easy looks. Croswell was an elite offensive rebounder (Oduro is not that) but did struggle at times to find the open man when he was doubled in the post. Kim English has already said he prefers to play a ‘4 Out 1 In’ offensive set (you can see the bones of those principles in many of Oduro’s offensive highlights), I think for this upcoming season, Oduro will suit that ‘1 In’ spot just fine.
The Intangibles:
Oduro is taking a big step up in competition. The only common opponents George Mason had with Providence last season was URI and Saint Louis. He played exceedingly well in those games, but night to night in the Big East is just a different animal. Maybe asking him to match Croswell’s production is too lofty, but I do think he can get close. What is not too lofty is the idea that Oduro, and former George Mason teammate Justyn Fernandez following Kim English to Providence is superb for the culture that English is trying to establish.
Extremely high praise from Kim English here regarding Oduro’s talent. The fact that Oduro has now decided to trust English with his final year of collegiate development speaks to how highly English’s players regard him. At the end of the day on court performance is paramount, but if English was a terrible coach who’s players didn’t believe in him, they wouldn’t be following him to the City of Dreams. Every leader needs loyal soldiers and I expect Oduro and Fernandez to be foundational pieces to the Program that Kim English is hoping to take to new heights.