Churchill Odia, who transferred from Xavier to Oregon (8-0 overall) and had his second knee surgery last year, poured in a career scoring night and tied his all-time game assist record Monday at McArthur Court.
Considering his limited game experience at Cincinnati, Ohio (25 games, 8.8 minutes per), and now one-game experience in Eugene, Ore., the transcending significance of the win for Odia was his mere presence on the court, not his nine points and five assists.
Odia, who was born in Lagos, Nigeria, sank three of his seven three-point attempts and found cutting teammates with judicious passes. Prior to his premiere as a Duck, Odia’s career highs comprised seven points against Lehigh and five assists against Creighton two distant seasons ago as a Musketeer. He averaged 1.6 points a game at Xavier.
Odia wasn’t keeping track of scoring statistics though. He seemed to delight in the 17-minute stat line next to his name and was eager to express his satisfaction when a reporter asked him how it felt to finally play.
“Why don’t you tell me?” Odia said. “You see the smile on my face. I am just happy to be back right now and to be playing and trying to help my team win.”
The 6-foot-6-inch Odia redshirted during Oregon’s 2005-06 season in accordance to NCAA transfer rules. The sophomore needed the downtime, undergoing a knee surgery on his left knee that would ultimately even limit his potential in practices.
Now, Odia is all about improving, and proving to his coach and his teammates that he can be an immediate contributor.
“I know I got game, I know what I can bring to this basketball team, it has just been a while since I’ve played,” said Odia, who also recorded two steals and two rebounds in victory.
“Right now I need to work a lot on my shot and think with hard work I could be great … Whatever minutes Coach Kent can give me, I will take advantage of it and play my best out there,” Odia said.
Churchill, who can play point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and subbed in for both Tajuan Porter and Malik Hairston during the contest. Coach Ernie Kent opted to simply call Odia a very skilled player, rather than a guard or wing player.
But to the surprise of few, Odia did look rusty at times Sunday, exampled by a blown dunk late in the second half and an ugly first half of shooting that saw him make only one of his five three pointers in just eight minutes of action.
Then there were the moments of promise. He riffled in a pass to Mitch Platt from the baseline late in the first half. In true point guard fashion, Odia notched his fifth assist with a no-look assist to a cutting Joevan Catron in second half. Passing the ball is something he is used to-Odia was a guard, not a wing player, at Xavier after all.
“Before I came here my position was point guard at Xavier,” Odia said. “So I am kind of used to it, you know. My first option is to pass and create openings for my teammates … I am not looking to score, I am looking to pass first and whatever the defense gives me I will take it.”
Deep in the second half, Odia also nailed consecutive threes, the latter of which being the product of one of his two steals.
Bryce Taylor said Odia, who was a considerable factor in Oregon’s 35-15 bench point advantage over Bethune-Cookman (2-4), has waited a long time to play.
“He is a hungry guy,” Taylor said. “He is really excited to get back in here and help the team. We all know what he is capable of doing.”
Odia, who projected the health and progress of his knee at 80 percent to 89 percent, said he is most focused on getting it stronger, and continuing to make plays for his teammates.
“I am not worried about my points,” Odia said. “I am worried about what I can do on defense and how good I can pass the ball.”