As a BC basketball fan who is wildly optimistic about the future, I wanted to do some digging into who I’m actually rooting for. As the first profile in the 9 part series, I wanted to profile/critique/understand the surging Eddie Odio, one of $6 Block Party fame. This post was originally seen at The Koubek Project.

What the Web Says: Eddie Odio is 6’7, 190 sophomore from Miami. His dad is the head coach at Barry University (coach’s son!), and Eddie was born on Christmas (The Messiah!). His high school team was called the Christopher Columbus Explorers. He was a no star on Rivals, so we have something in common. Coach Donahue wanted to redshirt him last year, but he played himself into the lineup.

Background from 2012: Coming into the year, Odio was a mystery to me. I knew he was a sick volleyball player (not sure why) but I was always confusing him with KC Caudill (also not sure why). In the picture below, Odio is the less hairy guy.

Most impressive: As befits a respected volleyballer, Eddie can jump out of the roof. In basketball, there are two types of rebounds. Hustle rebounds involve getting position and boxing out before a shot goes up, a gritty and savvy move that usually comes off of mid to long range shots. The second type of rebound is more athletic, which usually happens when a shot is close range and is won by whoever can get to the highest point the quickest.

KC Caudill’s one redeeming quality is that he looks like a bear on the court. He falls into the first category. Odio most certainly falls in the latter, and in all honesty, is the only guy above ACC level athleticism on the team. The second Maryland game was a great example Odio stuck in one place pogo-stick rebounding. In a split second, he attacks the ball in the air better than anyone else we have. That is until Garland Owens comes to town next year!

Least Impressive: Eddie would make a fantastic scarecrow. If the air conditioning is blowing too hard he may lose his position. When he blocked Alex Len, multiple times I legitimately feared that Len would fall over and end Eddie. Not end the season, end with a period. Ryan Anderson added 15 pounds to a skinny frame last year, and that is exactly what Eddie will need this year if he wants to open up his game.

What the Stats Spell Out: the UNC game on 1/29/13 was a turning point for Odio. His paltry 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds a game don’t spell out how much he has come on of late. Everyone will mention his Maryland game (8 pts, 11 rebs, 6 blocks), but he has scored five or more points in each of the past 10 games, which were all ACC mind you, as compared to scoring five or more only TWICE in the first 19 games. He’s also been playing at least 19 minutes a game for ten straight games, as opposed to only hitting that mark 5 times in the first 19. Odio culminated his season so far by playing a full 40 minutes in the victory over Virginia last Sunday.

Odio is also second in the team in blocks and 1st in FG% (for players with >50 minutes), which reflects is near-basket game, all in spite of the fact that he is 6’7, 200 lbs. There is no way he weighs more than 190 pounds but he still is holding up against guy 70-80 pounds heavier.

Coach Donahue Quote: "Eddie is so different than anybody we have, so his ability to do so many things athletically really helps us. Simple things like offensive rebounds, tip-outs, blocked shots, finishing in transition, finishing with dunks around the rim — I think he’s just added great energy for us at the (power forward) spot."

Eddie’s Top 3 Dunks of the Year (Only Dunk Compilation for a BC Player in 2013)

3rd Place: A put-back tomahawk slam will get you a 7 in my book. His game against UNC started his gradual explosion into the regular rotation.

2nd Place: We’ll give him an 8. I am sucker for pre-planned alley oops and he gets extra points for doing this against Duke. Blue Devils should have done a floor slap before that inbounds play.

1st Place: Give him a 10! Not only does he hang in the air and throw it down against an aggressive defender, but it was actually at a momentum turner in one of the best wins of the year. He also did it against Maryland’s Logan Aronholt, an Albany transfer who improbably crushed BC that game.