Tai Odiase (born September 21, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Bahçeşehir Koleji of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and EuroCup. Standing at 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in), he plays the center position. After playing four years of college basketball at UIC, Odiase entered the 2018 NBA draft, but he was not selected in the draft's two rounds.
.jpg) Tai Odiase 2024 | |
| No. 21 – Bahçeşehir Koleji | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | Basketbol Süper Ligi EuroCup |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 21, 1995 Glenwood, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Homewood-Flossmoor (Flossmoor, Illinois) |
| College | UIC (2014–2018) |
| NBA draft | 2018: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018 | Iberostar Tenerife |
| 2018–2019 | Lavrio |
| 2019–2020 | Greensboro Swarm |
| 2020–2021 | BG Göttingen |
| 2021–2022 | EWE Baskets Oldenburg |
| 2022–2023 | Germani Basket Brescia |
| 2023–2024 | Prometey |
| 2024–present | Bahçeşehir Koleji |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
editOdiase played high school basketball at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Illinois. He was ranked as a top-25 senior in the state of Illinois and the fifth-best center. Odiase helped the Vikings claim a conference title during his junior season and was named All-Conference. During his senior year, he averaged 17.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.[1]
College career
editOdiase, a three-year captain, played 130 games at UIC from 2014 to 2018. He started 117 times, including all 102 under Steve McClain leadership. The Glenwood, Ill., native was named the Horizon League Defensive Player as both a junior and senior and he is one of only three players in Horizon League history to be named to the conference's All-Defensive Team three times. Odiase is the all-time leader for both UIC and the Horizon League with 361 career blocks. That number places him tied for 37th on the NCAA's all-time list with Harvey, Ill., native Melvin Ely.[1] As a senior, he averaged 9.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.[2]
Professional career
editAfter finishing his college career at UIC, Odiase joined Iberostar Tenerife of the Liga ACB until the end of the season.[3] After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Odiase joined the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Summer League. Odiase joined Lavrio of the Greek Basket League thereafter.[4] In December 2019, Odiase was acquired by the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League.[2] On February 24, 2020, he finished with 14 points, six rebounds and a block against the Long Island Nets.[5] Odiase averaged 4.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. On July 22, he signed with BG Göttingen of the Basketball Bundesliga.[6]
On June 14, 2021, he has signed with EWE Baskets Oldenburg of the Basketball Bundesliga.[7]
On July 14, 2022, he signed with Germani Basket Brescia of the Lega Basket Serie A.[8]
On July 3, 2023, he signed with Prometey of the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League.[9]
On June 20, 2024, he signed with Bahçeşehir Koleji of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[10]
National team
editIn August 2024, The Puerto Rican Basketball Federation (FBPUR) authorizes the approval of the naturalization process of Tai Odiase in order to be able to represent Puerto Rico on the world stage.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "UIC Bio". Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ^ a b Trujillo, Justin (December 7, 2019). "Greensboro Acquires Tai Odiase". NBA.com. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- ^ "Tai Odiase Signs with Iberostar Tenerife". uicflames.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ "Tai Odiase (ex Iberostar Tener.) agreed terms with Lavrio". eurobasket.com. June 26, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ "Tai Odiase: Scores 14 off bench". CBS Sports. February 25, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- ^ "BG Gottingen officially signs Tai Odiase". Sportando. July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Tai Odiase inks with EWE Baskets Oldenburg". Sportando. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ "Brescia firma Tai Odiase, il pacchetto lunghi della Germani è completo". Pallacanestro Brescia (in Italian). 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ "Tai Odiase joins Prometey". Sportando. July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ @BKBasketbol (June 20, 2024). "Tai Odiase, Bahçeşehir Koleji'nde" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "La Federación de Baloncesto de Puerto Rico nacionaliza a Tai Odiase, refuerzo de los Piratas en el BSN". www.elnuevodia.com. El Nuevo Dia. August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.