By Palmer Johnson
Season Review: Josh Oduro
Josh Oduro just completed his stellar senior season at Mason where he averaged 15.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on 55.1% from the field. He fouled less than his junior season while playing a similar number of minutes, going from 3.1 to 2.7 fouls per game, showing improvement in his defensive discipline. He had an offensive rating of 109.1 and a defensive rating of 96.1, meaning the team scored 13 more points than their opponents per 100 possessions when he was on the court.
He capped the season off by being named to his second consecutive All-A10 First Team. He led Mason to the 5 seed in the conference and a 20-13 record, the team’s first 20 win season since the 2016-17 season.
Coming into the season, there was a ton of hype around the jump Oduro was expected to take, but during out-of-conference play I am not sure that he really made the jump. He averaged 12.9 points on 50.8% from the field, which is less than what most people expected.
There were rumors about a possible injury that affected him but didn’t keep him out of games. Another possible reason for the slightly disappointing performance was that Virginia Tech transfer Ginika Ojiako was getting major playing time, likely since a lot of the teams could not handle his size like the A-10 could. It felt like he was just another player and not the focal point of the offense like most people were expecting. There is a chance that Kim English used out-of-conference play as somewhat of a preseason to see what he had in the rest of the team and what an Oduro-less future would look like.
His best game during out-of-conference play came against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where he scored 23 points on 10 for 13 from the field while grabbing 12 rebounds in a 67-54 win. The team still went 8-5 during out-of-conference play, which shows how much better and deeper the talent around Oduro is than last season.
Let’s go J.O.! #RockWithUs pic.twitter.com/xXBqDJebfQ
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 7, 2022
He was outstanding during conference play, which was very reassuring since he had such a down start to the season. He averaged 17.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game on 57.3% from the field in conference play (including the conference tournament). In conference play (not including the conference tournament), he had an offensive rating of 112.7 and a defensive rating of 95.7, meaning when he was on the floor, the team would score 17 more points than their opponent every 100 possessions. He was much more of a focal point in the offense, which led to him scoring more and drawing more defenders, leading to better shots for his teammates.
His best game was the home game against Rhode Island, where he scored 27 points on 12/14 shooting and grabbed 6 rebounds in a 75-67 win, the start of the 7 game win streak. I believe most impactful moment was when Josh and Justyn were trading baskets against George Washington. Mason was down 45-46 around the seven minute mark when Josh and Justyn combined to score the team’s next 15 points and pull away. Oduro led the team to a 11-7 record during conference play, the most conference wins since the 2018-19 season.
When the shot clock's low, Oduro's where you go.@josh_oduro | #RockWithUs pic.twitter.com/YXfWMhI4Bc
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) February 16, 2023
While Josh Oduro was a senior this year, he has the option to use his COVID year, which would grant him a fifth year of eligibility. Last offseason, he put his name into the NBA Draft while maintaining his eligibility to return. After doing workouts with NBA teams, he pulled his name out of the draft pool and returned to the team. He will likely put his name in for a second time, but there is a decent chance that even if he does not get any NBA interest, he could take an overseas deal.
If we have seen the last of Josh Oduro in a Mason jersey, he has cemented himself as the best Mason player since the team joined the A-10 in 2013. With his 2 All A-10 First Team selections, he has put himself on the Modern Mount Rushmore of Mason. If this is it, thank you for playing, Josh. One more year!
Back-to-Back 1st Team All A10 Honors for Josh Oduro. He’s now solidified himself as an all time Mason great👑#RockWithUs pic.twitter.com/2LYTaxY86k
— By George. (@ByGeorgeGMU) March 7, 2023
