Josh Oduro is tearing apart the Big East, and Kim English isn't the least bit surprised

The questions surrounding Josh Oduro last fall were all generally the same. Sure, he led the Atlantic-10 in scoring, but was he big enough, or athletic enough, to produce in the Big East — especially a league returning some of the best centers in the country this season?

On tape, this was an undersized back-to-the-basketball big man with no discernible lift, who hadn’t quite expanded his game beyond the 3-point line. Could a player like that hold his own against the Big East’s best?

Those were just the criticisms.

The ongoing joke was that young Kim English was trying to win in the Big East by surrounding Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter with the core of the fifth best team in the A-10.

English wasn’t in on the joke, however, and he bristled at the notion of Oduro failing to produce after stepping up a weight class.

“He’s back-to-back First Team All Atlantic 10,” English said in an interview with The Vault last summer. “I couldn’t care less about what any media member says, or about any questions that may arise. We don’t have those questions. When we built this roster, we were not listening to that commentary. I’m very excited to see Josh mesh with this group, and I think he’s going to do very well.”

Very well has become an understatement.

Just three days removed from becoming a father, Oduro shined in what may have been the most critical game of the season to date for Providence. He scored 26 of his 28 points in the second half to lead the Friars to a critical 75-72 win over St. John’s, and pull a game ahead of the Red Storm in the standings.

Now seemingly fully healed from a bum ankle that slowed him in the first few games following Bryce Hopkins’ season-ending knee injury, Oduro has exploded onto the scene and combined with Devin Carter to give PC one of the best duos in the country.

Providence’s Net Rating (point differential per 100 possessions) is a +22.8 with Oduro on the floor. That’s tops on the team ahead of Bryce Hopkins (+16.9), Devin Carter (+10.2), and Ticket Gaines (+8.3).

He has scored 60 points in his last two games — narrow victories against the Johnnies and Creighton.

Over his last five contests, Oduro is averaging 24.5 points per game and 14.5 points per game in the paint. He is taking nearly nine free throws a night, and hitting at a rate of 85% at the stripe.

In those five games, he went for 20 points and nine rebounds while playing just 23 minutes due to foul trouble against Donovan Clingan and #1 UConn. He went for 18/12 versus Eric Dixon and Villanova, put up 32 points on two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner, shot 8-10 and scored 22 points in 28 minutes against Georgetown, and then dominated the second half against St. John’s on Tuesday.

In Big East games, Oduro is fourth in the league in scoring (18.4 ppg), sixth in rebounds (7.8), and eighth in field goal percentage (.509), despite struggling his way through some extended shooting slumps after he injured his ankle.

So much for the questions and the wisecracks.

The story of Oduro and Friar head coach Kim English is a unique one. English took over at George Mason after Oduro’s sophomore campaign, and he shared with The Friar Podcast last fall that English and Mason had no real edge as he entered the transfer portal when Mason switched coaches at the time.

“When Kim got hired, I had an opportunity to talk to him, and I treated him just like I treated everyone else,” Oduro said on The Friar Podcast in September. “I approached it like it was a brand new opportunity, and I really took the time to learn about Coach Kim English.”

“He was more involved in my recruiting process than anyone else was. I could really see that he was someone who cared, but more importantly, he was someone who had a plan and vision for the future — not only for the team, but for me individually and as a basketball player.”

They could have never guessed what the future held for either of them.

Unlike teammates and friends, Tyler Kolek and Jordan Miller, Oduro stayed at Mason and thrived under English instantly, leading the A-10 in scoring their first year together.

“I flourished in his system and his emphasis on player development,” Oduro said of English.

“Kim is more than just a coach to me. He’s like an uncle to me, like part of the family. He’s really taken the time to get to know me, get to know my family,” Oduro shared last fall. “He always pushes me to get better not only in basketball, but in life.”

English became family alright. The Friar head coach shared on Tuesday that Oduro asked English to be the godfather of his newborn son, Gabriel.

“My proudest moment as a coach,” English said of the honor.

Where would English be today had Oduro not chosen to stay at Mason? Where would the Friars stand if he had not come along with English last spring?

With Oduro holding down the paint, Providence has maintained its NCAA Tournament hopes, even in the wake of losing Hopkins and then immediately dropping four straight games.

Oduro has been a rock during that time, and every bit the leader that English promised he would be when talking about Oduro to The Friar Podcast last summer: “He’s an incredible leader in every facet. There’s a few guys you get to coach over your career that might make you choke up on Senior Night, he’s going to be one of them. There have been a few that I coached who are just that special.”

Oduro was right about English when he entrusted his career with him three years ago, and English has been proven right since scoffing at the notion of Oduro potentially struggling in the Big East.

At 16-9 overall and tied for with Butler and Xavier for fifth in the league with a 7-7 conference mark, there is still significant work ahead of the Friars with six games remaining in the regular season, but with the leap Oduro has taken over the past month, the Friars suddenly feel a lot more formidable than they did just a few weeks ago.