Basketball

Scouting Report: 2011 hoops commit Anthony Odunsi

By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher

Anthony Odunsi, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound combo-guard out of Travis High School in Fort Bend, Tex. has committed to Fred Hoiberg and Iowa State for the recruiting class of 2011.

What kind of player is Iowa State getting? Here’s a complete scouting report.

Scouting Report via Craig Bronson, Travis High School head coach “He is 6-foot-3 and close to 200-pounds. He’s really strong. Really, he plays multiple positions. He can play point guard but he can shoot the ball as well. He was our leading scorer this past season when he was a junior. He was our second leading scorer during his freshman and sophomore years behind a kid (Ray Penn) who is at Oklahoma State now. He really can do pretty much anything that we ask him to do. He is a good rebounder of the basketball. He sees the floor well. He’s a strong finisher. He shoots free throws at about 80 percent. He’s an excellent ball player. He was first-team all-district this year and all region.”

The best news about Odunsi is the fact that his body is essentially college-ready right now. Odunsi currently weighs around 190-pounds but I assume that he’ll be very close to 200 by the time he puts on an Iowa State uniform.

“He is strong. We work quite a bit in the weight room. Some kids come in and are frail and can’t take pounding,” Bronson said. “We play in arguably the toughest district in the state of Texas. He goes against kids night in and night out who will be playing in major conferences. He is used to the rigor of that kind of ball.”

Odunsi led Travis High in scoring during his junior year by averaging 16.7 points per game. What are his strengths? How does he put the ball in the hoop?

“I’d call him a scorer. He really just finds ways to score,” Bronson said. “If his shot isn’t on, he gets to the free throw line. He is kind of a slasher. He has a very good mid-range game. His freshman year, he made one 3-pointer the whole year. That wasn’t in his repertoire yet. He has been extending that range. He just finds ways to score depending on the circumstances.”

Odunsi was only a 19 percent shooter from 3-point range last season but he takes care of business around the basket. Odunsi’s was a 51 percent overall shooter from the field.

View Odunsi’s stats from his junior year in their entirety by CLICKING HERE.

Chris’ Take

Odunsi reminds me of 2010 signee Melvin Ejim for a number of reasons. Both seem to be very well spoken young men. Both have college-ready bodies right now.

From the sounds of things, Odunsi will be a great representative of Iowa State basketball.

With his commitment, Odunsi joins Milwaukee Hamilton small forward Elgin Cook in Iowa State’s 2011 recruiting class.

Up next? Go get Cedar Rapids Jefferson’s Jarrod Uthoff. Hoiberg already has two great athletes in Cook and Odunsi.

Go get a savvy shooter to go with them.

@cyclonefanatic