The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
NelsonOdoda happy to earn a spot on US team
Olivia NelsonOdoda assumed she would be back on campus by now, balancing class, schoolwork, and gym time like the rest of her UConn teammates.
But, the reality is that she’s nowhere near New England, let alone Storrs.
A handful of college players were invited to train last week in Miami with USA Basketball, including NelsonOdoda’s UConn teammate, Christyn Williams. But Nelson-Ododa, a sophomore forward, was the only one to make the final roster for the upcoming FIBA AmeriCup.
NelsonOdoda spent the final day of summer in Puerto Rico, logging 13 minutes off the bench in a preliminary game against Paraguay. She finished with nine points, nine rebounds and three assists in a 11031 rout of Paraguay.
“It was definitely a surprise because we initially thought coming down to Miami, a few of the college players, we thought our role was like practice player and just going through sets and stuff,” NelsonOdoda said Sunday by phone. “Then, we realized it’s a tryout and we had the possibility to come down to Puerto Rico and play.”
She’s not quite sure how she made the roster, but she’s not asking any questions. Four former Huskies
also made the cut — Tina Charles, Napheesa Collier, Stefanie Dolson and Katie Lou Samuelson — easing NelsonOdoda’s transition to a faster, more physical brand of basketball.
“I just tried to do my best at the training camp and worked as hard as I could,” NelsonOdoda said.
Altogether, 12 players made the final cut for the AmeriCup, which runs through this week. The semifinals are Saturday, with the gold and bronze medal games scheduled for
the following day.
NelsonOdoda previously earned a gold medal with the U18 National Team in 2018. She’s using this latest opportunity to prepare for the bigger role that awaits her at UConn.
Her confidence has risen. Her mentality is tougher.
“I can only do so much physically,” she said. “I think I did my part with that during the summer. I think the rest will just have to come with my mentality, and that’s also something I’ve been working on,” she said.
Simply put, NelsonOdoda was inconsistent as a freshman. Far too often,
she was overwhelmed by the physicality of the college game. She wound up playing in 38 games, averaging 4.4 points and 3.8 rebounds mostly off the bench. It was when she stepped into the starting lineup during the American Athletic Conference Tournament, when Samuelson was hurt, that NelsonOdoda really flashed her potential.
“It was definitely a lot of ups and downs,” she said. “As a whole, it was a huge learning experience, especially the month of March and April. … I think I’ll be able to carry that on. I think I did from April to
summer, and I’ve been working in the summer for our season.”
NelsonOdoda spent most of June and July back at UConn, taking classes while also spending time in the gym. So far, Collier NelsonOdoda seems to be adjusting nicely.
“I think it’s really good for her to be here and for her to see kind of how it’s going to be for her once she gets into a (professional) league, and kind of bring that into the season this year,” Collier said. “She’s doing great so far.”