This ASU Basketball Star Shines in Season-Opening Performance
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There was a lot to like in ASU's Basketball first game, as in the victory, as many players showed up. Whether it be Anthony "Pig" Johnson having a nice game off the bench or Allen Mukeba hitting three pointers, there was a lot to like. However, there is one player who stood out the most for Coach Bobby Hurley's team and that is Maurice Odum.
Odum's Career
This is Odum's first season at ASU. For the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Odum played for the Pacific Tigers. As a Tiger, Odum was solid, as in 2022 he averaged 5.6 points, and in 2023 he averaged 8.7 points.
A nice career as a Tiger, but Odum started to really show potential when he transferred to the Pepperdine Waves. As a member of the Waves, Odum started to really break out as he averaged 13.1 points. What is impressive about Odum's time before coming to the Sun Devils is that his point total improved year after year, proving that he is a hard worker and will get better with time.
Odum's First game as a Sun Devil
Odum looked really nice in his ASU debut. In the game, Odum had nine points, eight assists, and four rebounds, so overall a very well-rounded game for Odum. What stood out the most about Odum is how quickly he moved.
Odum is a player who can dominate others physically with his size, but he can also move effectively in space. There were many times throughout the game where Odum would make a great power move and then transition to a great speed play. This shows that Odum can do it all physically.
Moe Odum with fantastic vision to find Massamba Diop for the ferocious slam 😳
— Jakob Brooks (@Jakobrooks) November 5, 2025
ASU leads Southern Utah 40-28 heading into halftime. @SunDevilSource pic.twitter.com/uK1NGMkbrt
His shooting was very nice as he had 9 points, but he was great passing, making some difficult passes against Southern Utah throughout the game. Above shows a fantastic pass by Odum. What is impressive is how fast Odum is as the mental side, he is able to see and read passing lanes at a very quick level. So, not only is Odum physically amazing, he is mentally as well.
Odum's future
Multiple players contributed in ASU's victory over Southern Utah, so it was not just Odum, but he could be an X Factor for this team. As he is not only hard to guard, but he also sets up players really well.
What makes this exciting for Odum is that the type of basketball he plays is succeeding in the NBA. A big man who can pass well sounds a lot like Denver Nuggets Superstar Nikola Jokić. Now, Jokić is playing at a Hall of Fame level, so comparing Odum to him is a high standard, but the underlying view is that Odum has a great future.
In conclusion, it will be exciting to see Odum's season as a Sun Devil under coach Hurley.
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Tanner Cappellini holds a mass communications degree from Arizona State University and is pursuing his dream of being the person at the games, practices, and events who takes others inside the team they love.