O. D. Anosike

Oderah "O. D." Anosike (born January 3, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for Lavrio of the Greek Basket League. He played college basketball for Siena College. In the 2011–12 NCAA Division I season, Anosike led Division I in rebounding, with a 12.5 per game average.[1][2] He then repeated as the country's top rebounder in 2012–13, with an 11.4 per game average.[3]

O. D. Anosike
Anosike in action with Varese
No. 21 – Lavrio
PositionCenter / Power forward
LeagueGreek Basket League
Personal information
Born (1991-01-03) January 3, 1991
Staten Island, New York
NationalityAmerican / Nigerian
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Peter's Boys
(Staten Island, New York)
CollegeSiena (2009–2013)
NBA draft2013 / Undrafted
Playing career2013–present
Career history
2013–2014VL Pesaro
2014SIG Strasbourg
2014–2015Sidigas Avellino
2015AEK Athens
2016Brindisi
2016–2017Varese
2017–2018Real Betis
2018–2019Le Portel
2019–2020Jeonju KCC Egis
2020–2021Fuerza Regia de Monterrey
2021–presentLavrio
Career highlights and awards

College career

Anosike began his college basketball career in 2009–10. Anosike's contributions in his inaugural year were modest; he averaged 2.7 points and 3.4 rebounds, in 12.1 minutes per game.[1] He was, however, only one of four Siena players to appear in all 34 of the team's games.[1]

During Anosike's sophomore season, he averaged 8.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.[1] Then-teammate Ryan Rossiter was a prolific rebounder as well, and Anosike believes he could have grabbed more rebounds that season, had it not been for Rossiter.[4] The following year, his junior season, he nearly doubled his rebounding average, with Rossiter graduating the previous spring. Anosike averaged 15.0 points, and a nation-leading 12.5 rebounds per game, en route to a First Team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) selection.[1][3] He was also named to the Lou Henson (Mid-Major) All-American Team.[1] During one stretch in 2011–12, Anosike recorded 17 straight double-doubles, which is a Siena record, and the second-longest streak in the previous 15 years of Division I basketball.[1]

Anosike repeated as the nation's top rebounder in 2012–13, after grabbing 11.4 per game.[3] He was named a Senior CLASS Award candidate as student-athlete of the year,[5] and in January, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas declared him to be the best rebounder in men's college basketball.[6]

Professional career

2013–14 season

After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, Anosike joined the Denver Nuggets summer league team for the 2013 NBA Summer League. On August 5, 2013, he signed a one-year deal with Scavolini Pesaro of the Italian Serie A.[7] In addition to being named a league all-star, Anosike went on to be the Serie A leading rebounder during his rookie campaign. In his first professional season, he averaged 14.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game for Scavolini Pesaro.

On May 18, 2014, he signed with Strasbourg IG of France for the rest of the 2014–15 LNB Pro A season.[8]

2014–15 season

In July 2014, Anosike joined the Boston Celtics for the 2014 NBA Summer League.[9] On July 15, 2014, he signed a one-year deal with Sidigas Avellino of Italy.[10]

2015–16 season

On August 24, 2015, he signed a one-year deal with Laboral Kutxa Baskonia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the Euroleague.[11] On October 4, he parted ways with Baskonia before appearing in a game for them.[12] Three days later, he signed with the Greek club AEK Athens.[13] On November 27, he parted ways with AEK after appearing in four league games and five Eurocup games.[14]

On January 7, 2016, Anosike signed with Enel Brindisi of Italy for the rest of the 2015–16 Lega Basket Serie A season.[15]

2016–17 season

On July 16, 2016, Anosike signed with the Italian team Pallacanestro Varese.[16]

2020–21 season

On September 17, 2020, Anosike signed with Fuerza Regia de Monterrey of the Mexican Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional.[17] On January 9, 2021, Anosike moved to Lavrio of the Greek Basket League.

The Basketball Tournament

OD Anosike played for Saints Alive in the 2018 edition of The Basketball Tournament. He scored 8 points and had 7 rebounds in the team's first-round loss to Team Fancy.

Personal

Anosike is the son of Ben and Ngozi Anosike, both Nigerian immigrants.[1][4] He has seven siblings: Nicky, Nneoma, Rotanna, Ikenna, Ifesinachi, Anulika, and Ejimōför ("EJ").[1] One of his sisters, Nicky Anosike, played college basketball for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, won two national championships, and as a senior, was named the NCAA Woman of the Year.[1] She currently plays in the WNBA.[1]

Although his given name is Oderah, his nickname "O. D." was given to him when he was a young child.[4] Explaining where it came from, he said, "In kindergarten the kids had trouble pronouncing Oderah, so my mom said, 'Just call him O. D., the first two letters of his name,' and it kind of stuck with me ever since."[4] In Igbo, his name translates to, "whatever God has written, can never be taken away."[4]

See also

References
  1. "O.D. Anosike Bio". SienaSaints.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  2. "Well Above The Radar – O.D. Anosike". TeamNigeriaBasketball.com. November 7, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  3. "O.D. Anosike Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  4. Styczynski, Jack (February 21, 2012). "Siena Rebounder Jumps Out of a Shadow". NYTimes.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  5. "O.D. Anosike". SeniorClassAward.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  6. Benoit, Tom (February 13, 2013). "ESPN's Jay Bilas Names OD Anosike Top Rebounder". 4GuysInBlazers.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  7. "O.D. Anosike signs with Vuelle Pesaro". Sportando.com. August 5, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  8. "SIG Strasbourg announce OD Anosike". Sportando.com. May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  9. "Celtics Announce 2014 Orlando Summer League Roster". NBA.com. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  10. "Scandone Avellino announces OD Anosike". Sportando.com. July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  11. "Laboral Kutxa adds powerful center Oderah Anosike". Baskonia.com. August 24, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  12. "OD Anosike ya no es jugador de Laboral Kutxa Baskonia". Baskonia.com (in Spanish). October 4, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  13. "AEK Athens brings in rebounder Anosike". Eurocupbasketball.com. October 7, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  14. "Anosike leaves AEK Athens". Eurobasket.com. November 27, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  15. "OD Anosike signs with Enel Brindisi". Sportando.com. January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  16. "Pallacanestro Varese lands OD Anosike". 16 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  17. "Anosike is back at Fuerza Regia". Latinbasket. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
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