CHARLESTON, S.C. - As a fifth year college basketball player, Lamar Oden Jr. had a consistent message when asked what his priority as a member of Charleston Southern's men's basketball team is.
"My main goal all the time is to help the team win."
Douglasville, Georgia's finest, Lamar Oden Jr. arrived in the Lowcountry back in June of 2024, but his connection to the CSU men's basketball program began back during his days as a high school student at Greenforest-McCalep Christian Academy.
Transferring to Greenforst-McCalep before his junior year, Oden Jr. remembered being so excited to be joining a boys basketball program with a culture heavily focused on winning. This winning culture continued as during his senior season, the Eagles' go-to scorer got to hoist up his first major championship, the Division A Private Region II title.
Another moment of excitement as a high-schooler for Oden Jr. was when he got his first message from now CSU men's basketball head coach, Saah Nimley.
"I was so excited when I got to talk to Coach (Nimley). Charleston Southern was my second offer, and just getting to talk to a staff that sees a role for you in their program at the D1 level was an experience I was so grateful to go through."
Although he did not enroll at Charleston Southern as a freshman, Oden Jr. was asked what about Coach Nimley as a recruiter and coach stood out from the other institutions wanting him to join their respective rosters.
"It is hard to describe… simply put it's just the way he is. He is chill and transparent, so I have always appreciated that about him and found it easy to have conversations with him."
The school Oden Jr. did end up signing with out of high school was farther north in one of America's most historic and largest municipalities, Philadelphia. Drexel University would be where Lamar Oden Jr. resided for four years and where he would receive his undergraduate degree. When asked what attracted him to the Dragons men's basketball program, Oden Jr.'s answer was pretty simple.
"It was a great academic school in a big city… I wanted to explore… I clicked really well with the coaches there and with my teammates… guys like Amari (Williams)."
Amari Williams, now the starting center at the University of Kentucky, was a part of the same 2020 Drexel recruiting class as Oden Jr., and although they don't wear the same jerseys this season, the two were inseparable as Dragons.
"We took the same courses, we walked together to class every single day… he's my brother for life."
The transition from high school education and athletics to the division one level, especially when the one in transition is already dealing with severe culture shock, can be various degrees of a serious learning curve for student-athletes. Going from a private Christian school in Georgia to a mid-major institution in the heart of Philadelphia, Lamar Oden Jr. expanded on what areas were the easiest to adjust to as well as which required more patience and work.
"At Greenforest, I used to dread writing papers and was curious why my teachers spent so much time on teaching us how to do it, then I got to Drexel and was grateful I was forced to learn it in high school… On the court, an area that took some adjustment is something a majority of college players go through… going from the number one option on your high school team to a role player in college."
From Oden Jr.'s perspective, his role with the Dragons was the same from year one to year four, but the volume of which his role was asked to produce grew as his experience did.
"I essentially had the same role the whole time at Drexel… shoot, get offensive rebounds, defend. The role just grew every year, and when my role got bigger, I realized you can't take days off… that mentality undoubtedly helped my transition to CSU."
Another piece of the Drexel journey that, upon reflection, has helped Oden Jr.'s mentality develop is that of, "championship habits". As a college freshman, Oden Jr. won a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) championship as part of a well-established and united Drexel Dragon team. When asked about what that experience at such a young point in his career taught him, Oden Jr. reflected on memories packed with relief and fulfillment.
"It felt so good to see our hard work pay off to that magnitude… I had never been on a team prior to that point where the culture was so heavily focused on teamwork and energy. Seeing what it took to win a championship taught me habits that I carry in my routine to this day."
A member of the CSU men's basketball support staff, Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning Gracie Frazier, verified Oden Jr.'s ability to improve the energy of this year's Buccaneer squad and how the value he brings to the group is far larger than just putting the ball in the basket on gameday.
"(Lamar) is dependable, ready to work, and makes adjustments quickly… He keeps the whole team up, keeps them laughing, and makes the grind easier for everyone. Over the course of a long season, that consistency is invaluable."
Another piece of his Drexel puzzle that he is blessed to call a part of his life now is fellow former Drexel (women's) basketball player, Mariah Leonard. Oden Jr. and Leonard met while both playing hoops for the Dragons, and during Oden Jr.'s sophomore campaign, the two began their relationship. Years later, in downtown Charleston, Leonard and Oden Jr.'s family had come to the Holy City to watch their favorite Buccaneer compete against Gardner-Webb. Little did they know that as they strolled through downtown Charleston that evening, Oden Jr. would be inviting his then girlfriend to officially join the family tree (she said yes).
In the early stages of his college career, Oden Jr. had been encouraged to get his masters degree before ending his academic journey, so after year four with the Dragons, he knew he wanted to pick a new landing spot to finish his collegiate athletic career. Once entering the transfer portal, a number he already had saved in his contacts shot him a message, "Coach Saah Nimley".
"I still had (Coach Nimley's) number saved in my phone from high school… he told me he has a role for me that he believed I could fill… Coach Amir (Abdur-Rahim) called too since he and (Nimley) were so close and told me he really believes in the program (Nimley) is building here in Charleston."
Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim is to this day one of the largest figureheads in the Southeast region for men's basketball. The former head coach of Kennesaw State and South Florida unexpectedly passed away just over a week before the opening tip of this current college basketball season, and his impact has left fingerprints on basketball programs across the country.
"Seeing Coach Nimley's name pop up in my phone quickly after entering the portal, and then hearing the encouragement from a mentor I trust in Coach Amir… I just thought to myself that there has to be a reason I'm being pointed so clearly in this direction."
Oden Jr.'s role with this year's Buccaneer squad is not solely based upon his on-court skills. Head Coach Nimley spoke to Oden Jr. a few weeks ago and reminded the graduate transfer how valuable his personality is to keeping the energy of the program afloat.
"(Oden Jr.) brings a lot of life to our program… He's always smiling, talking, laughing, and just simply enjoyable to be around."
When it comes to this personable skill set that Coach Nimley speaks so highly of, Oden Jr. says it is something he is happy to bring to the table.
"Coach (Nimley) has talked to me about much life I bring to the team, and how important it is that I continue to do that… luckily that is something I've always tried to do on any team I've been apart of, so knowing that Coach needs something that I can willingly provide is something I'm happy to bring to our team."
On the court, Oden Jr. has been a consistent and relied upon source of production on both sides of the ball. Coach Nimley identified some areas of the Buccaneer system that have allowed Oden Jr. to grow as a basketball player.
"Our system and culture has really brought out the competitiveness in him. I've seen him grow tremendously at how he competes overall, but especially on the defensive side… Coming into a new program, you have to kind of figure out where you are going to fit in… he has really started to find his footing on the offensive end and I've seen an uptick in his confidence regarding who he is offensively for us."
This uptick in confidence certainly has shown up in recent Buccaneer box scores as Oden Jr. has scored 13+ points in four of the team's past five ball games.
The south is the region of the United States that Oden Jr. grew up in, and the wide-eyed 18-year-old version of himself wanted to explore a new place (hence the signing to Drexel), but during his first four years of college, Oden Jr. vividly remembered missing the neck of the woods that raised him.
"I seriously think I missed the south everyday I lived up north."
When he got the invitation to come back closer to home, Oden Jr. remembered having nothing but positive feelings about the opportunity.
"My family used to drive over 12 hours for all my games at Drexel, so getting to come closer to home and allow them to more easily see me play was very special… it sounds silly, but I love palm trees… when I came on my visit is was sunny, not a cloud in the sky, beautiful campus, all the signs I would have wanted to see were being shown."
Oden Jr.'s playing career in the Lowcountry is obviously limited, but when asked how glad he is that the veteran Peach State native chose CSU for year five, Head Coach Nimley clearly stated how important the addition of Oden Jr. has been.
"I'm honestly just really glad that (Oden Jr.) decided to come to CSU and is helping us be a competitive team in our league that is chasing a championship. That's something we talked about when he arrived… having a direct impact on winning. He has undoubtedly provided that for us."
