By ADAM ZAGORIA
Femi Odukale was among the nearly 17,000 fans at Prudential Center for Seton Hall’s Senior Night on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-5, 194-pound point guard from Springfield (Mass.) Commonwealth Academy was on his official visit to The Hall and, like everyone else, was touched by the moments Myles Powell experienced during his final home game.
“I got to hang out with Myles Powell, he’s the man,” Odukale, who spent his formative years in Brooklyn, said Thursday by phone.
“He just told me it’s a good fit for me, that if you love basketball, coach [Kevin] Willard can put me in a situation that I always wanted to be: professional. And he told me that they can excel my game to a further level.”
On his way out of Seton Hall, Powell is now serving as an inspiration to potential future Pirates.
“Yes, because from the beginning of his freshman year, he was unranked, he was just a chubby kid [and] now what he accomplished, it’s a lot,” Odukale said.
With the careers of Powell and Quincy McKnight coming to an end, Seton Hall is in the market for another guard for 2020. They are awaiting word on whether Zion Harmon will reclassify from 2021 and then on his college choice. But they aren’t putting all their eggs in that basket, either.
“The visit was very good and [their message is] I could be an impact freshman and I could play right away from my freshman year and going forward,” Odukale said.
“They want me to come in and run the point. I would be a winner. I can do playmaking. I can play on the ball, or of the ball, whatever they need me to do to win.”
Odukale is averaging 17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 2.7 steals while shooting 40 percent from deep.
He has also taken officials to UMass in January and Pittsburgh and February, and both schools are thought to be in good position. He’s also visited St. Bonaventure, but they are no longer actively recruiting him.
Other schools are also in the mix. Texas and Iowa State have called while Rutgers assistant Steve Hayn also saw a practice recently.
“He’s looking ideally to play the one. He wants a spot where they’re going to put the ball in his hands,” said Commonwealth Academy coach Nick Couluris said.
Odukale is also strongly considering Pitt and UMass.
As for Pittsburgh, he said, “I felt like I was in the city again. Everything was just busy, there’s multiple restaurants and the atmosphere.
“I’ll be playing the point guard and making plays for them, and just being a winner.”
UMass is also an option. Current UMass assistant Tony Bergeron coached at Commonwealth Academy from 2012-17.
“I would be starting from my freshman year and I could help the team a lot on and off the court,” he said.
As for a decision timeline, Odukale hopes to decide sometime after the NCAA Tournament.
“Sometime after March Madness,” he said. “Maybe in April.”
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