Texas Tech basketball: Senior night provided unforgettable moments
Norense Odiase cements his legacy
When the story of Texas Tech basketball is told, Norense Odiase’s name likely will not be part of the narrative. But like a pillar at the base of a grand cathedral, the Chris Beard era of Red Raider basketball could not hav been built without the senior forward who is the embodiment of what his head coach wants his team to be.
Odiase arrived on campus five years ago weighing over 300 pounds and had the talent on that year’s roster been up to Big 12 quality, he would have been buried on the bench as a project. But, as has been the case throughout his career, Tech needed Odiase to play immediately and he stepped in despite being far from a finished product.
The Ft. Worth native grew to become a reliable player in his first two years on campus but when former head coach Tubby Smith left for Memphis after the 2016 season, many wondered if Odiase would be a fit for Chris Beard’s motion offense. And when he had to sit out virtually all of the 2016-17 season with a foot injury, Odiase could have questioned his place on the team.
But he stuck with the program and became the type of leader that every good team needs. Willing to sacrifice personal accolades and stats for the good of his team, Odiase is the ultimate glue guy on one of the top teams in the nation.
And Monday night, he turned in a quintessential Norense Odiase performance. He scored just three points but came up huge with three blocked shots and three rebounds.
Still, it is hard to measure what Odiase means to this program by stats alone. He is the heart and soul of this team and sets the tone on the floor. But just three weeks ago, it was Odiase who needed his team to step up for him.
In mid February, he lost two cousins in a car accident in Lubbock. Though he played against Baylor the next day, he struggled as one might certainly expect. But the team rallied around him and helped carry him through one of the most difficult times of his life.
And Monday night, as he walked off the floor at United Supermarkets Arena for the final time and embraced Chris Beard, one of the most powerful players in Texas Tech history looked vulnerable for perhaps the first time as a Red Raider as the weight of the real world seemed to fall upon his shoulders once again. But in a special moment for Red Raider fans, we got to thank Norense Odiase for everything that he has meant to Texas Tech basketball and let him know that while the record books will not tell his story, we will never forget what he meant to Red Raider basketball.