Goulding, Chance on Oduro’s “impressive” and “important” Throwdown performance

In his first Throwdown, and Melbourne United’s 33rd, Josh Oduro and his teammates gave the Phoenix a beatdown, to grab their first win of the Hungry Jack’s NBL27 season as the away side at John Cain Arena on Thursday night. 

Oduro, who has had a stellar start to his NBL career, was dominant in the matchup. In a game where physicality was key, the big-man led the charge, pulling in six offensive rebounds and leading his team in scoring with 21 points. Having shot a hyper-efficient 10/13 from the field for the game, the import now leads the team, and is top ten in the competition, in field goals made with 7.5 per contest.

Following his first win as Head Coach, Jacob Chance spoke on Oduro’s impact in the Throwdown, and for the rest of the season. 

“He's a really good basketball player, he's smart, he's tough, he’s going to be really important,” Chance said.

“[In Oduro and Krslovic] we’ve got two really high IQ bigs that are physical and can protect the rim and do different things defensively. [I’m] happy for him to get some reward [for his effort], 10 of 13 [shooting] is a great clip, he earned that.”

The former New Orleans Pelican now leads the competition in offensive rebounding at 4.5 per game, and of the top 15 scorers in the league, is the most efficient, shooting a ridiculous 78.9% from the field. 

Team captain Chris Goulding, who had his 91st game in the NBL with five or more three pointers in Throwdown 33, spoke on Oduro's growth through this early stage of the season. 

“He's got a motor. He gets after it and he’s been a sponge,” Goulding explained. 

“Sometimes [the team] does a few little funky things, but then [Oduro] does it to the best of his ability every single possession, [I’m] super impressed with him so far.

“He's got a lot more room to grow, but [I’m] glad he's getting the reward for the type of person he is, the type of teammate he is, because he's been first class.” 

Chance went on to outline the advantages in Thursday night’s matchup that saw his team come away with the win, highlighting their versatility on the defensive end.

“We have so much positional size that we can make it really difficult for teams at times if we want to,” Chance added.

“The commitment to that over 40 minutes is going to be really important. You see when Cole [Anthony]’s up and about, the impact that [Chris Goulding], Joe [Ingles], [Malith Machar], [Luke Travers], can have off the ball with how much space they can take up, and and still be good enough to contest at the three-point line, it's certainly an asset for us.”

United will next take the court as the away team against the Tasmania JackJumpers inside MyState Bank Arena Thursday October 1 from 7:30pm. Watch it live on ESPN or Disney+. 

Melbourne United will then return to John Cain Arena on Saturday 3 October to take on the Cairns Taipans. Tip-off is at 7:30pm, and tickets are still available here via AXS. Can’t make the game? Watch it live on ESPN or Disney+, or live and free on 9Now.

The best way to catch every minute of Josh Oduro’s dominance at John Cain this season is by becoming a Member today! 

Melbourne United’s collection of NBL27 Full Season Memberships are available NOW!

A Full Season Membership is the best value way to enjoy all remaining 13 Melbourne United home games throughout NBL27. Full season packages start from just $22.86 per game for Adults and $57.14 per game for a Family Package (2 Adult, 2 Juniors).

‍