Nizhny Novgorod inked a contract with point guard Jake Odum (193 cm, 82 kg, 26 years old), reports Nizhny Novgorod’s official website. The agreement runs through the end of the season.
The American started the season at Turkish club Banvit, where he averaged 16.7 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in three Turkish league games, as well as 9.3 points, 1 rebound, 0.7 assists per game in the Champions League.
Jake Odum will wear #23 at Nizhny Novgorod and is expected to debut on November 19 against Kalev.
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Zoran Lukic:
– We talked with Jake over the summer and almost had everything worked out. Unfortunately, after our conversation, he received a more interesting offer from Banvit. Due to the circumstances, we were able to get him now from Turkey. I hope that after all the issues we’ve had at point guard with Sterling Gibbs’ departure, Odum will help us run our offense. With his arrival, we can also take some pressure off Ivan Strebkov and change his role on the court.
Nizhny Novgorod guard Jake Odum:
– A lot of things weren’t working for me at Banvit, so I talked with the team and we decided to go different directions. I got to know Nizhny Novgorod coach Zoran Lukic this summer. We talked and I really liked everything he told me about the team. I decided not to join Nizhny then, but now it’s time to fix my mistake. I can’t say I know much about the team or city, but I’m ready to do whatever I can to help my teammates. I hope we’ll have a lot of success together.
