Eldridge to play in Turkey after stint with Blazers; Odiakosa weighs options after week with Grizzlies.

Osiris Eldridge and Dinma Odiakosa were used to shaking hands as four-year teammates with Illinois State.

When the two met for handshakes following the NBA’s summer league game between the Portland Trailblazers and the Memphis Grizzlies, both displaying opposite jerseys, the once fearsome Missouri Valley Conference tandem froze for a double-take.

“We laughed a little bit,” said Odiakosa, who just concluded playing for the NBA’s Grizzlies.

“It was different because we’ve always been teammates,” said Eldridge, fresh off a summer league tour with the NBA’s Trailblazers.

Both Eldridge and Odiakosa, co-stars for the Redbirds in a 22-11 campaign as seniors last season, took stabs at their childhood dreams by playing in the NBA’s week-long summer league, which was held in Las Vegas, Nev., and concluded Sunday.

At the beginning of the summer, Eldridge and Odiakosa became roommates in Chicago, as they signed with the same agent, Mike Naiditch, and both trained under specialist Tim Grover, who is prominently known as Michael Jordan’s former trainer.

Both players waited, but ultimately did not hear their name called in the NBA Draft June 24 despite multiple workouts with various teams and whispers of second-round consideration.

So it was off to the Sin City, and as the saying goes, “what happens in ‘Vegas, stays in ‘Vegas.”

Eldridge and Odiakosa were hoping what happened with their professional debuts, would stay imprinted in the minds of league coaches and GMs.

Although no teams have yet to take a gamble with either player, the two league hopefuls felt the NBA preparation experience was what they were looking for. 

“To have the taste of what [the NBA] is like, is great,” Odiakosa said. “It doesn’t look too tough on TV, but it’s a tough league. It’s great to know what I need.”

“I’m just grateful for the opportunity [to be on an NBA summer league team roster],” Eldridge added. “There’s probably a million guys that would have loved to be in my position.”

Eldridge, who did not record any playing time with the Blazers, signed a contract with PINAR Karsiyaka of the Turkish Basketball League. Eldridge’s contract ($150,000) was offered with an NBA clause—meaning if a team picked Eldridge up, he would not be obligated to play in Turkey.

“It looks like I’m going to be spending Thanksgiving in Turkey,” Eldridge jokingly said.

“[The contract in Turkey] was my Plan B if nothing happened with an NBA contact. It seems like it’s a great place to play—warm weather, great fans.”

Meanwhile, Odiakosa is still weighing out his options after playing a total of 20 minutes with the Grizzlies last week. Odiakosa has offers to play professionally in the United States—most likely in the NBDL (The NBA’s Developmental League), or overseas where the contracts could pay more generously.

Hailing from Akwukwu, Africa, Odiakosa feels he is battle-tested for whatever lies ahead.

“I think I can play anywhere. I say that because playing away from home for five years, that already trained me for anything,” he said.

“I have some options to play in the D-Leauge and in Europe. I wouldn’t mind staying in [the U.S.] because I’m used to it, but I’m also familiar with other cultures. I’m going to look at the big picture.”

Odiakosa expects to know by the end of the week which route he’ll take in his basketball future.

The two former teammates did get the chance to spend time together while in the Sin City, although gambling their chances with an NBA team seemed to be enough for both on their stay.

“The money that you win at casinos, you lose it right back,” said a laughing Eldridge. “It’s a lot of fun [in Las Vegas], but you can’t be there too long. Maybe just a weekend, the city never sleeps.”

“It was hot. It felt like 120 degrees. It was as hot as the Sahara desert,” said Odiakosa, referencing his African roots. “First, at the games, I don’t know how to play. Second, I had very little money and didn’t want to give it away.”

Players stayed at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

At one point, Eldridge found himself sitting next to the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose, who was in town for Team USA’s FIBA World Championships practices.

“I didn’t have enough money to be at their table,” said Eldridge.

Eldridge’s NBA journey

After hearing talks of getting drafted in early June—working out for the Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls—to never checking into a game in the Portland Trailblazers’ summer league, Eldridge rode a roller coaster of emotions.

Looking back now, still eyeing his dream to play in the league, Eldridge has garnered a more promising perspective.

“I’m not that made anymore,” he said. “I’ll use this as motivation to play the best that I can in Turkey.

“It was frustrating not playing any minutes and kind of embarrassing because it was supposed to be my professional debut. On the other hand, if I got in, I know I would have gone out there and represented myself, my family and Illinois State to the fullest.”

Walking into a roster that had four guards of similar ability, Eldridge still thought he had a better chance of showing his stuff than he what was given.

“I knew it would be tough but it made me step back and re-evaluate myself like, ‘am I that bad?’ But I talked to [teammates] about it and tried to be professional because I just saw [the experience] as a reference on my resume.”

Eldridge knows he will have to develop better point guard skills to land a contract, but the NBA is not an avenue Eldridge plans to give up on anytime soon.

“It will take a lot of studying the game and really getting comfortable at point guard,” he said. “Everything else, I know I have the skills and tools to be there. From the sounds of it, a lot of NBA teams like me…I’m just not a sure thing because I’m an undersized two-guard.

“I’m confident, if not this year, that I’ll eventually play at the [NBA] level if I’m given the opportunity. I didn’t get that chance. When I do get that chance, I’ll make the most of it.”

Odiakosa’s NBA journey

Odiakosa showed the Memphis Grizzlies what he was made of over the course of the week-long summer league and despite logging little playing time in the team’s five games, the 6-foot-8 forward was encouraged by the feedback.

A back-to-the-basket player at Illinois State, Odiakosa noted there were “things I could get away with in college that I couldn’t in the NBA.” Improving his pick-and-pop mid-range jump shot as well as basketball IQ are on the top of Dinma’s agenda.
With most NBA plays involving some form of a pick and roll, a Tim Jankovich ritual with the Redbirds, Odiakosa felt more than comfortable with NBA plays.

Odiakosa said, according to feedback from his trainer and NBA GMs, he is “an NBA defender.”

“I think I’m a naturally good defender,” he said. “I understand defense. I’ve been able to defend [against NBA players]. Now I have to get better on the other side of my game, which is not terrible but I have a long way to go in getting better [offensively].”
Coming from a redshirt nobody to a conference player of the year runner-up and now, NBA prospect, Odiakosa has taken his journey with gratitude.

“Illinois State has helped me get the where I am today,” he said. “It is gratifying because I know how hard it was to even get this far. There were times, my freshman year or my [sophomore] year redshirting where I might have considered quitting. But from my college experience to my senior year, I just kept trying to get better everyday. Because of the work I put in, to get this far, encourages me to work harder.”