Talented basketballer Odette Rodda is determined to overcome recurring injuries and make it to the top of her sport in the US. By Glen Atwell
The talented 17-year-old, from Berwick Secondary College, is determined to play college basketball in the United States and said if she could remain injury free, would make the grade.
Odette was a part of the gold medal winning Victorian under-18 team at the recent Pacific School Games, held in Melbourne.
A member of the Melbourne Tigers, Odette played alongside a number of other Big V basketball players and defeated top international sides such as China and South Africa.
But the road to winning gold at the Pacific School Games was no highway to heaven for Odette, who sustained a serious knee injury earlier this year.
“It was my first real tournament back, so it was hard work with all the preparation,” she said.
Odette has had four operations, including a complete reconstruction, and countless hours of rehabilitation on her problem knee, but is determined to stop it from impacting on her future career.
“It does become a mental issue to deal with after injuring the same knee so many times,” she said.
“But it’s something I just have to work through and forget about.”
With the determination to pursue a college basketball scholarship in the United States in 2007, Odette said it was important to play consistently at club level.
“The American colleges have scouts at the basketball when it’s time to recruit, so it’s important to impress the right people,” she said.
But Odette said gaining a four-year college scholarship would not just be all about basketball.
“It’s the chance to get a really good education as well as playing the sport I love,” she said.
At the Pacific School Games, Odette and her teammates progressed through the tournament undefeated, beating the ACT 59-46 in the final to secure the gold medals.
Odette said it was a thrill to play the international sides, but admitted the Chinese team employed an interesting mix of match tactics.
“They took the majority of their shots from the three-point line, it was something that took our side by surprise,” she said.
In one game, the Chinese made 71 shots on the basket, including 60 from outside the three-point arc.
“It didn’t seem to work very well, we knew they were going to use this tactic and we were able to shut them down,” Odette said.
