Meet Coach Oderah Chidom

Meet Coach Oderah Chidom

September 02, 2020

Hi I am Coach Oderah! Working at UPBasketball has been nothing but a joy these past few months. Before I started  working as a trainer here I was working out with the UPBasketball as a player.  I met Packie Summer of 2017, right when I graduated from Duke University and finished playing in the WNBA for the Atlanta Dream. I was preparing to go overseas for my first season in Europe when I heard about an up and coming new trainer in the Bay Area. As an Oakland native, I was excited to work with someone as elite as Packie is within my own backyard. Over the years I have been working out with UPBasketball and watched it grow in innovation. I am happy to be a part of such an elite program.

Before the shutdown, I was playing basketball professionally in Belarus on a competitive EuroCup team. As my teammates and I were preparing to enter the playoffs mid-March, we were checking the news all around Europe. We stood by and watched as other European countries started postponing seasons. The Belarus Basketball Federation ensured us that we would continue playing with a few modifications for our safety; there would be no fans in the stands and the federation developed plans to modify the playoff schedule from a 5 game series to a 3 game series. We continued to practice with little to no information on what was to happen in the near future. Eventually the federation cancelled the season and we were all sent home shortly after. 

Oderah gaurding

After I quarantined for 2 weeks in the Bay Area, I started working at UPBasketball. Sharing my love of the game and learning a different point of view has been a very insightful experience. I see the game in a new light. As a player, I react on what is given to me. I make split decisions based off of quick reads without doing much thinking. As a trainer, I am more focused on the why and explaining how to see you certain reads. I like to create scenarios on how to approach the game. It has been a fun learning curve from playing the game to teaching the game. At UPBasketball, I love learning from Ruta and Packie on their teaching styles and the language they use to motivate and guide players. 

Oderah gaurding

One of my favorite parts of this transition is that I am able to develop my own learning style. I can take all of my favorite past experiences and tools that helped me along the way and use it to create my own distinctive style. We all know what we like and didn’t like from different coaches, trainers and experiences along the way. I try and use all those experiences to create a program that helped me. At the end of the day my goal for my clients is to help them find joy in the game appreciate the process of working hard at something until you get it. 

 




Also in News

Haley Jones finishes her final season with the Stanford Women’s Basketball team
Haley Jones finishes her final season with the Stanford Women’s Basketball team

March 25, 2023

Jones posted to her Instagram account on Monday, “Thankful for my years at stanford. Thankful for my people, without you I wouldn't be who I am. Thank you for continuing to keep me grounded and hungry. Ready for the next chapter.”



Read More

Kessler Edwards wins Defensive Player of the Game Chain in his first month with the Sacramento Kings
Kessler Edwards wins Defensive Player of the Game Chain in his first month with the Sacramento Kings

March 16, 2023

“It was a bit of a surprise at first [being traded,] it was something that I wasn't expecting. But you know, It all happened so fast. I can't believe how fast it happened but I'm glad to be here in Sac. It's my first day here at the facility and everybody seems cool, so I think I'm going to like it here,” Edwards told FOX40 News reporters back on February 9th.

Read More

Mari Somvichian and the Oakland Tech Bulldogs are back on the road to the State Championship
Mari Somvichian and the Oakland Tech Bulldogs are back on the road to the State Championship

March 09, 2023

“Last year, our motto was ‘unfinished business.’ I think this year with most of the key players being seniors, you know, we just want to go out with a bang,” Somvichian said. “ I guess our motto [this season] would be leaving our mark, leaving our mark on history, making sure that nobody will ever talk about Oakland Tech Basketball without talking about our team.”

Read More