When it comes to guards in New England’s 2028 class, Malachi Odugbela is among the most dynamic.
At 6-foot-6, Odugbela is already a difficult cover, and he’s still growing. The St. Andrew’s and BABC standout is a true 2028, still just 16 years old, and he’s beginning to unlock his high potential. He’s been one of the hottest stock-risers in the region this year, collecting offers from Providence, Marquette and West Virginia while helping BABC’s 16U squad make an impressive run to the semifinals of the Adidas 3SSB national championships.
As a sophomore, Odugbela averaged 14.3 points per game, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists as St. Andrew’s notched the No. 7 seed in the Class AA playoffs. There’s huge excitement for the guard as he reaches upperclassman status this winter and becomes even more of a focal point for the Saints.
“I’m so excited for this year because he’s learned a lot and the fruits of his labor are starting to arrive,” said longtime St. Andrew’s coach Mike Hart.
We caught up with Hart to discuss Odugbela’s game, strengths and areas for improvement for our latest prospect watch. Let’s dive in.
A talented scorer
“Offensively, he’s very gifted. He’s very capable to play the point if we need him to play the point guard. But he’s a better secondary ball-handler right now. … He’s really crafty with the ball. He gets that because his dad (Josh) is a workout guy and a coach. His dad instilled in him and his brother (Ishmael), they started with the stationary ball-handling stuff, then it was movement. They’re transferrable to the game. He’s gotten lucky because he’s had some really good adults who have pushed him in the right direction. He’s shifty with the ball and he can get by people even though he’s lanky. He doesn’t really use his forearms like I’d like to see him do, he’s starting to understand that, but that will happen when he gets into the weight room and puts some more size on.”
Emerging point guard skills
“He can see over the defense and he’s starting to understand angles, use the bounce pass. The bounce pass is a scoring pass. Throw the alley-oop to the 7-foot kid. He’s starting to get that stuff. He’s watching a lot of college basketball but the big thing is he can see over the defense. On the other side, he’s at his best defending point guards. Anything with the ball, he’s at his best.”
Improving off the ball
“Off the ball, on both offense and defense, he’s getting better, just like any other kid. We’ve been on him about that. Cutting, moving without the ball on offense and positioning and placement on defense. If we’re in a 1-3-1 zone and he’s opposite the ball on the wing, he needs to drop down to the box, stuff like that. … His instincts are very good when he’s moving on defense.”
Strong leadership skills
“His maturity as a kid has been nice to see. He’s developed leadership skills. He’s also a National Honor Society student, and that’s going to open up some doors and some other schools for him — the Stanfords, the Northwesterns, those types of schools. He’s involved with the school; he’s great in the community. (The other day), he gets back from that Paolo Banchero camp, it was out in Seattle, he got back in at 8 o’clock in the morning, red eye from Seattle, he’s at my camp, working my camp with energy, enthusiasm and effort, the three Es. And then afterwards, he said, ‘Coach, I have a bunch of guys who want to play today, can we play today?’ I say, Malachi, I’ll be here until 6 o’clock so from 3-5, I had a gym of 15 dudes playing basketball. It was great. And he played hard. The work ethic is getting there. He’s starting to understand the work ethic.
“He loves the game and that’s important. I know he’ll be successful with basketball. The life skills have improved. I’m really happy with him. I’m excited about the leadership stuff because Elijah McNair needs another guy for a captain and I’m considering him as a junior, which I really never do, but I think he’s approaching that. … He gets guys together at the foul line and talks to them. If a coach is speaking, he’s not fooling around on the side, he’s listening to the coaches. Even today, he told a couple guys to be quiet when one of our coaches was instructing. That type of stuff is important. I think he’s turning into a sponge, where he wants to learn at the same time.
“He could have a big head and he could say, 'I’m a star and I have different rules than everyone,' but he doesn’t. That’s important. I think that’s why our program has been successful. We hold kids accountable and there are no star rules.”
The next level
“I’m glad he’s getting all this attention, but he needs to keep believing that he’s going to get better. Because if that happens, he’ll keep working, and that’s the goal. He’s gotta be a continuous worker, embrace the weight room, which he knows, and he’s starting to like it and everything should work out well. He’s going to be 6-8. If we can get him up to 200 pounds by the time he’s midway through his senior year at St. Andrew’s, then he’s going to have a great college career.
“The big thing is just getting Mal to move on offense and defense without the ball. That and the weight room are the last two pieces of the puzzle and he’ll be high-major.”
