MORGANTOWN — The WVU men’s basketball program has continued its recent momentum on the recruiting trail with a major commitment from Santa Clarita (Ca.) Southern California Academy 2025 guard Kelvin Odih.
Odih, 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, announced his decision Wednesday evening, choosing the Mountaineers over Rutgers and Louisville.
The nation’s No. 77-ranked prospect, Odih previously had also included Oklahoma State, Creighton and Colorado on his short list of options.
The Mountaineers first jumped into the mix with a scholarship offer July 24, but the coaching staff made the Rivals.com four-star prospect the priority in the 2025 class. WVU assistant coach Tom Ostrom handled his recruitment, and along with head coach Darian DeVries, were a constant presence in his process once they got involved.
That culminated in an official visit to Morgantown during the Aug. 30 weekend, where he was able to get a big-picture look at the program and how he could be utilized within it.
“My visit was great. The program was very family oriented,” Odih said. “They were honest and straight up. The facilities were incredible.”
Odih (pronounced O-Dee) is a versatile guard that can play anywhere from point guard to small forward and is an active rebounder and strong defender.
A good scorer when getting downhill at the basket, the athletic guard also displays the ability to shoot the ball and space the floor. He plays with a toughness that is a perfect fit for DeVries’ system.
“I fit in perfectly with their fast offense in transition and a lot of cutting as well,” he said.
The Rhode Island native is spending this season in California, but he has continued to raise his profile on the recruiting trail moving into the top 80 players in the 2025 cycle in the most-recent rankings update.
And the plan for the Mountaineers with seven players set to graduate at the end of this season is to give him the opportunity to carve out a role from the jump next season.
“They plan on me coming in there and having an impact right away,” he said.
The pledge of Odih now makes two commitments for the Mountaineers in the 2025 class after adding Huntington Prep wing Braydon Hawthorne last Friday, which now leaves five open slots to fill either during the early period or potentially in the spring with high school prospects or even transfers.
Odih and Hawthorne are both expected to sign their national letters of intent in November.
— Story by Keenan Cummings, Rivals.com
TWEET @DomPostSports
