Veteran coach Bill Odell, now in his third season at Azusa Pacific, is the architect of one of the finest program turnarounds in college basketball. With one of the Southland top recruiting classes that includes California’s No. 1 and No. 2 prep scorers in 1993, Odell hopes to continue the winning way of his Cougars, who posted a 75-22 record since his arrival in 1992.
After spending the previous 20-plus years as a successful high school head coach, Odell made a career change and came to Azusa Pacific in the summer of 1991. His impact on Azusa Pacific basketball program was immediate, leading the Cougars to a 17-14 record and only the second winning season for Azusa Pacific in the previous decade.
Odell followed that with an amazing 1993 season in which the Cougars posted a school-best 30-4 record, including a first-ever perfect 12-0 Golden State Athletic Conference record. He was the first coach at Azusa Pacific to record a 30-win season. As a result, the Cougars moved into the NAIA Coaches Poll Top 5 for the first time in school history, and were the No. 1-ranked team in the nation for three weeks (Feb. 1 – Feb. 21), closing the season ranked No. 2 in the final poll. As a result, the Cougars traveled to the NAIA Championship Tournament for the first time in 19 years.
By nature, Odell is an even-keeled coach. “A study in moderation, Odell is devoted of the irate outburst, common in many coaches,” the Los Angeles Times once said of him. “Odell‘s reputation extends far beyond merely being a sound basketball technician.”
Odell came to Azusa Pacific from Millikan High in Long Beach Calif., where he served as a varsity basketball coach from 1971-1991 and as athletic director from 1976-1991. During Odell’s 20-year tenure, Millikan compiled 350 victories, making Odell the winningest coach in Long Beach high school history. Counting a three-your stint at Northview High in Covina (1968-1970), Odell notched a 402-199 (.669) record in his 23 years on the prep level.
In additional to his exceptional record, Odell coached Millikan to 12 20-win seasons, 8 Moore League titles, 15 CIF playoff berths, 4 CIF title game appearances, and the 1989 CIF South Section 5A championship. For his remarkable efforts, he was named the 1989 CIF Coach of the Year, the Los Angeles Times South Coast Coach of the Year twice, and the first-ever 2-time winner of the YMCA High School Coach of the Year (1974 and 1989). He was also named Moore League Coach of the Year 6 times during his stint at Millikan.
Odell began his coaching career in 1965 as an assistant varsity and head junior varsity coach at Westmont College, serving famed Warrior coach Tom Byron for 3 years.
Off the court, Odell currently serves as a board member of the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association (SCIBCA) and is a member of the NABC and the NFICA. He has lectured for the CIF Athletic Symposium, the NAACP, SCIBCA, and Converse clinics.
As a youngster, Odell was a star athlete at Huntington Park High, earning letters in both basketball and football. As a prepster, he teamed with eventual USC standout Craig Fertig to form one of the southland’s top QB-WR duos in football. In basketball, Odell won All-L.A. City honors and was named 1960 Eastern League Player of the Year. He played his collegiate ball at Westmont, where he was an NAIA All-District guard. He received his undergraduate degree in 1964, and in 1972 earned his master’s in physical education administration from USC.
Bill and his wife Gayle (an APU professor) live in Long Beach. Their son Dave, 26, played basketball at Westmont and participated in 1986 in 1988 NAIA Tournament, while their daughter Susie, 24, was an All-American volleyball player at Westmont.
