Maybe Parker O'Dell and his brother Carson will take up billiards next, since they excel at putting a ball in a hole in multiple sports.
The O'Dell brothers star in basketball and golf at Hurricane High School. They'll lead the Redskins into Thursday's 8:30 a.m. Mountain State Athletic Conference tournament at the Edgewood Country Club in Sissonville.
The brothers are coached by their father, Sam O'Dell, one of the premier golfers in West Virginia.
Hurricane won its opening tournament of the season, the Duke Ridgley Invitational, at Guyan Golf & Country Club, for the first time on Aug. 5.
"The season starts, and bam, you're in a big tournament," Sam O'Dell said.
Three weeks later, the Redskins figure to battle Cabell Midland and George Washington for supremacy in the MSAC.
Other coaches have tabbed Hurricane the favorite in great part because of the O'Dells and Isaac Hayes, a sophomore.
"It's really fun watching them," Sam O'Dell said of his sons. "They're both getting good. Parker has played more tournament golf than Carson, who goes and plays travel basketball for four days somewhere and then comes back to a Monday qualifier. I can't imagine doing that."
Carson O'Dell, a senior, averaged 25 points per game last season in basketball. Parker, a sophomore, scored 14 points per contest. Both routinely shoot in the upper 60s to low 70s on the golf course. Both are good enough to play either sport in college.
"Whatever I'm playing at the time," Carson O'Dell said of which sport he prefers. "In college, I'm still undecided. I'll try to figure it out."
Parker said he hopes to play college golf.
Sam O'Dell said he'll let the boys decide.
Carson O'Dell saw what future college basketball players look like on the summer circuit. Despite possessing an extraordinarily quick release from 3-point range, he said he realizes he's built more for golf.Â
"He does love basketball," Sam O'Dell said. "He has some offers from [NCAA Division] II and III schools, but I think if the right university offered him, I could see him doing it."
If Marshall University, where Sam starred, offered a golf scholarship, that would be tempting.
"I'm interested to see how good he can be," Sam O'Dell said of Carson. "I think he can get really good, actually. It'll be interesting to see. It's been fun watching them improve. Carson asks more questions than Parker. They just have to keep playing."
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Both boys said they enjoy having their dad coach them.
"It's nice to have him out there for a coach," Parker O'Dell said. "He knows a lot about golf, and it's also good to have him out there to pump us up."
Sam O'Dell said it's an interesting dynamic.
"I think I'm a really good coach to everyone but my boys," Sam O'Dell said. "I'm quicker to be too hard on them, to say things I'd never say to another player."
Winning the MSAC is a goal. The ultimate achievement, however, is taking home a state tournament from the Oglebay Resort in Wheeling. All three O'Dells said the Redskins have a chance.
"I like that Parker and Carson have experience at Oglebay," Sam O'Dell said. "Isaac Hayes has played there, too. I think that'll help. I was kind of hoping they'd move it to Glade Springs. We've played Oglebay probably as much as anyone outside of Wheeling and we kind of know the course.
"To win anything, you have to play well. It's never given to you. We have to get the regionals first. I think we'll be ready. I like our chances."
So do the boys, each of whom is the president of his class.
"I think we have a solid team this year," Parker O'Dell said. "I think we can make a run at it at states."
Carson O'Dell agreed.
"Win it all, I believe," Carson O'Dell said. "We've played some great teams. To win the Duke Ridgley gives us some confidence."
The boys say they have a "trash-talking" sibling rivalry. In the end, they want what's best for the team.
The focus now is on winning the MSAC tournament.
"It's fun," Parker O'Dell said of the rivalry with Cabell Midland and GW. "It's fun to know you have to go out and play well to beat somebody."
Sam O'Dell said he, Knights coach Matt Stead and Patriots skipper B.J. Calabrese are friends, as are many of the players.
"I always just call Matt and ask if he wants to play again," Sam O'Dell said. "We try to get together three or four times. It's always fun. Our kids get along well with their kids. If you don't play well, you're going to lose."
