Odell Bradley is starring for Beech basketball like his dad did at Whites Creek in the 1990s

Odell Bradley III is a hard man to miss.

You can find Bradley in the front row at Beech basketball games cheering on his son, also named Odell Bradley. The elder Bradley, still an imposing presence over a decade after the end of his basketball playing career, almost always sits courtside. It's not, as people sometimes assume, because he's trying to give his son extra coaching from the stands. Instead, he says, it's because he's 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds and needs space to stretch out.

It's not like Odell Bradley IV needs much in-the-moment guidance at this point, anyway.

The senior averages 18 points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals for the Buccaneers (16-5), following his father as a Nashville-area high school star. Odell Bradley III played at Whites Creek, graduating in 1999, and went on to play at IUPUI before embarking on a professional career that spanned nine countries over eight years.

The father and son play different positions — Odell III was a rugged, bruising forward while Odell IV is a skilled, ambidextrous 6-2 guard. But Beech coach Kip Brown, who played against Odell III in adult leagues in the Nashville area, thinks their ability to dominate games makes them more similar than not.

"He knows how to use his body real well," Brown said of Odell IV. "He's really good with his right hand even though he's left-handed. He's a strong ball handler, he can get to any spot on the court that he wants to get to. He's just a gifted basketball player, very skilled."

At IUPUI, Odell III brought the Jaguars to their first, and only, NCAA Tournament in 2003 and averaged 23.1 points the following season, earning honorable mention AP All-America honors. He is in the school's hall of fame and scored 1,170 points

He found success playing professionally in the United States in the CBA and in Finland and Australia, but as soon as Odell IV was born in 2006, he knew his playing career was on the clock.

Odell III told himself he'd retire in about five years so he could be there full time for his son. He kept this promise to himself, retiring in 2012 even after enjoying his best season overseas and winning his league's MVP honors.

"I wanted to focus on what he was going to be doing and being a father first," Odell III said.

Odell IV has played basketball as long as he can remember. He started shooting around on a miniature hoop at eight months, and would often tag along with his father to the court. Basketball is a family thing for Odell — his cousin, Cortez Graham, plays at Hillsboro, and he's also related to Lipscomb Academy football coach Jamie Graham and his brother Jamonte, who played at Vanderbilt and Tennessee State, respectively.

But while Odell III introduced his son to the sport, he was initially apprehensive about coaching him.

"It was a little difficult, because he always looked at me as daddy," Odell III said. "But as he's gotten older, he understands that I'm trying to just help him. Sometimes we butt heads, but he knows the main goal is I'm trying to get him to the level that I played on."

Added Odell IV: "The dad side and being able to coach me, he's good at switching it up. ... He's a very up-tempo kind of coach, a lot of energy. He never backs down from anybody."

Odell IV tries to apply that style to his game as well. He's especially proud of his development in scoring from midrange, an area of the court where his dad excelled. His motivation, he says, is to fulfill his dad's footsteps.

He has an offer from Jackson State Community College, and Odell III believes he's a better shooter and better defender than he himself ever was.

Odell III thinks "the sky's the limit" for his son — but there's one height he might not ever reach.

"He can't beat me (1-on-1) yet," Odell III said with a laugh. "In about a couple more years, he probably will be able to, but I won't play him. I won't give him the opportunity."

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA basketball: Beech's Odell Bradley follows in dad's footsteps