"The back had become too sore to keep playing and I was working part-time and thinking about maybe going back to polytech and doing more study. My expectations weren't overly high when I applied but one thing I had going for me was that I know everyone in volleyball in the region and generally get on well with people, although it's one thing to know how to play the game and another to be able to teach it to others."
O'Dea counts national men's beach high performance manager Mike Dudson, the region's original CoachForce development manager, as a mentor and hasn't been lacking offers of help and support from within the tight-knit volleyballing community in Bay of Plenty since his appointment was announced.
He replaced Tim Cleaver and is spending his first month meeting people, letting volleyballers know he's open for business and planning the rest of 2012 and beyond.
Bay of Plenty is the game's stronghold, indoors and on the sand, but O'Dea said that didn't mean the region had a mortgage on how it should be played, coached or administered. His job, in a nutshell, is to get alongside coaches in the area to ensure they are equipped and resourced sufficiently to coach well.
"The game's in a pretty healthy state but there's still a tonne to do. The big picture in terms of Volleyball Bay of Plenty's relationship with Volleyball New Zealand is to be the top region in the country in terms of what we provide for coaches and players.
"Kiwi Volley for the young ones has a good base, but are we getting enough coaching resources through to parents in charge of teams?
"It's not all about Tauranga either - we need to help develop volleyball across the other side of the bridge [Mt Maunganui], and Rotorua and the Eastern Bay have possibly felt the cold shoulder in the past."
O'Dea, who had indoor success with Otumoetai College, has been pondering what expertise he can offer the game's luminaries.
"People like Gads [Tony Gadsby], Stu [Henderson], Darrell Boyd and Mike [Akkerman] - with their knowledge of volleyball I'm not going to be able to offer anything to them personally they don't already know.
"But, hopefully, I can find and provide resources for them to develop their expertise."
He said he knew even before an MRI scan confirmed it that his back injury was more serious than the muscle tightness he was being treated for.
Surgery is an option but something he wants to avoid. He'll continue with his rehab but, with a new challenge in the game, he'll leave the jumping and diving to his brothers and look to use his expertise off the court.
