A few years ago a video surfaced on YouTube of two-year-old Keith O'Dell Jr. showing off his unbelievable talent at the pool table.
Despite playing on a mini table, O'Dell Jr. was better than many adults will ever be. The video's popularity drew invitations for O'Dell Jr. to perform at the American Pool Association's championship competition and to showcase his skills on the Rachael Ray show.
Three years later, at the ripe old age of five, Keith has moved on to a regular size pool table. The YouTube channel Thinkr returned to the O'Dell's home in upstate New York to check in on Keith Jr. and to see what the prodigy plans for the future. It turns out Keith Jr. is just as good a pool player as he was three years ago, if not better. In fact, his father is already discussing the possibility of sponsorships to help pay for college.
"I saw that Keith Jr. had talent, and I saw that there was money to be made here," said Keith Jr.'s father, Keith Sr. "College these days is really, really, really expensive. And I want Keith to go to college, and I believe he should. It's really important to me to utilize the talent that he's been given and do something positive with it. Helping a cue company sells cues or a piece of chalk, that could play him through college."
Keith Jr. is a fourth-generation pool player. Keith Sr. estimates that he used to shoot 200 racks every night, and he still plays often with his father, Keith Jr.'s grandfather. Before he was old enough to play, Keith Jr. learned the game by diligently observing his father.
"Junior, I would just put him in the high chair, and he would be one hand with the Cherrios and the other hand with the sippy cup and he would watch me play pool all day," said Keith Sr.
No matter what Keith Jr. decides to do with his talent down the road, at least he'll be able to breeze through show-and-tell for the foreseeable future.
(H/T to Barstool Sports)
