Why It's Called XCIV — A Founder's Note on Turning 52

A founder's note on turning 52, keeping stats, and building something for coaches.

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I turn 52 today.

I didn't plan to start a tech company at this age. I've got a day job I love in an industry I'm not leaving. But somewhere between the bleachers and the buzzer, something happened that I couldn't ignore.

It started with my daughter.

Like a lot of basketball parents, I wanted to track her stats. Not just the points — the real stuff. Assists, rebounds, blocks, turnovers, defensive stops, the things that tell you whether a kid is actually getting better. I wanted to hand her something at the end of each season that showed her exactly how far she'd come. Something she could hold onto.

So I built a way to do it.

And then I started thinking about the coach on the other bench. The one running practice alone at 6 AM because there's no assistant and no budget. The one breaking down film on a laptop at the kitchen table after his own kids are in bed. The one keeping stats on a clipboard because the school can't afford another software subscription.

I know that coach. I've watched that coach work for decades. And I realized the tool I built for my daughter could be something for every one of them.

That's how XCIV.ai started.

Why "XCIV"

XCIV is the Roman numeral for 94.

A high school basketball court is 94 feet long. Every possession, every fast break, every half-court set — it all happens inside those 94 feet. When I was trying to name this thing, I kept coming back to that number. It's not flashy. It's just the dimensions of the game.

Our tagline is 94 feet. Every inch, covered. That's not marketing. That's a promise. We built XCIV.ai to help coaches see everything that happens on their court — the patterns, the matchups, the details that get lost when you're also the one drawing up plays and subbing kids in and out.

This Is Personal

I've loved basketball since I was playing biddy-ball in the 1980s. Short shorts, high socks, gymnasiums that smelled like floor wax. The game gave me structure, friendships, and a way to compete that shaped who I became. I'm not a former college player or an ex-pro. I'm just someone the game meant something to.

XCIV.ai is how I give back to that.

It's an AI coaching tool — not a replacement for coaches, but a brain that works alongside them. It complements the platforms coaches already use. It's built to be accessible at every budget level, because the coach at a 2A school in western Kansas deserves the same insights as a 6A program in the suburbs.

To the Coaches

If you're reading this, you're probably one of the people I built this for. The ones who do it because they love the game and the kids in it. The ones nobody writes articles about.

I see you.

Thank you for giving your time to this sport. Thank you for showing up early and staying late. Thank you for caring about a kid's development more than your record.

XCIV.ai exists because of you. I'm 52 today, and I can't think of a better way to spend this next chapter than building something that makes your job a little easier and your impact a little bigger.

94 feet. Every inch, covered.

— Zack Odell Founder, XCIV.ai April 7, 2026