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C Greg Oden (All B1G, All-American, Defensive Player of the Year, Butler Assistant Coach)

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What's huge is that if he lasts for two years, we will be building a dynasty with blue chip big men. Once Oden takes off, BJ Mullens, our top-25 frosh verbal in 08, will be coming on board. Having dominant, talented players inside is always a plus for recruiting, and will make it easier to bring in players like Thaddeus Young or Lance Thomas.

This kid is as humble as they come, is a bonafide math nerd, and has been talking about playing with Conley and Cook since he hit puberty. I realize the NBA is tempting, but I think he goes to college.
 
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They were discussing Oden considering the NBA on the wake board (for a week I'm at a California PC that isn't blocked :))... and check out this interesting comment by a pretty reliable insider from all reports:
exclusiveclothes
http://mb9.scout.com/fwakeforestfrm1.showAddReplyScreenFromWeb?topicID=55717.topic&index=14 <hr size="1"> I think Oden is scared to death of the NBA.
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I just found this to be interesting, b/c even if the guy is wrong about where he is headed I thought it seemed to fit well with the personality that has been portrayed in recruiting articles. Heck, Oden was worried whether or not the OSU players would like him during his official visit. This is an incredibly humble kid who loves school and I think is just taking his time making his decision final, which I feel will be him and conley coming on board.

Fox Sports
Oden really is best center prospect ... really


<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="440"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td> Mike DeCourcy / FOXSports.com
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</td> <td width="440"> <!-- search:</noindex> --> <!-- esi: /widget/story/pagenated?contentId=3629088&pageWanted=null--> When you hit send, your emails to Sporting News' college hoops expert don't just disappear into sports cyberspace ...
Is Greg Oden really the "best center prospect in a generation" as you recently wrote? How do you define generation? To that point, how do you define center?I have only seen him play once, against Tyler Hansbrough's Poplar Bluff team, and not only did I find his Lawrence North team a little on the unimpressive side, I didn't find Oden to be the super-dominant big man I expected. In fact, I thought Hansbrough outplayed him through a large portion of the game, and more than held his own. What really stood out was that Hansbrough wasn't exactly playing with any other D-1 prospects, such as Oden. He was doing it by himself mostly. With Conley running the point, there should have been no trouble setting Oden up, but Oden really only shined when a mismatch (i.e. Hansbrough was on the bench) happened.

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</td></tr> <tr><td class="caption">Greg Oden has more than a hand up on his high school competition. (John Harrell / Associated Press)</td></tr> </tbody></table>

Is he that much better at this point than were Kwame Brown, Dwight Howard, even Sean May, etc? And in today's college game, where true, back-to-the-basket centers are not only rare, but unnecessary, do you really think Oden will be that much of a difference maker? I think for my money, I'd take Sean May. — Liz Tomlin

How do I define g-g-generation? Who am I, Pete Townsend?

Should I just say he's the best since Shaquille O'Neal? At his age, frankly, Oden is a more advanced prospect. I've written before that to find a 7-footer as polished at the same age, you'd have to go all the way back to Lew Alcindor. But O'Neal was so outrageously athletic that anything seemed possible for him.

Tyler Hansbrough is a heck of a prospect. If Oden did not play well against him, that doesn't necessarily mean he should be condemned. What makes Oden a better prospect than Kwame Brown at the same age? He knows how to play and cares about the game. Dwight Howard? Oden is at least two inches taller and is more comfortable with his back to the basket. Sean May? Defense. Period.

True centers are rare in NCAA basketball because the NBA has preempted their development by drafting them directly out of high school. If the age limit were to be introduced, they'd become more common. A little, anyway. But don't forget that Alcindor won three titles, and Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bob Lanier, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell all appeared in the Final Four. You wouldn't want a guy like that?

What direction do you think the Indiana Hoosier Men's basketball team is headed? I want to know your opinion on Mike Davis and do you thing he can lead the Hoosiers to a successful 05-06 season. I believe they have some quality talent, but as you know putting it all together is tough. Do you think that Bracey Wright should have stayed in school? — Ben Kappes

Your first two questions are actually very different. I believe Indiana could be successful next season, depending on how you define success. I don't love the roster, but it's better than it has been. If the Hoosiers stay together as a team, which has been a problem every year since 2002, they could end the year in the NCAA Tournament.

But after next season, they could be starting again. And IU's declaration that coach Mike Davis is in a win-or-else circumstance won't help through what should be a crucial off-season of recruiting.

<hr width="100">In light of the upcoming NBA labor negotiations and some of your recent articles, I have begun to think David Stern's proposed 20-year-old age limit would be a disaster for the NBA.

It seems that, although not yet instituted, the age limit is already having an affect on the NBA. This year an inordinate number of underclassmen declared for the NBA draft. These kids want to get into the NBA before the age limit is imposed, which would force them to play two years of college ball. These kids have the right to pursue their dreams and career and should be allowed to make their own decisions.

The only positive I see in an age limit would be the quality play of college ball. Kids would be forced to go to college and play a couple years. I'd like to know your opinion on an NBA farm system, could one be instituted much like that of the MLB? <id>— David Lee</id>

You opened with a fairly bold prediction: disaster. But you didn't follow that up with any reasons why the age limit would be disastrous.

I keep wondering how this issue becomes about individual rights. Look, the NBA is a business. It is allowed to collectively bargain work rules with its union. We have standards for lots of professions in this country: physician, attorney, teacher, plumber. The NBA is rightfully concerned about the deterioration in the quality of its product.

The notion of a farm system has been advanced before. And I've dismissed it before. The NBA is likely to expand the NBDL, but it still won't be a functional replacement for the NCAA. College players get better coaching, better exposure and better experience by playing in games in which people actually care about the outcome. Baseball is a much different sport than basketball, and it also has a century-old history of developing players through its minor leagues.

<hr width="100">I asked on a UNC basketball board whether the NBA age-limit might result in an increased temptation for colleges and their alumni to cheat in the recruiting of NBA-lottery caliber HS players. I was told that I was full of crap. Having gotten little constructive discussion about my worries, I thought I would ask someone level-headed like yourself.

Do you think that enactment of an NBA age limit may result in additional incentives and opportunities for schools to cheat in recruiting in the future? Right now, the elite high school players who are being offered money, cars and baubles are probably getting the biggest offers from agents and others who would like to lure them into the NBA. Colleges who are willing to cheat presumably can't compete with the agents for the elite players. Now, when a player is good enough to go to the NBA straight out of HS but chooses to go to college instead, it's much more likely that he made the choice because he wants to experience college rather than receiving illegal inducements.

Four or five colleges have a real possibility of getting two years from the best center to come out of HS in a long time, Greg Oden. The incentives for those colleges to cheat to get a truly elite player would seem to grow exponentially as their chances of successfully getting the player to commit are increased.

I may be naive about the level of cheating now. My sense is that there are some programs that cheat, and some that don't. I think, though, that even the schools that cheat only do it on a small-time scale -- see Missouri and Georgia. There simply aren't enough truly elite players coming to college right now to justify the risk of big-time cheating. — Warren Savage

I'm not going to say you're full of anything other than red blood cells and bone marrow, but I don't think you're correct here.

Cheating didn't disappear when high school players started filing for the draft, and it hasn't involved just the killer, can't-miss players. Remember, Michigan's mess involved payments to Louis Bullock as well as Chris Webber.

As for whether colleges can compete with agents — if it were just the two of them, the colleges would win in a rout. It's the NBA money that leads players to turn pro. Most of the gifts made available to players by agents are loans. The agents expect to be paid back. When the crooked college hands you that shoebox full of bills, you even get to keep the box.

<hr width="100">After reading your opinion on the rules committee decision on kicking the ball, I had to respond. The committee only got the rule half right. In my opinion, this should not be a violation at all. Is the leg not an appendage just like an arm? Why does it matter if you defend with a leg or an arm? They are both a part of the body. If a player is quick enough to throw his leg in the path of the ball, so be it. Now they just have to take the next step and not make it a violation at all. — Lance J. Landeck

You asked the wrong guy that question. I'm a soccer fan. (Go Liverpool!) By your logic, a soccer player should be able to bat the ball with his hands because, after all, it's an appendage just like a leg.

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I can tell you without a doubt that whoever posted that at the Wake site is DEAD WRONG. Greg is not scared of the NBA or anybody else -- he simply values the opportunity to experience college life and further his education. If he does decide to go to the NBA, I promise you he won't be scared.
 
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hoopsfan said:
I can tell you without a doubt that whoever posted that at the Wake site is DEAD WRONG. Greg is not scared of the NBA or anybody else -- he simply values the opportunity to experience college life and further his education. If he does decide to go to the NBA, I promise you he won't be scared.
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thanks hoopsfan...those of us over here that have been following Greg's recruiting, and reading your input into it, know full well that the Wake fans are just lashing out and anyone and everything right now because they are still having a hard time with the fact that they very well may have lost Conley and Oden.

keep posting anything else you've got on Greg...we appreciate it!
 
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The person that posted that (exclusiveclothes) I have been able to chat with quite a bit lately. He might of misworded when posting that, but he does know Oden and Conley pretty well. Not sure what to think, but exclusiveclothes knows his stuff. It might be far fetched to call him "ignorant", especially with him knowing Oden and Conley so well.
 
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The person that posted that (exclusiveclothes) I have been able to chat with quite a bit lately. He might of misworded when posting that, but he does know Oden and Conley pretty well. Not sure what to think, but exclusiveclothes knows his stuff. It might be far fetched to call him "ignorant", especially with him knowing Oden and Conley so well.
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First of all....I know who exclusiveclothes is and how close he is to the situation but in my opinion based on my knowledge of the situation, that comment is not only ignorant but also very irresponsible to post such a comment if he didn't mean exactly what he posted.
 
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bucknuts44820 said:
The comment that he is scared of the NBA is just simply ignorant. Maybe....just maybe the kid is sincere in his desire to experience college because he wants to, not because he is running from something....unbelievable.
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I don't think it is THAT far-fetched. I'm pretty sure Oden has been interviewed saying he's not ready for the NBA and that he'd get killed by Shaq (who doesn't though?), etc.

Now not being ready for the NBA and being scared are 2 different things but they can go together. And that could possibly be what exclusiveclothes meant.
 
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scout.com$

5/27/05



Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset"><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>A Schott In The Arm: Memorial Day Edition

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Thad Matta

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Kyle Lamb
Date: May 27, 2005

The latest version of Kyle Lamb's "A Schott In The Arm" members-only basketball column is up and ready to go. In this version, Kyle gets into OSU's recruitment of the Hoosier State, the latest on many Indiana recruits, a look at Greg Oden away from the basketball court, and a lot more. Be sure to check it out!
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The latest version of "A Schott In The Arm" is now posted to the Bucknuts premium basketball board, and as usual, it is a must read for any OSU hoops fan.

In this edition:
  • Plenty of perspective on the recruiting connections of the Ohio State staff to the state of Indiana, plus the latest on many Indiana recruits
  • Some fun facts on historical comparisons of Thad Matta to other big-name coaches
  • A perspective on what kind of kid Greg Oden really is
  • Insight into why Matta and his staff have such a strong recruiting presence in Indiana
  • And much, much more!
This special feature is for Bucknuts subscribers only. Click on the link below to check out the latest edition of "A Schott In The Arm": <CENTER>A Schott In The Arm - 5/27/05
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The article touches on Oden's trip to Bloomington for an unofficial visit, implying that it was a courtesy visit because they had made a promise to at least visit the campus. Reportedly Oden's mother was very impressed with Ohio State and she is comfortable sending her son to OSU.

Lamb believes that Conley and Oden will make their choices public by the end of the first week of June when they depart for the USA Basketball Festival.

He feels very confident they will become buckeyes and I do also.
 
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rivals.com$


Oden will be at The Reebok Tournament of Champions, as it rolls into the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill Triangle this coming Memorial Day weekend. At 10:00 on Saturday, Spiece Indy Heat vs. Maryland Madness in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

rivals.com$

5/28/05

At the Tournament of Champions on Friday night, Spiec Indy Heat recorded a victory over Middlesex Magic, 80-42...Oden had 14 points in limited action.
 
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link

5/28/05

Oden stands out in a crowd of prep stars
7-footer still has college as an option despite possibility of being top NBA pick
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Greg Oden, center, chatting with Spiece Indy Heat teammate Reece Chatham, left, during their AAU team's game on Saturday at the Smith Center, is drawing the NBA's attention. </TD></TR><TR vAlign=bottom><TD>
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</TD><TD vAlign=bottom height="2%">Staff Photo by Juli Leonard</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
By LUCIANA CHAVEZ, Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL -- The nation's top high school basketball player in the Class of 2006 was hard to miss during the first day of the Bob Gibbons' Tournament of Champions, an AAU event, on Friday night at the Smith Center.


See that 7-footer? Yeah, the one with a crowd of folks watching the Spiece Indy Heat on Court No. 3. The one who stepped out of the key and blocked that 18-foot jump shot on the wing?

Missed him? Now he's over there in the middle of that crowd of reporters.

Yeah, that's Greg Oden. And if the soon-to-be high school senior isn't the No. 1 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, it may only be because the NBA finally decides that high school players like Oden, the ones with the best potential, are no longer welcome. <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=193 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

The top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2006 according to ScoutHoops.com, Rivals.com and Prepstars.com, Oden could be the highest profile high school player kept out if the NBA and the NBA Players Association decide to use a 20-year-old age limit for all NBA draftees starting in 2006.

"I don't think about it that much, but if I was to comment I would say I don't think it's right," Oden said Friday after the Heat won its opening game in the popular AAU circuit stop played all over the Triangle. "What if there is a high school player good enough to go to the NBA? He should have that chance."

Still, Oden doesn't think NBA talk applies to him and doesn't want to become the poster boy for opponents of an age limit.

"I don't think so; I know that I want to go to college," Oden said. "And I don't think I'm that good."

Oden has narrowed his college choices to Ohio State, Wake Forest, Michigan State and Indiana and insists he will go to college.

"I know what I want to do, and I keep that in mind," Oden said.

But others think Oden has enough potential to satisfy NBA types. That's why at least four NBA scouts attended Friday's game at the Smith Center. College coaches could not attend because they are not allowed to evaluate players at this time of year.

Jack Keefer, Oden's high school coach at Lawrence North who also coached former North Carolina star Eric Montross, said he sees the NBA and college interest just by looking in the stands during games.

"Once it started coming out this year that there may be a rule [and an age limit], the [college] coaches started coming through again," Keefer said.

That's how it is when the top recruit blows through town though Oden, an impressive defensive player and shot-blocker, wasn't the only high-profile Division I recruit on his team on Friday, much less in the arena.

Wayne Ellington and Gerald Henderson, guards and high school teammates at Episcopal Academy in Philadelphia, were playing for The Playaz two courts down from the Heat on Friday. Ellington recently committed to North Carolina; Henderson recently committed to Duke.

The Heat also features Daequan Cook, who has committed to Ohio State, and Mike Conley Jr., who has narrowed his choices to Wake Forest and Ohio State. The Heat enjoys the attention Oden attracts.

"It's a little crazy; Greg brings a lot of attention but we all like it, too," Conley said. "It's nice to have people come and support us. We have a lot of packed games. Every one of our games, we have 20 to 30 [college] coaches standing everywhere."

The Heat also boasts one of the top players for 2007 guard Eric Gordon. Gordon, who ranked fourth in the state in scoring (25.5 ppg) as a sophomore at North Central High in Indianapolis, said the attention is good for all of his teammates.

"[Having those teammates] makes it easier for me when they play," said Gordon, who is considering Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Missouri and Duke.

Mike Conley Sr., a three-time Olympic triple-jumper who is the executive director of elite athlete programs for USA Track and Field, coaches the Heat and said the pressure and attention following Oden is the same for the rest of the team.

"They're used to it," he said. "We travel with Greg, so it's not really different. It's the only thing they know. ... Believe it or not, they're a little sheltered. Even Greg thinks this is kind of normal. He's a humble kid, so he takes that stuff in stride."

Before Oden trades the spotlight of high school for the fishbowl of college ball or the NBA, he will be working on an offensive game that blossomed this past season when he became more aggressive with the ball.

Keefer motivated him after Lawrence North lost to Gordon's North Central team when Oden took just three shots.

"I told him if he didn't shoot 15 times per game, I'd bench him," Keefer said. "The next night, he scored 39 points. And yet he's still a very unselfish guy. ... He's just such a good athlete, and the NBA goes on potential and his potential is outstanding,"

According to the Indianapolis Star, Oden made 205 of 305 shots in 26 games as a junior and 161 of 226 in 30 games as a senior.

"He could average 30 if he shot as much as his coach wanted him to," Keefer said.

Oden will continue to prepare for his hoops future the same way he has the past three summers. During daily 6 a.m. workouts, Oden goes over the drop steps, passing out of double-teams, jump hooks, up-and-under moves, etc., that will help him fulfill the potential that others see.

"He truly wants to go to college; at this point in his life, he is willing to go," Keefer said. "I have a feeling he may have a second thought when the time comes."

Going to college or the pros may not be his choice if the NBA has its way. Meanwhile being "the guy" doesn't seem odd. "It comes with the territory," Oden said.</S! pan>
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