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

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usatoday.com

8/10/05
No debate at No. 1 after Oden has strong summer

It happened over the course of three weeks. Amid increasing pressure and criticism that he hadn't shown enough improvement, Greg Oden proved at this summer major camps that, for now, he is the unquestioned top dog in the Class of 2006.
After a ho-hum spring that may have been exacerbated by his media overexposure during the previous high school season, the Indianapolis seven-footer reestablished himself as the nation's premier senior.

Oden's peers can stake claim to boasting superior offensive abilities, but the big man's defense is light years ahead of his contemporaries. Not only is he better on that end of the court than anyone in his own class, he's a more dominant defender than all of the other elite big men in recent years, including rising NBA stars Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard.

Although he regularly serves up the spectacular blocked shots one would expect, proof of Oden's defensive eminence is most evident in the plays he doesn't make. Like a dominant cornerback in football, he forces opponents to demure when faced with the task of scoring against him.

Unlike football, however, Oden occupies both sides of the court and the middle. It isn't uncommon for teams to abandon their interior offense entirely, because for all the shots he blocks or alters, he keeps his feet on the ground and generally eludes foul trouble. What typically occurs next resembles a three-point contest for the opposition, and without scorching marksmanship from deep, that spells their doom.

Incidentally, the man who can make the strongest claim to overtake Oden, oversized wing Kevin Durant, is one of those players who is entirely content to make the perimeter his base of operations. Few big men come through the ranks boasting such an accurate, effortless shooting stroke, and the moment he arrives in the NBA he likely will become one of the best tall shooters in the league.

Tremendous and unique asset though it is, Durant's shooting prowess also looms as the bane of his development. He ultimately faltered in his bid to lock up the No. 1 position because he was over-reliant on three-pointers, not showing enough willingness to utilize his size and athleticism to make an impact as a slasher or interior scorer. If his shots don't fall from deep, his entire game dips dramatically.

After Oden and Durant, there's a slight drop to the rest of the field, though that's hardly a strong criticism of Brandan Wright, Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes.

Wright has the look of a guy who may enjoy greater success in the NBA than he will in college. A 6-9 big man with very long arms, he doesn't have the bulk for a steady post game and lacks the dribbling skills to move to the wing. That said, with time to get stronger and polish the rough edges, he projects as a nightmare match-up in the future, especially when he operates in the isolation sets that occur mostly at the professional level.

Young, meanwhile, actually struggled with inconsistency at times during the summer. He missed extensive action in June while recuperating from an ankle injury and appeared to lack his usual stamina and inside-outside effectiveness. He became stronger as the camp season progressed, however, displaying the perimeter shooting stroke, bouncy athleticism, impressive savvy and complete buy-in to the team concept that make him such a formidable prospect.

Though his hoops universe exists primarily in the post, Spencer Hawes is another player with a very well-rounded game. The 6-10 big man projects as a power forward in the longer term, but in college he's most likely to man the center position. Hawes has terrific hands and shooting touch from 12 feet and closer, and his scoring repertoire with his back to the basket includes all the basic maneuvers and advanced skills using his left hand. He's also an excellent shot-blocker who relies on timing rather than ultra-athleticism.

Of course, where players rank answers only half the question. In the list below, it's the all-caps names in the far right column that largely will shape the national picture in college basketball. One quick look at the list and it becomes obvious that Ohio State has all but locked up the No. 1 class in the nation.

While Greg Oden would have faced crushing financial pressure to bypass college for the NBA, it now appears that he'll spend at least one season in Columbus. The NBDL, Europe and prep school provide options for young players to circumvent the play-for-no-pay landscape created by the NBA age minimum, but the prevailing logic now is that college fans will get at least brief enjoyment from Oden and a reminder of how young big men such as Patrick Ewing dominated in past eras.

Add Oden to the mix with fellow top-50 stars Daequan Cook, Mike Conley and David Lighty, and there will be a tremendous surge of national interest in Buckeyes hoops in 2006-07.

A national championship certainly hasn't diminished North Carolina's power on the recruiting trail, as evidenced by the Tar Heels' pair of top-10 pledges in Wayne Ellington and Tywon Lawson. Not to be outdone, Duke boasts a pair of top-50 commitments of its own in Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer, plus another commitment from center Brian Zoubek, who will make some other top-50 lists. As a whole, the ACC tops the nation with seven pledges from top-50 players, spread among five different programs.

Elsewhere, Stanford will ride the talents of towering twins Brook and Robin Lopez. Both Brook and Robin obviously are elite talents, and there just different enough to complement each other at the power forward and center spots. Handling the Cardinal's post power will be a considerable test for the rest of the Pac-10.

Two other national powers have secured a pair of top-50 commitments. Connecticut locked up one athletic wing in Ramar Smith and prime New York big man Curtis Kelly, while Oklahoma snared multi-talented Texan Damion James and sharpshooter Scott Reynolds.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=468 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=notch_header align=middle colSpan=5>Rob Harrington's class of 2006 spring recruiting rankings</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_medium width=117>Player</TD><TD class=notch_medium width=22>Ht.</TD><TD class=notch_medium width=34>Pos.</TD><TD class=notch_medium width=167>High School</TD><TD class=notch_medium width=91>College</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>1. Greg Oden</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>7-0</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>C</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Lawrence North (Indianapolis)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>OHIO STATE</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>2. Kevin Durant</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-9</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>WF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91>TEXAS</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>3. Brandan Wright</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-9</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>PF/WF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Brentwood (Nashville)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>4. Thaddeus Young</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-8</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>WF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Mitchell (Memphis)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>5. Spencer Hawes</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-11</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>C/PF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Seattle Prep</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>6. Chase Budinger</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-8</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>WF/PF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>7. Wayne Ellington</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-4</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>SG</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Episcopal (Merion Station, Pa.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>NORTH CAROLINA</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>8. Tywon Lawson</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-0</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>PG</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91>NORTH CAROLINA</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>9. Brook Lopez</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-11</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>C/PF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Calif.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>STANFORD</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>10. Sherron Collins</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>5-10</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>PG</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Crane (Chicago)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>11. Earl Clark </TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-7</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>SG/WF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Rahway (N.J.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>12. Derrick Caracter</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-8</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>PF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>13. Davon Jefferson</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-8</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>WF/PF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>TBA</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>14. Darrell Arthur</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-9</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>PF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>South Oak Cliff (Dallas)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>15. Gerald Henderson</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-5</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>SG/WF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Episcopal (Merion Station, Pa.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>DUKE</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>16. Robin Lopez</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-11</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>PF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Calif.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91>STANFORD</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>17. Vernon Macklin</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-9</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>PF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>18. Damion James</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-8</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>WF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Nacogdoches (Texas)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91>OKLAHOMA</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>19. Quincy Poindexter</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-4</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>SG/WF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Calif.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>20. Daequan Cook</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-4</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>SG</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Dunbar (Dayton, Ohio)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91>OHIO STATE</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>21. Paul Harris</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-4</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>WF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, Mass.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>SYRACUSE</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>22. DeShawn Sims </TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-7 </TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>WF/PF </TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Pershing (Detroit)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>23. Mike Conley</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-1</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>PG</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Lawrence North (Indianapolis)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>OHIO STATE</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>24. Lance Thomas</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-7</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>WF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>25. D.J. Augustin</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>5-11</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>PG</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Brother Martin (New Orleans)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>26. Anthony Gurley </TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-2</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>SG</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Newton North (Newtonville, Mass.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91>WAKE FOREST</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>27. Jonathan Scheyer</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-5</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>SG</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Glenbrook North (Northbrook, Ill.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>DUKE</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>28. Stanley Robinson</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-7</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>WF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Huffman (Birmingham, Ala.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>29. Deon Thompson</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-8</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>C/PF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Torrance (Calif.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>30. Duke Crews</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-7</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>PF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Bethel (Hampton, Va.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>31. David Lighty</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-4</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>SG</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>St. Joseph (Cleveland, Ohio)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>OHIO STATE</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>32. Alex Stepheson</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-8</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>PF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>33. Taj Gibson</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-8</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>PF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Stoneridge Christian (Merced, Calif.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>34. Jonathan Kreft</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-10</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>C</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91>FLORIDA STATE</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>35. Javaris Crittenton</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-4</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>PG</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Southwest Christian (Atlanta)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>GEORGIA TECH</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>36. Ramar Smith</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-2</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>SG</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>King (Detroit, Mich.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91>CONNECTICUT</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>37. Curtis Kelly</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-9</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>PF/C</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Rice (New York)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>CONNECTICUT</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>38. Raymar Morgan</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-7</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>WF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>McKinley (Canton, Ohio)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>39. DaJuan Summers</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-8</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>PF/WF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>McDonough (Owings Mills, Md.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>GEORGETOWN</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>40. Mike Jones</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-7</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>WF/PF</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Lower Richland (Hopkins, S.C.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>41. Scott Reynolds</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-0</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>SG</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Herndon (Va.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>OKLAHOMA</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>42. Jason Bennett</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>7-2</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>C</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>43. James Keefe</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-8</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>PF</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Rancho Santa Margarito (Calif.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>UCLA</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>44. Patrick Christopher</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-3</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>SG</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Dominguez (Compton, Calif.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>45. Michael Washington</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-9</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>PF/C</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Heritage Christian (Cleveland, Texas)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>ARKANSAS</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>46. Doug Wiggins</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-0</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>PG</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Harford East (Conn.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91>ST. JOHN'S</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>47. Jerry Smith </TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-2</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>SG</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>East (Wauwatosa, Wis.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>LOUISVILLE</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>48. Willie Kemp</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-2</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>PG</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Central (Bolivar, Tenn.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light width=117>49. Brian Carlwell</TD><TD class=notch_light width=22>6-10</TD><TD class=notch_light width=34>C</TD><TD class=notch_light width=167>Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.)</TD><TD class=notch_light width=91>ILLINOIS</TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_white width=117>50. Jerome Dyson</TD><TD class=notch_white width=22>6-2</TD><TD class=notch_white width=34>SG</TD><TD class=notch_white width=167>Proctor (Andover, N.H.)</TD><TD class=notch_white width=91> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=notch_light colSpan=5>Harrington is a recruiting analyst for www.PrepStars.com</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Upvote 0
scout.com$

8/15/05



<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Scout.com Class of 2006 Rankings

</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff>
244562.jpg

Greg Oden (J.Hawkins)

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Dave Telep National Recruiting Director
Date: Aug 15, 2005

Greg Oden, no big surprise, tops the Scout.com Post-Summer 2006 Top 100. There’s been movement in the Top 10 and over 10 new faces grace the current Top 100 list.
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>
<CENTER>Scout.com 2006 Post-Summer Top 100</CENTER>Scout.com did not include post graduate players in its rankings. We will include the post grads (as we continue to learn about where they will enroll this fall) in the overall position rankings and will produce a post-grad Top 25 list this fall. We have not confirmed a number of destinations for post-graduate players but will update them as we do. There has been no change (and we don’t expect any) at the top of the Scout.com current Top 100. Greg Oden led his Spiece Indy Heat team to its second Reebok Big Time title and was named MVP of the event again. His strangehold on the top spot in the class was bolstered by a summer in which he was as aggressive as ever.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Upvote 0
bucknuts44820 said:
Reports are circling that Matta doesn't want to take any chances with this class and is trying to get the "Thad Four" to make their official visits the night of the OSU vs Texas football game.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
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I know for sure Greg is planning to go, and I think Conley as well. Not sure about the other two.
 
Upvote 0
I doubt it makes or breaks anyone's decision, but it would be cool to mingle with Greg Oden and the rest of OSU's elite bball recruits if I were a football recruit that followed basketball.
 
Upvote 0
LINK

8/17/05
August 17, 2005

High school Basketball

Oden's appeal means more TV
1 Lawrence North game is set for ESPN2; at least 1 more game could be televised.
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By Jeff Rabjohns
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--document.write(''+'jeff.rabjohns'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>[email protected]



If all goes according to plan, Greg Oden will end up the most televised high school basketball star in history.

Oden's Lawrence North Wildcats already have one game this season scheduled for ESPN2, against Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar on Dec. 8 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, ESPN spokesman Mike Humes said.

In addition, Rashid Ghazi of the Paragon Marketing Group, the Skokie, Ill., firm that arranged that game, confirmed negotiations are under way to televise the Wildcats' game at North Central, likely Jan. 19.

Along with the Wildcats' game against Poplar Bluff, Mo., on ESPN2 last year, that would give Oden three appearances as the featured player on a nationally televised regular-season game. Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, who as a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, was featured on national TV twice, is the only other player with more than one.

The game against North Central includes three of the nation's top recruits in 7-foot senior Oden, Wildcats senior point guard Mike Conley and Panthers junior shooting guard Eric Gordon. Lawrence North athletic director Grant Nesbit said a TV package for the game is "in the works," but added an official schedule likely wouldn't be available until next week.

Nesbit said there also are television possibilities for Lawrence North's Feb. 11 game at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., against Glenbrook North, the defending Illinois Class AA state champion.

Call Star reporter Jeff Rabjohns at (317) 444-6183.
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link

8/21/05


Livin' the dream

The Indianapolis Star recently documented the summer of high school basketball phenom Greg Oden, who's starting to look like NCAA probation-bait.

Oden attended the ESPYs, then hopped into a limo with NBA star Baron Davis.

"He was like, 'Big G, what up? Who you walking with?' " Oden recalled. "I said, 'Nobody. I'm just sightseeing.' He was like, 'Get in.' He was going to a party, so I rode with him, then he had his driver drop me off."

And then what?
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foxsports.com

8/26/05



With August slipping away ever-so-rapidly, it's time to lock in my top 25 seniors for the coming high school season.


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<LI>Get more college hoops news from Scout.com

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The criteria used in shaping the list were the performances I watched at a half-dozen "national" events in June and July: the USA Basketball Youth Festival (San Diego), adidas Superstar Camp (Suwanee, Ga.) and Nike All-America Camp (Indianapolis), along with three July 22-26 tournaments in Las Vegas — the Reebok Big Time, adidas Super 64 and Main Event.

Fifth-year (prep school) players were excluded from consideration.

Ready. Set. Here you go!

1. Greg Oden (Indianapolis Lawrence North) 6-foot-11
Comments: After the considerable offensive improvement he displayed in June and July, his game has become nit-pick proof.

2. Spencer Hawes (Seattle, Wash., Prep) 6-10
Comments: As he displayed in July at the Nike All-America Camp, the Peach Jam tournament and the Main Event, there isn't a player with better offensive skills on the high school level — O.J. Mayo included.

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</TD></TR><TR><TD class=caption><ID>Greg Oden's game has become nit-pick proof.</ID> (Scout.com / Special to FOXSports.com)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

3. Brandan Wright (Brentwood, Tenn., Prep) 6-10
Comments: His rebounding and shot blocking abilities are nearly the equal of Oden's. And that qualifies as a heap of praise.

4. Wayne Ellington (Merion, Pa., The Episcopal Academy) 6-4
Comments: He is as clearly the top prospect at his projected college position (shooting guard) as Oden is at center.

5. Kevin Durant (Rockville, Md., Montrose Christian) 6-9 1/2
Comments: Once he gets stronger and realizes that his effectiveness in the low post is just as critical to his success as a player as his ability to launch 3-pointers, he'll be as good as anyone in this class.

6. Mike Conley (Indianapolis Lawrence North) 6-1
Comments: So there may be players with more "upside" as college and, eventually, NBA prospects. But get this straight up front: He is the best point guard in the Class of 2006 — hands down.

7. Brook Lopez (Fresno, Ca., San Joaquin Memorial) 6-11
Comments: He gets the slight edge right now as the No. 1 prospect in a very good California senior class.

8. Tywon Lawson (Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill Academy) 5-11
Comments: The comparisons to Raymond Felton when he shows up in Chapel Hill in about a year will have plenty of merit.

9. Robin Lopez (Fresno, Ca., San Joaquin Memorial) 6-11
Comments: No one in the Class of 2006 improved any more from June until the end of July than did this half of the Stanford-bound twins.

10. Chase Budinger (Carlsbad, Ca., La Costa Canyon) 6-7
Comments: He might be competing for Olympic gold some day — in volleyball — while earning NBA paychecks.

11. Deshawn Sims (Detroit, Mich., Pershing) 6-7
Comments: An eye-catching performance at the Nike All-America Camp was repeated a few weeks later in Las Vegas during the Big Time Tournament. Getting his commitment (over Syracuse and Michigan State) was quite the coup for Michigan coach Tommy Amaker.

12. Stanley Robinson (Birmingham, Ala., Woodlawn) 6-9
Comments: If Brandan Wright isn't the best senior prospect in the South, then this is the guy.

13. Gerald Henderson (Merion, Pa., The Episcopal Academy) 6-5
Comments: His jump shot is the only part of his game that isn't already dynamic.

14. Duke Crews (Hampton, Va., Bethel) 6-6
Comments: No matter how long I ponder the question, I can't come up with the name of a high-level prospect that played harder than Crews did in July.

15. Lance Thomas (Newark, N.J., St. Benedict) 6-8
Comments: Ditto the comments about Gerald Henderson.

16. Vernon Macklin (Chatham, Va., Hargrave Military) 6-9
Comments: He teamed with Duke Crews to give the Boo Williams All-Stars a pair of rebounders — second only to the Lopez Twins on EBO/EA Sports on the traveling team circuit.

17. Daequan Cook (Dayton, Ohio, Dunbar) 6-5
Comments: Along with Gerald Henderson, he is one of the two best 6-5 or shorter "finishers" in the senior class.

18. Sherron Collins (Chicago, Ill., Crane) 5-11
Comments: If someone suggests to you that Collins is the quickest player in the senior class, take them at their word.

19. Thaddeus Young (Memphis, Tenn., Mitchell) 6-8
Comments: Early exits at the USA Basketball Youth Festival in San Diego (with an ankle sprain) and in the adidas Super 64 tournament in Las Vegas (when his team was upset in the first round of the playoffs) kept me from watching him as often as I wanted to.

20. Derrick Caracter (Elizabeth, N.J., St. Patrick) 6-9
Comments: Consistency of effort and physical conditioning are his only roadblocks to becoming an exceptional college player at Louisville. But if anyone can remove those barriers, it's Rick Pitino.

21. Javaris Crittenton (Atlanta, Ga., Southwest Academy) 6-4
Comments: He seems to be making the transition from "scorer" to "true point guard" fairly well, which has to please his future college coach, Paul Hewitt.

22. Darrell Arthur (Dallas, Texas, South Oak Cliff) 6-8 ½
Comments: He was one of the most "up and down" players of the summer. He was spectacular at times. Conversely, you sometimes forgot he was on the floor.

23. James Keefe (Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca., Santa Margarita) 6-8
Comments: No one aspect of his game "wows" you. The sum of the individual parts does, though.

24. Quincy Pondexter (Fresno, Ca., San Joaquin Memorial) 6-6 ½
Comments: Once his jump shot becomes consistently accurate and he learns to play on balance all the time, there will be few more promising wings in college. 25. Phil Nelson (Keizer, Ore., McNary) 6-8
Comments: There are a lot of better all-around players right now, but his phenomenal deep shooting ability — and the "P" word is certainly apt — gets him the final spot.
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link

8/26/05

"If he was eligible, he would have been the No. 1 choice in this year's NBA draft -- as a high school junior. And if the rules hadn't changed, he likely would be the first pick in 2006. He has the ability to be the best player to come out of high school since Moses Malone in 1974." -- Van Coleman, Hoopmasters.com recruiting analyst, on 6-11 center Greg Oden of Indianapolis, the nation's No. 1 player who committed to Ohio State





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Upvote 0
By the way. I saw Oden (along with Conley, Cook, and Mullens - I think) with Matta before the Texas game. They were standing behind the south endzone and Oden stuck out like a sore thumb. The dude is an absolute giant.

There were some other guys with them too, but I'm not enough of an expert to recognize them. Either way, Matta is a genious.
 
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indystar

9/19/05

How can you not like this kid.....unbelievable.......:)

By Jeff Rabjohns
[email protected]

Donna Chamberlain sees a side of Greg Oden she believes few others know.
A math instructor at Lawrence North High School, Chamberlain teaches one of the school's more difficult math courses: Probability and Statistics. Oden is in the class, the third time he has had Chamberlain as a teacher.

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She has come to know him as well as any student she's had in her 15 years. The telltale signs of a real student, she says, are there.

"If there was a problem that was worth five points and he got only two or three points, he would ask why," Chamberlain said. "Anytime he didn't understand something, he would be at my desk asking questions until he fully understood the problem."

Of all the high school students in America this fall, few would seem better positioned to coast than Greg Oden. The reigning national prep basketball Player of the Year, he has been projected as a future NBA star since the ninth grade. Next year, he plans to attend Ohio State University, where he'll be the most talked about freshman -- possibly player -- in college basketball.

What is overlooked is that he'll also be a college student. His friends, family and teachers say that means much more to him than most realize.

Instead of a 7-foot shot-blocking phenom, they speak of an aspiring accounting major who has a 3.6 grade-point average, including three perfect 4.0 semesters. They see a curious, inquisitive kid who throughout high school has taken courses indicative of someone bound for college, not a big-time athlete trying to stay eligible.

They remember how in May, when Oden's cousin, Brian Bufford, graduated from the University at Buffalo -- becoming the first person on his mother's side to earn a college degree -- Oden skipped an important AAU tournament to be there.

"He was very proud," Greg's mother Zoe Oden said. "Very proud."

The national perception has been very different.

Before last June, when the NBA enacted a rule prohibiting players from entering the draft right out of high school, Oden was ignored -- or worse -- when he repeatedly said he planned to attend college. Pointing out the growing trend of preps-to-pros players, many of whom were nowhere near Oden's caliber, longtime recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons said anyone who believed such talk was "naive." An article by CBS Sports commentator Seth Davis on SI.com, titled "Brutally Dishonest?", practically mocked Oden for stating his collegiate intentions so often and so earnestly.

Now, the assumption is that he won't attend Ohio State for more than the one year the NBA requires. The idea that he'd spend all four years and graduate isn't even considered. Oden acknowledges resisting the NBA that long will be difficult, but he insists he might.

"Finishing school would mean a lot," he said. "I want to further myself in areas other than just basketball."

Having so many doubt his earnestness doesn't seem to bother him, but it does others. Chamberlain said it "makes me laugh."

"The real Greg Oden works for everything he has and is so thankful for everything he has," she said.

"I think he likes the (new NBA draft) rule. I know how badly he wanted to go to college, but the pressure was so great. I think the rule let Greg be Greg."

All about work

Oden lights up at the mention of his cousin Brian's graduation in Buffalo.
"Everybody was all excited," Oden said Thursday after school. "He's doing something with himself. A lot of people in my family are working hard every day and barely making it. He's got a chance to really do something."

Zoe Oden, a rehabilitation technician at a local hospital, has an associate's degree in accounting. Oden's father, Greg Sr., runs his own plumbing and heating company in Buffalo. Their son says both taught him the value of education.

"Greg's been a good student since pre-kindergarten," Zoe said. "I've never had to push him.

"He's always been a good student. Even his first-grade teacher, who used to do special things with the kids as reward -- treat them to a movie or something, everybody that got A's -- she saw he was a good student."
Yet this isn't some fairy-tale story of a boy genius in a 7-foot frame, as Oden is the first to acknowledge.

Last semester, he earned a 4.0 GPA, and this semester his course load comprises Economics, English 12, German II, Zoology, and Probability and Statistics, which Chamberlain equates to a 100- or 200-level college class.
But Oden was disappointed in his SAT score. He said he scored a 1,370 on the new three-part test, which has a maximum score of 2,400. His math and verbal components, those used by the NCAA to determine college eligibility, totaled 980.

That's 13 points above the average for Division I basketball players on scholarship last year, according to the NCAA, and more than double what he needed to be eligible. But it's slightly below last year's Indiana high school average of 1,012 and the national average of 1,028, and further below the 1,190 average of incoming Ohio State students.

"The way I look at it," said Lawrence North athletic director Grant Nesbit, "you see kids with a lot of athletic ability who are mediocre athletes because they don't work hard. Others have mediocre ability but work hard, so they're great athletes. And there are kids like Greg, who have tremendous ability and work hard. I think he's middle of the road as far as academic ability, but he works really hard, so he gets good grades."

Chamberlain said that before she had Oden in class, she'd heard he was a strong student.

"I was excited he was living up to his reputation," she said. "I was pleased because in class, he worked hard and still does."

Asked how he thought he'd do in college, Oden seemed confident. "I'll be fine," he said.

Defying stereotypes

Elite athletes being greeted with skepticism in the academic arena is nothing new.

In his 1983 autobiography, "Giant Steps," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote about one of his first days at UCLA in 1965, where, he noted, "Either because I was an athlete or because I was black -- probably both -- there seemed to be a clear assumption that I wouldn't be up to the work."

Along with all other freshmen, Lew Alcindor, as he was known then, was required to write a 400- to 500-word essay to test his understanding of the fundamentals of English. He was given a three-hour time limit and finished in 35 minutes. After he handed it in and started walking out, "I guess one of the instructors saw me about to leave early (and) probably thought, 'He thinks he's getting away with something,' because he went and snatched my blue book off the top of the pile and began to read it. I must have done reasonably well, because I never heard from them again."

Oscar Robertson, arguably the greatest basketball player ever from Indiana, noted that when he attended Crispus Attucks High School 50 years ago, the perception among the black population was that academics, not sports, was the ticket to a better life.

"Basketball wasn't what it is today," said Robertson, who grew up in poverty in Indianapolis and ended up in the Basketball Hall of Fame. "Being brought up in the ghetto, my parents were told, long before I came along, that education was the way out."

Now he laments that the perception has reversed. He sees a generation of black athletes believing sports will get them whatever they need.

"So many kids think that," Robertson said. "But when you look at the history of players coming out (of college) early, only a handful really make it."

John Singer, a sports management professor at James Madison University, earned his Ph. D. from Ohio State, writing his dissertation on the academic transition of big-time college athletes. He said many of the athletes he studied admitted they had done little in high school.

"They would reveal to us, 'All throughout high school, I never had to go to class. I got passes and stood in the hall,' " Singer said.

Perhaps that's why, he added, it's difficult for the general public to believe a player of Oden's talent is serious about academics, because he doesn't fit the stereotype.

"I think that's what is driving the national perception," Singer said. "When they see somebody like Oden saying something different, the reaction is, 'This is not right. This is not what we've been seeing.'

"Instead of asking what's right with Greg Oden, most people ask what's wrong. Why is he focusing on education when all this money is out there? People need to be asking what's right with Greg Oden."


Call Star reporter Jeff Rabjohns at (317) 444-6183.
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Upvote 0
bucknuts$

9/23/05

Good read on Oden. Does address the possible sanctions against the Program and how that will effect both him and Conley signing in November since most likely a decision will most likely not be until December, Oden basically said they would sign in November if they have a good idea of the sanctions and worst case scenario would be that they sign in April.

That news is not really new, I would bet they sign in November.​
 
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