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

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Reports are that Oden will sign this month with Ohio State. I have basically been hearing their is an agreement between Ohio State and Oden that if the NCAA comes down with further sanctions that would effect the 2006 class, then he would have the opportunity to get out of his LOI.

I still believe there is nothing to worry about concerning the NCAA and the 2006 class.
 
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indystar

11/5/05

Oden set to sign with Ohio St.
He, Conley will confirm decision in early signing period

By Jeff Rabjohns
[email protected]


Despite recent signs of wavering, Lawrence North High School basketball star Greg Oden will sign with Ohio State during the early signing period that begins Wednesday, his summer coach said.

"They are going to sign," Mike Conley Sr., who has coached his son, Mike Conley Jr., and Oden in summer basketball since the seniors were in junior high, said Friday.

The 7-foot Oden, the national high school Player of the Year, and Conley Jr., one of the nation's top-ranked point guards, made oral commitments to Ohio State in June. But in early October they said they were considering waiting until the spring signing period before making it official because of the possibility of harsh penalties against Ohio State stemming from multiple violations. The full scope of penalties won't be known until an NCAA infractions committee meets Dec. 9-10.

Ohio State issued a self-imposed postseason ban last season for the violations that occurred under former coach Jim O'Brien, who was fired after the 2003-04 season. Because of that, it would take NCAA penalties that amount to a three-year postseason ban to affect Oden and Conley, who will be freshmen in 2006-07.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta and athletic director Gene Smith were hired after the violations occurred.

"We feel that the 2007 postseason won't be an issue, looking at previous (NCAA penalty) decisions," Conley Sr. said.

Oden could not be reached for comment.

The early signing period is Wednesday-Nov. 16. Players who don't sign then must wait until the spring signing period, April 12-May 17.

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

Copyright 2005 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
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This is such great news and it tells me that Oden, Conley, and Cook are ready to represent the Bucks. Even though it is a 99.99% probability that no post-season ban sanctions will affect there first season with the Bucks, it could have been very easy for these young men to wait till the spring to sign on the dotted line after hearing the December announcement from the NCAA. Even though I am looking forward to this season and the potential to make a nice run in the NCAA tourney, I think the biggest day of the season will be when Oden and Co. are signed, sealed, and delivered to Ohio State. From everything that I have read about this class, it seems that these young men are exactly the types of people that we want to represent tOSU both on and off the court!
 
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rivals.com (free)

11/8/05

It looked like panic might set in at Ohio State and chaos would take over the recruiting world on the first day of the early signing period which begins Wednesday. There were reports that the nation's consensus No. 1 prospect Greg Oden and the Buckeyes' four other verbal commitments from the 2006 class – which has been called one of the greatest recruiting classes ever – were considering not signing until the NCAA released its final results of an ongoing investigation into the Big Ten program in December.

But, Oden's high school coach Jack Keefer at Lawrence North in Indianapolis said the 7-foot, 240-pound center will be signing his letter-of-intent Wednesday along with teammate Mike Conley, Rivals.com's No. 3-ranked point guard in the class.

Mike Conley Sr., who has coached the duo at the AAU level, recently reaffirmed that news.

"They are going to sign," the elder Conley told the Indianapolis Star Friday. "We feel that the 2007 postseason won't be an issue, looking at previous (NCAA penalty) decisions," he added.

Ohio State imposed a one-year ban on postseason play in December last season, saying that former coach Jim O'Brien paid a recruit $6,000.

The Buckeyes three other commits, five-star wings Dequan Cook and David Lighty and junior college power forward Othello Hunter, are all expected to sign Wednesday too.

"Ohio State had to be on pins and needles concerning Oden and company signing before an NCAA verdict," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer said. "You can't blame [these guys] for holding out. Now Ohio State has to rerecruit [them] even harder."

What would have happened if Oden and company had let the signing period pass? Programs from all over the country would be making a mad rush to contact the prospect who has been called the best big man in more than a decade.

"I would be surprised if every school with a scholarship or potential scholarship did not come after Oden," Meyer said. "Just the attention that an up and coming program would get for being in the mix with him would be worth the recruiting effort. And if a contender landed him, national championship prospects greatly increase."

Chances are that Ohio State still would have landed the recruits in the late signing period beginning April 12. The Buckeys aren't expected to receive any more major penalties, and Oden didn't consider many schools during the recruiting process.

"I don't think it would have changed a lot," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Tim Watts said if Oden had chosen not to sign this week. "If (Oden) had decided to wait then I still believe he still would have went to Ohio State barring a major catastrophe handed down by the NCAA. It certainly would have perked some people up and sent them after him again but his recruitment had been very low key considering his status."
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usatoday.com

11/9/05

Oden aims for title at Ohio State

By Christopher Lawlor, USA TODAY

Center Greg Oden of Lawrence North High in Indianapolis, USA TODAY's reigning player of the year, says he'll sign with Ohio State when the NCAA's early, one-week signing period begins Wednesday.

"I'm 100% sure that I'm signing with Ohio State," Oden said.

Oden's teammate, 6-1 guard Mike Conley Jr., also will go with the Buckeyes, giving them the No. 2 class behind North Carolina, according to analysts.

A new NBA rule mandates players be at least one year removed from high school and 19 years old before they can be eligible for the league's draft. That means high school players from this year's class won't be eligible for the NBA until the 2007-08 season.

Oden's options included playing professionally overseas or signing a contract with a major shoe company and waiting until 2007.

"Those sound crazy," Oden said. "I'm going to Ohio State to win a national championship."

Players such as the 7-0 Oden, 6-10 Spencer Hawes of Seattle (Wash.) Prep and 6-10 Kevin Durant of Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) likely would have been taken high in the 2006 draft.

"This year's class ... is going to help college basketball tremendously," says analyst Dave Telep of scout.com.

Oden's decision also means he wasn't affected by the possibility of harsh penalties against Ohio State stemming from multiple violations. The full scope of penalties won't be known until an NCAA infractions committee meets Dec. 9-10.

The Indianapolis Star had reported Oden and Conley were considering waiting until the spring to sign because of possible penalties.
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link

11/10/05

Oden, Conley sign -- with a catch

If Ohio State is banned from 2007 postseason, Lawrence North stars can go elsewhere

Greg Oden is a Buckeye -- for now.

The national high school Player of the Year and Lawrence North teammate Mike Conley Jr. signed national letters of intent with Ohio State on Wednesday, but they have the option of switching schools if the Buckeyes aren't eligible for the NCAA Tournament when they arrive in college in the fall of 2006.

Oden and Conley have a written agreement with the school that it will release them in the unlikely event the Buckeyes are banned from the 2007 postseason for NCAA violations.

"What the letter said is, I would sign off if that's the case," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said Wednesday. "I'm sure there are a lot of schools that do this."

A release means Oden and Conley would be free to play as freshmen at another school without losing a season of eligibility. Without it, they would have to either play at Ohio State or sit out one season at another school and lose a year of eligibility.

Ohio State won't know the full scope of penalties until an NCAA infractions committee meets Dec. 9-10. The Buckeyes are facing sanctions from violations that occurred under former coach Jim O'Brien and former athletic director Andy Geiger.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm going to Ohio State," said Oden, who joined current NBA star LeBron James as the only players to be named national Player of the Year as high school juniors. "That (agreement) is a comfort to my parents. That's stuff they worry about. I'm just worried about playing ball at a school I'm comfortable at."

It's highly unlikely the NCAA will ban Ohio State from the postseason for both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The Buckeyes issued a self-imposed ban for the 2005 NCAA Tournament. If past NCAA decisions are an indication, what amounts to a three-year ban would be a stunning penalty for violations that center on illegal payments to help a player.

Even at Baylor, where one player killed another and a coach was taped trying to cover it up, the school issued a one-year postseason ban. The NCAA levied harsh penalties but did not further ban Baylor from the postseason.

Oden and Conley said they haven't discussed a fallback school if the NCAA bans the Buckeyes from the 2007 postseason.

"We've got the agreement and if anything were to come up, we would have the chance to be released," Conley, one of the top point guards in the nation, said. "I haven't gone that far (to look at other schools). I really don't believe I will."

Matta said there is a form for such agreements from the national letter of intent program, which is administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association.

"It was my idea," said Matta, in his second year at Ohio State. "I was like, hey, if kids who were in third grade when this happened can't go to postseason play, I want what's best for them."

Matta said he cleared the agreement with Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith. Matta said he signed the letter, but neither the players nor their parents were required to do so.

"I took it to Gene and said, 'I want to do this,' " Matta said. "These guys were in third grade when it happened. I hope they're not going to be penalized, which I can't see happening."

The NCAA violations date to the career of former Buckeye Boban Savovic, who played at Ohio State from 1998-2002.

Oden, who has been called the best player to enter college since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went to UCLA in 1965, averaged 20 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots as a junior. He headlines a class that could make Ohio State a Final Four contender.

Ohio State's class has the consensus No. 1 player in Oden and three others ranked in the top 30 in Conley, Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar shooting guard Daequan Cook and Cleveland small forward David Lighty. The fifth member of the so-called "Thad Five" is 6-9 junior college transfer Othello Hunter.

"I'm very excited, and I feel very grateful for these guys having the trust in Ohio State and our staff," Matta said. "I think from their perspective as well as mine, I know the kids are excited."

Matta, a former Butler coach and player, made national headlines when Oden and Conley made their oral commitments to Ohio State in June.

Wednesday's signing signaled the end of a pursuit that included building relationships with Oden and Conley for several years.

"I think it's a great statement," Matta said of the class, ranked No. 2 behind North Carolina by most recruiting experts.

"It's been a long road from the time we got here because the guys have been such priorities. On July 7, 2004, when I accepted the job, (assistant) John Groce and I were talking about where David, Greg, Daequan and Mike were going to be tomorrow."

Tops of the class

Ohio State and North Carolina boast the nation's top two college basketball recruiting classes, with most experts giving a slight nod to the Tar Heels. Here's a look (rankings are courtesy of scout.com, a national recruiting service):

Ohio State
PlayerHt.Pos.High schoolRankingGreg Oden7-0CLawrence North1Daequan Cook6-5SGDayton (Ohio) Dunbar16Mike Conley6-0PGLawrence North25David Lighty6-5SFCleveland St. Joseph29Othello Hunter6-9PFHillsborough (Fla.) CCNR
North Carolina
PlayerHt.Pos.High schoolRankingWayne Ellington6-4SGMarion (Pa.) Episcopal4Brandan Wright6-9PFNashville (Tenn.) Brentwood5Tywon Lawson5-11PGOak Hill (Va.) Academy8Deon Thompson6-9CTorrance, Calif.22Alex Stepheson6-9PFLos Angeles Harvard-Westlake58
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