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

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

indystar

11/15/05

Wildcats No. 5 in nation

Lawrence North is No. 5 in the USA Today boys' basketball national rankings that are to be released today. The Wildcats, led by national high school Player of the Year Greg Oden and point guard Mike Conley, were ranked No. 1 in the nation by SchoolSports magazine and in Student Sports' Fab 50.

In the USA Today ranking, Lawrence North was behind top-ranked Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), No. 2 Oak Hill (a prep school in Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 3 Fairfax (Los Angeles) and No. 4 Saint Patrick's (Elizabeth, N.J.).

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

usatoday

11/15/05

Quote:

5. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (24-2)
Returning starters: 3. Why they're good: C Greg Oden, USA TODAY's player of the year in 2005, averaged 20 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocks for the two-time Class 4A champions. PG Mike Conley Jr. (10.7 ppg) is his running mate and future Ohio State teammate. F Brandon McDonald, 6-3, only averaged four points as a junior, but will have an expanded role. Opens: Nov. 23 vs. Lawrence Central (Indianapolis) at Indianapolis Conseco Fieldhouse.

Regional Rankings

Quote:

Midwest

1. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (24-2)
2. North College Hill, Cincinnati (27-1)
3. McKinley, Canton, Ohio (26-1)
4. Vashon, St. Louis (29-1)
5. Glenbrook North, Northbrook, Ill. (32-2)
6. Rufus King, Milwaukee (16-6)
7. Simeon, Chicago (24-5)
8. North Central, Indianapolis (17-9)
9. Santa Fe, Edmond, Okla. (25-4)
10. Solon, Ohio (25-1)

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

11/16/05

Lawrence North unanimous preseason No. 1 in AP poll

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS



INDIANAPOLIS -- Lawrence North, returning 7-footer Greg Oden and guard Mike Conley from a team that won its second straight championship last spring, was the unanimous pick for No. 1 in The Associated Press Class 4A preseason basketball poll.
Central, which lost to Lawrence North in the 4A title game last season, is ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll. Pike is second.

The Wildcats were 24-2 last season and return an experienced squad led by Oden and Conley, both Ohio State recruits, along with 6-3 Brandon McDonald, who started more than half the games last season, plus three juniors up from an 18-2 JV team.


"This group of kids are great defensive players, so we will try to capitalize on this strength, plus the rebounding ability of our junior class," Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said.

Lawrence North will begin the season Nov. 23 against Lawrence Central in the inaugural KeyBank Tipoff Classic at Conseco Fieldhouse. It will be the final game of a tripleheader that also includes Hamilton Southeastern against Anderson and defending Class A champion Lapel against Wapahani.
Anderson was ranked eighth in the 4A preseason poll, while Lapel was ranked No. 1 in Class A.

North Central, which lost in the regionals, was voted fourth; and Indianapolis Arlington, which was the No. 1-ranked team last season but lost to Lawrence North in the sectionals, was picked fifth in the preseason voting.

Andrean, which returns Luke Harangody, a 6-8 Notre Dame recruit, was voted No. 1 in the preseason 3A poll.

New Castle was voted second, and Lakeland was picked third. Defending 3A champion Washington, which was ranked No. 1 last season, lost Mr. Basketball Luke Zeller to Notre Dame and was ranked fourth.

Plymouth, which lost in overtime to Washington in the 3A championship game on Zeller's 3-pointer at the buzzer, was voted fifth, and Vincennes, which lost to Washington in the sectionals, was picked sixth.

In Class 2A, Forest Park has eight returning lettermen, including 6-7 Brandon Hopf, the tourney Most Valuable Player and a Southern Indiana recruit. Knightstown, which lost to Forest Park in the semistate, was picked second.

Providence, which was 19-1 and ranked second but was barred from the tournament because of an IHSAA penalty, returned its top two scorers and was picked third in the preseason poll. Lapel was picked No. 1 in Class A despite the loss of three starters, while Loogootee, which was the tourney runner-up to Lapel, was voted second. Tri-Central, which was No. 1 last season, suffered its only loss to Lapel in the regionals and was picked third in the preseason voting.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

11/16/05

High school basketball Letters of commitment
Signing more dink than dunk

Low-key ceremony just a formality

By Jeff Rabjohns
[email protected]


On Nov. 9, Greg Oden sat at a table in the principal's conference room at Lawrence North High School, sporting a beard and a red T-shirt.

His mother, Zoe, sat to his right. Teammate Mike Conley -- also headed to Ohio State -- and his parents, a handful of school officials and a few other people occupied the room, too.

In this quiet, relatively private setting, the national high school basketball player of the year became an Ohio State Buckeye, signing his national letter of intent at 12:40 p.m.

"It's just that we got it out of the way," said Oden, who as a junior averaged 20 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots.

"When we had the paper, after I signed it, I'm looking at Mike like, 'Is there something else?' We took some pictures. They faxed it, and that was it."

The incident contrasted the frenzy that surrounded the oral commitment of the two in June. Held in the Lawrence North gymnasium, that announcement was covered by dozens of media members, broadcast on live television to Columbus, Ohio, and included cheering fans.

"He has great size and athletic ability," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said in a release. "Greg . . . has the ability to block shots, rebound and score. He can score in close or step out and hit shots from 12-15 feet. One of his greatest attributes is his humility and his focus on the team."

Oden, who has been called the best player to enter college since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went to UCLA in 1965, headlines a class that could make Ohio State a Final Four contender.

"The overwhelming truth is, Greg Oden is the biggest impact player to enter college basketball next year," said Dave Telep of scout.com. "There's no debate to that. He'll be the biggest player to impact college basketball player in -- insert however many years you want -- and they've put four guys around him who can play."

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

Copyright 2005 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

11/20/05

The game of his life

A shot at history

Oden begins senior season with chance to enter the Alcindor-Walton realm of high school's best-ever big men

Greg Oden grabs his red workout jersey and wipes sweat from the beard he's been letting grow. He's been shooting free throws, one after another, his teammates having already finished practice. He's not allowed to call it a night until he hits 80 percent from the line.

He's worn out as he leaves the court, but his words point to a singular goal: winning a third consecutive state title. Only twice before in the 95-year history of Indiana high school basketball has it happened.

"Right now, I'm just focusing on team ball," said the Lawrence North center, whose Wildcats open the season Wednesday at Conseco Fieldhouse against Lawrence Central. "Trying to hustle, play defense, trying to get a good team going."

Elsewhere in the country, there are bigger conversations about Oden.
Many who have followed the sport for decades say there is something special going on in Indianapolis, that the 17-year-old 7-footer might be developing into one of the great true centers of all time. Some already compare Oden favorably to the high school versions of legends like Chamberlain, Alcindor and Walton, and those who don't place him quite on that peak believe he could reach it this season if his improvement continues apace.

"He's the Bill Russell of this era, and he's further along as a shot blocker and rebounder," said Bob Gibbons, who has scouted high school players for more than three decades and has seen all the best centers live or on tape since Lew Alcindor in the early 1960s. "He's making vast progress with his offensive game.

"He doesn't have the jump hook of Lew Alcindor or (Bill) Walton's face-the-basket shooting skills or range. But I think he is the best high school big man I've seen since Lew Alcindor was at (New York City's) Power Memorial. As long as he continues to develop his offensive skills, that's going to put him in the class of Wilt Chamberlain as a player that can dominate on both ends."

Gibbons has plenty of company in his thinking. Comparisons to Alcindor began after Oden's sophomore year, two years after he was projected as a No. 1 NBA draft pick. Since then, scores of articles have used Alcindor, Shaquille O'Neal or Ralph Sampson as reference points.

Dick Weiss, a longtime college basketball writer in New York and Philadelphia, said Oden isn't quite at the level of Alcindor, Walton or Chamberlain, but that he's better than Sampson and Patrick Ewing at the same stage. College basketball analyst Dick Vitale noted how Alcindor and Chamberlain were extremely skilled at both ends of the court in high school and said "this kid has that kind of potential."

"He has the great attitude and mental framework that's vital to getting better and better," Vitale said. "It seems no contest he'll be a superstar."
Oden's statistics aren't what set him apart. He averaged 20 points and 9.6 rebounds as a junior. Great, but not in the same league as some of the former stars, like the 29 points and 25 rebounds Walton averaged as a high school senior. (Not to mention the 90 points Chamberlain scored in a single game . . . in 28 minutes.)

What distinguishes Oden, experts say, is the combination of talent, instincts and maturity; the competition he has proved himself against; and the way he takes over a game when necessary.

As with the others, high school competition has posed few challenges for Oden. But during the summer he has faced every notable big man on a national circuit that's far beyond the scale of what existed during his predecessors' time, and he's dominated there, too.

His offense is just beginning to emerge with a jump shot and short hook. He can post up and score inside almost at will. He can block shots, intimidate and rebound. He's been 7 feet for nearly two years and has worked past the awkwardness of rapid growth. He's a solid 255 pounds, heavier than many current NBA centers. And he doesn't turn 18 for nearly two months.

"The thing about Greg is . . . it's never about numbers. It's all about being the best player," said Van Coleman, who has been scouting high school players full time since 1978. "I think his numbers will be dictated by what the coach wants, but he's capable of averaging 30 (points) and 15 (rebounds). It could be a really exciting year for him. Enjoy him, because you're not going to see many of those."

Comparing the greats

As with any sport, historic comparisons are difficult.
For one thing, the eras were so different. Chamberlain graduated from Philadelphia's Overbrook High in 1955, Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) from Power Memorial in 1965. Big men were much more rare in those days, so much so that when one came around, often a new rule did, too.

Defensive goaltending disappeared in the NCAA with the ascendance of the first big man, George Mikan, in 1944. The NBA lane was widened to 12 feet with Chamberlain in 1964, and when the NCAA banned the dunk in 1967 (it returned in 1976), it was known as the "Alcindor rule."

Big men are common now, with 50 7-footers on NBA opening-day rosters in 2004-05.

Then there are the matters of time and the low-profile high school settings. Few people have been following the game long enough or had a chance to see all the best play as preps.

Pete Newell is known as the guru of basketball big men. He coached the University of San Francisco five years before Russell starred there in the 1950s, coached the 1960 Olympic team, and for the past 30 years has run a "Big Man Camp" that has drawn hundreds of NBA and college players.

To him, Walton and Alcindor are the gold standard of high school centers.
"Bill Walton, at that time, he was the best I'd seen," Newell, 90, said. "He was an outstanding passer, probably the best shot blocker I saw in high school. Even though the shot block wasn't as prominent as it is today, he was as good as the ones today."

As for Alcindor, "I saw him several years before the word was out on him as far as tremendous potential, and he certainly lived up to that. Not only was he a great scorer, but he was an outstanding passer and shot blocker and played very good defense."

Others surface in the best-ever argument: Moses Malone, a ferocious rebounder who was the first in the sport's modern era to jump straight from high school to the pros; O'Neal, who was still in a growth spurt as a high school senior; Sampson, the tallest of the bunch at 7-3 (he later reached 7-4) who received arguably the most publicity; Ewing, a raw man-child who came to the game late and rivaled Chamberlain and Alcindor for awe.

Weiss, a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame, has seen Chamberlain in high school on tape and all the great centers since then live. He said Walton and Chamberlain were both more polished offensively in high school than Oden, but that Oden is better than Ewing and Sampson. "They were both talents, but this kid has more fundamentally sound skills offensively than Ewing and more mental focus than Sampson did in college," he said.

Weiss also noted how much Oden has improved, how he has dominated highly regarded competition.

Last summer, Oden faced 6-9, 270-pound Derrick Caracter, also projected as an NBA lottery pick out of high school before the rules were changed.

Oden shot 5-for-7 from the floor and blocked three shots as his team won 79-54. He was so dominant on defense that Caracter gave up trying to score in the post and started shooting 3-pointers.

"Destroyed is probably the best word," Weiss said.

USA Today's Malcolm Moran, another Hall of Fame basketball writer who has covered 27 NCAA Tournaments, also was astonished by Oden's progress.

"What I felt myself doing this summer is comparing Greg against himself," he said. "I was taken aback by the strides he made at the offensive end.

"I was prepared to see that he would be better, but not to see how fluid he was, how much more comfortable he was at the offensive end. When you measure in terms of development, Patrick Ewing wasn't doing some of the things Greg is doing now at the latter part of his college career."

'I'm not there yet'

Newell, who said he has heard of Oden but not seen him play, laments that American high schools haven't produced a great center prospect since O'Neal graduated from San Antonio's Cole High School in 1989. Part of that, he thinks, is because the position no longer is regarded as important as it once was.

A center was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player 21 times in the 23 years from 1960-83. In the 22 years since, a center has been MVP only three times (O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson).

Newell attributes it to poor coaching, restrictions on time high school coaches are allowed to spend with players, and spread offenses that turn any big-bodied player into a screener.

"So many programs have adopted 'motion' and 'flex,' and the whole concept of those offenses differs from the offense of the center post," he said. "The way 'motion' and 'flex' operate -- and I'm not knocking them -- but they create the shot coming away from the basket with down screens and a shooter popping out. It's a perimeter offense.

"There's not a position in basketball as important as the center as Bill Russell, Shaq, Kareem and so many others have shown."

Will Oden be next in that line?

He has heard the comparisons for a long time. He doesn't believe them to be valid.

"It's a lot of pressure to do everything that's necessary to get there," Oden said. "You hear things like, 'Greg Oden is the next this or that.'

"I know I'm not there yet. That motivates me to come in at 6:30 in the mornings so I can get there."

The early morning sessions started when he was a freshman. For a half-hour or so four days a week, Oden and Lawrence North assistant Ralph Scott do drills. Post moves one day. Shooting off the dribble the next.

Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. Then school, and then back to practice, in which Oden is often the last to finish.

Mike Conley Jr., Oden's best friend and point guard, thinks Oden understands his vast potential more than he lets on.

"I think he's very aware and that's the reason he works so hard," Conley said. "He doesn't show it a lot. You won't hear him talk about the NBA or any player he resembles.

"But I think he's very aware."

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

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Here are a few pics of Oden in action from last night......check out the high school forum for more info...

Lawrence North's Greg Oden dunks against Lawrence Central during the second quarter in Indianapolis, Wednesday, Nov, 23, 2005. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Lawrence North's Greg Oden dribbles up court agaisnt Lawrence Central during the second quarter in Indianapolis, Wednesday, Nov, 23, 2005. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

sportingnews.com

11/24/05

Who has the best recruiting class for 2006?

Ohio State: One player makes all the difference.

Had Ohio State signed Greg Oden -- and only Oden -- I still might be making the argument the Buckeyes recruited the nation's best class.

Ohio State did not just get the No. 1 player for 2006. Oden, a 7-0 center from Lawrence North High in Indianapolis, will be the most dominant player to enter college since Shaquille O'Neal arrived at LSU 16 years ago.

That's the difference here. North Carolina's boatload of elite prospects might form a championship team. And Ohio State wouldn't have done badly just with Daequan Cook, David Lighty and Mike Conley. But Oden is a once-in-a-generation player.

That has been my stance all along: Russell, Chamberlain, Jabbar, Walton, Ewing, O'Neal ... Oden. He belongs in that lineage. Which is why no one recruited better than Ohio State this year. -- Mike DeCourcy

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

11/27/05

This past weekend, Oden scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 72-49 win...

 

[jwinslow]

Top High School Players document.adtile = (document.adtile||0) + 1; document.random = document.random || Math.ceil(1+1E12*Math.random()); document.write('');

2 of 12
Greg Oden
7’0”, 240 lbs., Indianapolis, Ind.

Will take quiet demeanor and dominating presence around the basket to Ohio State, where he heads a top-three recruiting class.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

more than half the college games ive watched this year oden has been mentioned along with him going to theOSU. great pr for the program.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Greg Oden scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds and passed out two assists in last night's victory.

Check out the high school forum for a complete review of the game....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Oden scored 22 points, pulled down 9 rebounds and blocked 3 shots in a win on Saturday...

Check out the high school forum for more......

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

12/10/05

NCAA delays Ohio St. hearing
Conley Sr. says his son, Oden aren't surprised or worried about development

By Jeff Rabjohns
[email protected]

The NCAA hearing that could affect Greg Oden's commitment to Ohio State was postponed Friday and may not resume until late January.

The NCAA committee on infractions was scheduled to meet Friday and today to determine possible penalties for violations committed under former men's basketball coach Jim O'Brien. If the penalties include a ban for the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Ohio State has promised to release its high school recruits from their letters of intent.

The Buckeyes' recruiting class, considered one of the best in the nation, includes Oden and Lawrence North teammate Mike Conley, both of whom signed letters of intent Nov. 9.

The postponement came after both sides in the case presented arguments. No reason was given. NCAA spokesman Kent Barrett said it had "nothing to do with the case or arguments."

The situation was complicated Wednesday by court filings in regard to O'Brien's lawsuit against Ohio State. Though that's a separate matter outside NCAA purview, subpoenas were filed for four members of the NCAA, including one of the directors of enforcement, requesting they give depositions at 4 p.m. Friday or one hour after the NCAA hearing on Ohio State finished.

Barrett declined to comment when asked if the delay was related to the subpoenas. He said the hearing probably won't be rescheduled before late January.

If Oden and Conley exercise the escape clause, they wouldn't be able to sign with another school until the late signing period (April 12-May 17). Because many of the top schools will likely have filled their scholarships, the players' options could be increasingly limited should the hearing and possible appeals drag deep into spring.

Mike Conley Sr., who has coached Oden for years in summer basketball and remains an adviser, said Friday's delay wasn't a complete surprise, and "it doesn't make Mike or Greg or ourselves or his parents move or anything. I imagine it's tough on the kids already at Ohio State."

Ohio State issued a self-imposed postseason ban, in addition to other penalties, last year, but the hearings will determine if coach Thad Matta's team is eligible this season.

In related news:

Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar shooting guard Daequan Cook, also in the Buckeyes' 2006 recruiting class, was diagnosed with a mild concussion after he was elbowed in Thursday's 69-54 loss to Lawrence North at Hinkle Fieldhouse, his coach said.

"He was back to the hotel by 1 (a.m.)," coach Peter Pullen said. "All X-rays were negative."

Rashid Ghazi of Paragon Marketing, the firm that arranged the ESPN2-televised game, said he didn't know if the company lost money due to the snowstorm, which limited the crowd at Hinkle to 600.

He said it didn't dampen his desire to put high school games on TV. The next local game on ESPN2 is Lawrence North at North Central on Jan. 19.
"I think that will be one of the best games we do," Ghazi said. "It'll be in a high school gym, a great rivalry that will really showcase Indiana high school basketball."

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

Copyright 2005 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved

 

[HilmerJ]

Greg Oden Interview

from the game vs Dunbar

Oden

and this is from halftime of the game

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

12/11/05

December 10, 2005

Lawrence North's Oden sidelined

By Jeff Rabjohns
[email protected]

Because of a swollen jaw, Greg Oden is not expected to play tonight for Lawrence North High School in its home basketball game against Fort Wayne Snider. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The 7-foot center suffered a small cut near his mouth in a collision during Thursday's victory over Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar. Since then, he has experienced swelling and soreness in the jaw.

The reigning national high school player of the year is expected back for Wednesday's home game against Arlington.

Oden is averaging 21.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.4 blocked shots for the state's top-ranked team in Class 4A. He had 23 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocked shots in the Wildcats' 69-54 victory over Dunbar Thursday on ESPN2.

Lawrence North beat Fort Wayne Snider 71-61 last year.