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

[bucknut11]

Oden and Wells on SI.com

The future stars


A pair of Buckeyes who are worthy of the hype

By SchoolSports.com
Greg Oden

Here's a piece of advice: Save this photo of Greg Oden. And not just because the Lawrence North (Indianapolis) senior is going to be the best center in the NBA someday, but because this is a view of him most people aren't likely to get. After all, there aren't many chances to look down on a 7-footer who towers over the competition -- both literally and metaphorically. Unless you've been living in a cave the past few years, chances are you know the deal with Oden by now: game-changing shot-swatter, glass-cleaning rebounder and rim-rattling dunker who'll be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft whenever he decides to conclude his college career at Ohio State. And the scary part is, he still has room for improvement. Guess the future really is looking up for Oden.
Chris Wells

Big Ten football is all about power. Strong running games are the norm in the conference, and the soft need not apply. So it shouldn't be any surprise that Garfield (Akron, Ohio) running back Chris Wells signed with Ohio State, where he'll join Oden as a freshman stud next year. The 6-foot-2, 228-pound Wells, who is rated the nation's top running back in the class of 2006 by SchoolSports.com, packs a tremendous combo of power and speed. As a senior he ran for 2,134 yards and 27 touchdowns and was named MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. With Wells and stud tailback Antonio Pittman, Ohio State could have its own version of "Thunder and Lightning," a la USC's Reggie Bush and LenDale White. Bush and White accounted for a Heisman and two national titles in college -- and the future could hold the same for Wells and the Buckeyes.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

6/7/06

Tickets on sale for All-Star exhibition games



Tickets are on sale at Huntington North High School for the June 22 exhibition doubleheader between the Indiana All-Star teams and the Junior All-Stars at North Arena.

General admission tickets are $6 for the event, which begin at 6 p.m. with the girls’ contest and follows with the boys’ game at 8 p.m. Tickets are available in the HNHS main office or the athletic office. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The boys' game will feature Huntington North's Chris Kramer on the senior Indiana All-Stars, as well as Mr. Basketball and national high school player of the year Greg Oden of three-time state champion Lawrence North.

The seniors and juniors will also play exhibition games June 14 at Forest Park High School and June 20 at Valparaiso University.

The senior Indiana All-Star team will face Kentucky in the annual two-game series beginning June 17 at Bowling Green, Ky., and June 24 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

 

[BuckWrestler141]

I had a question about those ''All-Star' games. Won't Oden have already attended OSU's campus, if so, how is he allowed to play in the game?

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

6/9/06

All-Stars know drill: Go to Oden, Conley

By Steve Herman

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana’s game plan is simple: Get the basketball inside to Greg Oden. Or, if he’s covered, which may take two or three Kentucky players to do effectively, get the ball back out to Mike Conley.

It’s a combination that carried Lawrence North to three straight Class 4A championships and one the Indiana All-Stars will try to exploit in their annual series this month against the top high school players from neighboring Kentucky.

No one has figured out a way to stop them yet.

“Obviously, it’s going to go through them,” Indiana All-Star coach Chris Benedict of Columbia City said. “Mike’s got the ball in his hands, and Greg goes inside, so it’s just a good 1-2 punch to go with.”

The 7-foot Oden, the national high school player of the year and Indiana’s Mr. Basketball, shot an incredible 74 percent from the field and averaged 22 points and 10.5 rebounds a game last season, when Lawrence North finished unbeaten with a record-tying 45th straight victory.

The 6-1 Conley, who will remain Oden’s teammate next season as freshmen at Ohio State, averaged 16.3 points and 4.1 assists a game.

“It’s a dream to every kid that ever thought of playing basketball to be an Indiana All-Star,” said Vaughn Duggins of Pendleton Heights. “It’s a dream come true to play with that kind of talent. Greg and Mike are going to make us all look good.”

The first boys and girls All-Star games will be in Bowling Green, Ky., on June 17; the rematches will be in Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 24.

Benedict, whose Columbia City team lost to coach Jack Keefer’s Lawrence North team in the 4A championship game in 2004, said despite the talent of Oden and Conley, their first concern is to make their team successful.

“I just have the utmost respect the way they went about this run they’ve had. They go about it the right way, play the game the right way, play within the framework of what coach Keefer wanted them to do.”

The Indiana team also includes Notre Dame recruit Luke Harangody of Andrean, Purdue recruit Chris Kramer of Huntington North, Virginia-bound Jamil Tucker of Gary West and Indiana State recruit Cole Holmstrom of Bloomington South. Curtis White, whose No. 2-ranked Indianapolis Pike lost to Lawrence North three times last season, also is on the Indiana squad.

The others are Grant Leiendecker of Homestead, Andrew Warren of Indianapolis Brebeuf, DeJovaun Sawyer-Davis of Anderson, Antonio Ballard of Jeffersonville and Brandon Hopf of 2A champion Forest Park.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

6/12/06

RICHARD TORRES: Oden the big draw even when he doesn’t play


KNIGHTSTOWN — More often than not, Greg Oden’s seven-foot silhouette is enough to dwarf the tallest of adversaries. At the Historic Hoosier Gym, Oden was nothing more than a humbled tourist merely posing as a hardwood enforcer.

A three-time Indiana basketball Class 4A state champion at Lawrence North High School and a giant in the infinite lore of Hoosier Hysteria, the prep star stood before a capacity crowd on Friday night during The Hoosiers Reunion All-Star Classic about as menacing as Ollie on stilts.

“Thank you all for coming here tonight to watch these all-stars play,” Oden said over a loudspeaker after an announcement was made confirming his sidelining due to an injured wrist. “I’m sorry I can’t play, but my shorts are too small.”

A better question would be, what isn’t?

A no-brainer first-round draft lottery pick — minus that pesky NBA age-limitation rule — Oden might be the biggest thing to hit the court since Air Jordans, but he sure isn’t one to boast even if he’s arguably the greatest player this state’s ever seen.

“Yeah maybe, but I don’t really think I am anyway,” a notion Oden modestly downplays. “It’s just an honor to be part of the history.”

Don’t kid yourself, Mr. Basketball. Go ahead and gloat, you’ve earned it.

But he won’t. It’s not in his character, despite national acclaim and ESPN spotlights.

The main attraction on North Washington Street in downtown Knightstown even while his Indiana All-Star teammates swarmed the Hickory Huskers home floor Friday evening, Oden couldn’t turn a corner without someone strategically placing themselves in his path.

Programs and pens lunged in front of his face, cameras prepped with flashes on stand-by, the National High School Player of the Year never refused an extended hand, an interview request and especially a child’s doe-eyed stare.

Bigger than life, but down to earth. Oden is everyone’s best friend. Just another 18-year-old kid going on fiftysomething, who loves Zebra Cakes, but isn’t impervious to a few adolescent relapses.

“He’s like that around us. He’s just soft-spoken around (the media),” Indiana All-Star Vaughn Duggins said. “But he’s a little jokester. He’s funny.”
Little? Imagine that.

Playfully clashing with a Shooter look-a-like, who wandered onto the gym floor late in the second half as Hickory faced a deficit against Terhune, Oden let his inner child breathe by bouncing the intruder, stirring laughter in the stands.

“He’s safe!,” the actor screamed at the officials while waving his hands belligerently. “You’re blind.”

Thump. Oh, hello Mr. Oden. Hi, Maplewood floor.

“That was a lot of fun,” the Ohio State Buckeye recruit said afterward. “I met him in the back beforehand. He’s a good actor.”

So is Oden, but not at being like Mike or anybody else. He’s just plain old Greg Oden. An All-American role model who digs watching Dwight Howard on TV and can’t help having fun on his way toward shaking hands with David Stern in a few years.

Of course, there’s the matter of the Kentucky All-Stars. Something tells me the joke is on them.


Staff writer Richard Torres can be reached at richard.torres@
heraldbulletin.com.

 

[BuckWrestler141]

“Thank you all for coming here tonight to watch these all-stars play,” Oden said over a loudspeaker after an announcement was made confirming his sidelining due to an injured wrist. “I’m sorry I can’t play, but my shorts are too small.”

Nice article although that part kind of suprised me. I'm sure it's nothing big, although any additional info on the 'injury' would be comforting.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Nice article although that part kind of suprised me. I'm sure it's nothing big, although any additional info on the 'injury' would be comforting.

If this is the same injury he sustained in his last high school game earlier this year and then aggrevated in the Mcdonald's game, well I would assume it is more than a sprain at this point.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

IndyStar

6/13/06

indianapolis star high school
Athletes of the year

Two national Players of the Year are among those recognized as area high school Athletes of the Year.

Lawrence North's Greg Oden, a two-time national boys basketball Player of the Year, and Ben Davis' Lauren Cheney, last fall's national girls soccer Player of the Year, are winners in two of six categories recognized annually by The Star.

Others honored include Todd Leone and Beth Reed, both of Bishop Chatard, Greenwood's A.J. Edds and Martinsville's Jessica Breeden.

As a group, the sextet has been a part of seven team state titles -- Oden with three in basketball, Breeden with two in softball and one in volleyball, and Leone, one in football. In addition, Leone was part of a state record-setting relay in track.

Presented since 1950, these are athletic awards first and foremost, but academics and citizenship may be taken into consideration by a panel of the newspaper's high school sports writers when reviewing nominations from schools in the metropolitan area.

Candidates must be graduating seniors, and multisport athletes generally are given priority over single-sport athletes. However, there have been cases, such as Oden this year, when a single-sport athlete is so dominant that he or she was selected.

 

[hoopsfan]

Nice article although that part kind of suprised me. I'm sure it's nothing big, although any additional info on the 'injury' would be comforting.

I can assure you it is definitely nothing major -- he had a slight stress fracture and sprain from dunking in the Indiana state finals and tweaked it at the McDonalds' game. His not playing in this game was more precautionary -- he doesn't want to tweak it before the Olympic team camp in August.

FYI - for those who don't know, Greg is a close personal friend of my family. I try to provide useful insider info on here when I think it is pertinent.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

he had a slight stress fracture and sprain

Thanks for the insight, as always.....doesn't seem like anything to worry about.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

6/14/06

Oden looks forward to freshman year at Ohio State

Greg Oden


Mr. Basketball hasn't worked out this week with the Indiana All-Stars. Greg Oden had an MRI on his wrist Tuesday. He re-injured it in the McDonald's All Star game. There is no word yet on how severe the injury is or if he can play the All Star game this Saturday.

Meanwhile, Oden is anticipating his freshman year at Ohio State.
"I'm a little nervous. Mike keeps on telling me not to take the math placement test. He said it was hard. But I gotta do it, so I'm a little nervous," he joked.

"But I'm ready for it. I'm ready for a change. My mom - she's kind of sad, but I'm ready. Being in a college atmosphere and seeing all the other people - and Ohio State is a big campus. It'll be a lot of fun to meet new people and start all over and become a young man. It's gonna be a lot of fun. I'm gonna miss you, Mom!"

Dispatch

6/14/06

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
OSU recruit Oden to miss upcoming all - star games



Ohio State recruit Greg Oden will skip the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star games the next two weekends because of an injured wrist.

Oden, the 7-foot two-time national highschool player of the year from Lawrence North, tore a ligament in his right wrist during in early March but played through the injury as Lawrence North won its third straight Class 4A state championship.

"My wrist isn’t ready yet," Oden told The Indianapolis Star. "I’m extremely disappointed, but I have to take care of myself and my body for the long run."

A magnetic resonance imaging yesterday showed the injury had not healed.

IndyStar

6/14/06

Indiana All-Stars lose Oden
Mr. Basketball will miss home-and-home series against Kentucky with torn ligament in wrist

Indianapolis Star Indiana Mr. Basketball Greg Oden will not play for the Indiana All-Stars.

Oden, the 7-foot senior and two-time national high school Player of the Year from Lawrence North, on Tuesday was ruled out of the annual home-and-home series against Kentucky because of a torn ligament in his right wrist.

"My wrist isn't ready yet," Oden said by telephone from the All-Stars' training camp in Greencastle.

"I'm extremely disappointed, but I have to take care of myself and my body for the long run."
Oden initially injured his wrist during the high school sectional tournament in early March but persevered to help the Wildcats win a third consecutive Class 4A state championship; he totaled 26 points and 11 rebounds in an 80-56 victory over Muncie Central in the March 26 title game.

He then played in two national all-star games, the McDonald's All-American Game on March 29 in San Diego and the Roundball Classic on April 9 in Chicago.

"I've known I had a torn ligament since right after the Roundball Classic," Oden said. "After that, it was in a splint for two weeks, and I was hoping that I would be back (for the Indiana All-Star events)."

Another visit to the doctor and follow-up MRI on Tuesday showed the injury had not healed. Oden said he was not given a timetable for returning to action.

Despite his inability to play, Oden plans on attending both games against Kentucky and two of the three exhibitions against the Junior All-Stars, including today's tuneup at Forest Park High School. He will not be at Tuesday's exhibition in Valparaiso because he begins summer school at Ohio State on Monday and has an early class two days after that.

Oden's high school and Ohio State teammate Mike Conley also is enrolled in summer-school classes that begin Monday, but Conley is expected to play in all the All-Star events, game director Pat Aikman said.

A Mr. Basketball's absence from All-Star action because of injury is not unprecedented. In 1970, Carmel's David Shepherd missed the opener at Louisville with a knee injury. He shot just two free throws (making both) in the second game in Indianapolis.

"Everyone was looking forward to playing with Greg, but they're more disappointed for Greg than they are to not play with him," All-Star coach Chris Benedict of Columbia City said of the team's reaction to the news. "It's an unfortunate situation that he can't control. He's a good, humble kid."

Call Star reporter Pat McKee at (317) 444-6182.

Copyright 2006 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

IndyStar

6/15/06

Oden weighing options for wrist

National Player of the Year has torn ligament; experts say surgery is common

Greg Oden said Wednesday night he doesn't yet know whether he'll need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist.

But one of the area's leading rehabilitation experts, who has worked extensively with Oden, as well as a top surgeon in hand-related orthopedics, said surgery is normal for this type of injury.

Both also said such surgeries have a high success rate, sometimes returning athletes to full strength in as little as four to six weeks. For other athletes, they said, it takes longer.

The day after revealing the injury will keep him out of the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star series, Oden, the national high school Player of the Year from Lawrence North, said he will discuss the situation with his mom and Ohio State coach Thad Matta, for whom he will play in the fall, before picking a course of action.

"Probably us three will come to a decision and decide what's best for me," said Oden, who was in Ferdinand for a Junior-Senior exhibition game.

The Indianapolis Star Indiana Mr. Basketball was told by doctors Tuesday that the ligament, initially injured Feb. 28, hadn't healed simply with rest.

"They told me it's torn still, and they think there's something they want to do with it," Oden said.

Privacy laws prevent Oden's doctors at the Indiana Hand Center from discussing his condition.

Ralph Reiff, director of St. Vincent Sports Medicine who has worked with Oden's post-high school training, wouldn't comment on his situation specifically. But in general terms, he said "nothing is absolute, but if there is a ligament tear in the wrist, surgery is typically the best option if the ligament tear is to the point there is an unstable wrist."

Reiff said he has seen athletes return to action as quickly as four weeks.

Dr. Pedro Beredjiklian, a hand specialist with the University of Pennsylvania who is not familiar with Oden's case, said both partial and complete ligament tears in the wrist normally require surgery (it has not been revealed whether Oden's tear is partial or full). He said recovery time can range from six weeks to several months, but expected someone of Oden's age to make a full recovery.

Regardless of whether Oden has surgery, it is uncertain when he can play basketball again.

Oden starts summer school at Ohio State on Monday. Basketball players use that time to play together, even though coaches are not allowed to run organized practices. The NCAA allows Division I college basketball teams to begin structured individual workouts Sept. 15. The first day of practice is Oct. 13. Ohio State has not released the date of its first game.

Matta could not be reached for comment. Assistant coach Dan Peters said, "We're kind of waiting to see what the doctors say."

Also in question is Oden's participation with the U.S. national team. The team, from which the 2008 Olympic team will be selected, is scheduled to practice July 19-25 in Las Vegas. Oden was the only high school player invited.

Oden hasn't played since the Roundball Classic, an all-star game in Chicago, on April 9. He played six high school games and one other all-star game after falling on the wrist Feb. 28 in the sectional against Arlington.

Oden's injury is to the scapholunate ligament, which Beredjiklian described as "the main mechanical stabilizer of the wrist." Beredjiklian said a partial tear often is treated with arthroscopic surgery, which is clearing out the frayed portions.

"If in fact it is a complete tear, it has to be repaired," he said. "What we do is reattach it to the bone it was ripped off from."

Recovery from arthroscopic surgery commonly means having the wrist immobilized for six weeks. Recovery from reconstructive surgery often means immobilization in a cast for 10-12 weeks and can include the insertion of pins, followed by physical therapy.

Beredjiklian said Oden's injury sounded similar to the one suffered in 1998 by NBA star Patrick Ewing, who was sidelined for 41/2 months but returned to the New York Knicks.

Oden said his first visit to a doctor for the wrist came after the Roundball Classic. Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said Oden had an X-ray taken after the Arlington game.

"Nothing showed up on the X-ray, then after the All-American game and the Roundball game, it still bothered him and at that point, he went to a hand specialist," Keefer said. "At that point, it wasn't something our trainers were involved with. Ohio State at that point pretty much took over."

 

[hoopsfan]

Greg in fact just found out this week that the wrist had a slight tear -- and it is a very slight one. He doesn't think surgery will be needed, but there is always that possibility. As slight as the tear is, he shouldn't be out any longer than 4 weeks even if he does have surgery. His hope is for it to heal on its own well enough by the time he goes to the Olympic camp.

 

[BB73]

He's getting surgery on the wrist Friday, per the Ozone:


theozone

Men's Basketball: OSU prize basketball signee Greg Oden will undergo surgery to repair ligament damage to his wrist. Oden's prognosis is excellent and no permanent complications are expected from the injury.
"Greg Oden is having surgery on his wrist (Friday)," OSU Head Coach Thad Matta said. "We look forward to getting Greg to The Ohio State University for summer school Monday and starting his rehab process to get him back as quickly as possible."

​

 

[jwinslow]

Actually the bad news is for his opponents... their chances in the paint were only 'mostly dead' before (ie McD's AA game).

Here's to hoping Greg makes a speedy recovery. How does this affect his olympic team plans?