Oden: I'm out for awhile
By Mark Ambrogi
[email protected]
HUNTINGTON, Ind. -- Greg Oden said Thursday night he will likely miss the start of Ohio State's basketball season. Oden had surgery on his right wrist Friday.
"It's going to be awhile (to recover)," Oden said. "It's going to go into the start of the season."
Asked if he would be back by December, Oden said, "Something like that."
Although the 7-foot former Lawrence North center said the recovery will take longer than he expected, he added, "I'm just looking in the long run."
Oden, The Star's Indiana Mr. Basketball, was at the All-Stars' exhibition with the Juniors. He couldn't sign autographs because of the injury but posed for pictures.
"Right now, I haven't taken my medicine (Thursday), so it's a little painful right now," he said.
Inside Dish: Oden preparing for return from wrist surgery
Posted: June 25, 2006
Incoming Ohio State C Greg Oden, who is recovering from wrist surgery, almost certainly will be unable to participate but will be welcome at the U.S. senior men's team practices next month in Las Vegas. Buckeyes coaches, in fact, want him to attend. The timing of Oden's return to health will be uncertain until his cast is removed and he undergoes a follow-up MRI, but in the meantime, he can run, lift weights and work on shooting with his opposite hand. "We're going to get him one heck of a left hand," coach Thad Matta says. . . .
Indiana Mr. Basketball Greg Oden (right) poses for a picture with ballboy Alex Easley at an autograph session during Thursday's exhibition game between the Indiana All-Stars and junior stars at North Arena. / Photo by Andrew Hancock
Oden anxious to play again
By PAUL SIEGFRIED Sports Editor
Greg Oden doesn't mind answering the question for what must be the millionth time.
"How's the wrist?" he's asked, as the 7-foot All-American with the cast covering his right arm tries to sign autographs with his left.
Oden, Indiana Mr. Basketball and two-time national high school player of the year, injured his wrist late in the season as Lawrence North powered to its third straight Class 4A state championship. Although he played in the McDonald's All-America game, the injury ultimately required surgery, which he had last Friday, keeping him out of the All-Star games, including Thursday’s exhibition contest against the Indiana junior team at North Arena.
"It's all right. It's a little sore," said Oden, looking down at his entire right forearm in a cast supported by a sling. "I'm very disappointed not to be playing. This is a big thing. I'd like to be playing with this group of guys, because they're great guys. I'm just happy to be here to watch."
Oden joined his teammates at a game for the first time Thursday in the month-long All-Star event, which included two previous exhibitions and last Saturday’s opening game against the Kentucky All-Stars in Bowling Green, Ky.
The right-handed signed a few autographs with his left hand. The young fans did not seem to mind whether the signature was legible or not, and Oden felt he should at least try to give the signing a go.
"You just have to be a nice person. It's never bad to sign autographs or talk to kids. Kids are cool," he said.
Even though he's not playing in the Indiana All-Star series, Oden is a larger-than-life presence. The arena began to buzz when he arrived in the gym, and immediately had children milling about him like butterflies flitting around a mighty oak tree.
But Oden has long gotten used to being the center of attention.
"I get more comfortable with it. I kind of enjoy it. It comes with the territory," he said. "You just have to be yourself."
Oden and Lawrence North and All-Star teammate Mike Conley are both headed to Ohio State and both are in summer school classes. But Oden said his injury will delay his debut for coach Thad Matta's Buckeyes.
"It'll be a while. It's going to go into the season," he said.
Oden also knows NBA riches are waiting for him down the road. Had NCAA rules not changed and Oden had been allowed to enter the NBA Draft, he likely would have been the league's top pick.
But right now, his injury has forced him to be more introspective.
"I've just got to handle this first," he said. "I'm looking to the long future, so I've got to handle this right now. When I can play, I'll play and hope for the best, but I've got to look for the long run."
He said he enjoys being a college student and the time when he can get back on the court.
"I'm looking forward to being with the guys 100 percent," he said. "I'm with them, but I can't work out with them, I can't play open gym with them. I'm on the sidelines. I've been going to school and I've enjoyed it so far, but when we walk to class I walk ahead of them because they can't walk as fast because they just did a workout and their all tired."
Thanks to Conley, Indiana Doesn't Miss Greg Oden
Mike Conley made all his Indiana All-Star teammates look good, even without Mr. Basketball Greg Oden in the lineup.
With the 7-foot Greg Oden watching from the bench, his right wrist in a cast from recent surgery, DeJovaun Sawyer-Davis scored 14 points and Conley had 14 assists as Indiana posted a 94-66 win over Kentucky to sweep the annual two-game series.
"I was trying to be a leader," Conley said. "Without Greg down low, we lost a big inside presence and a lot of offensive scoring, so I felt like I had to get everybody involved and comfortable in their position, and I felt like I did that."
Overshadowed by Greg Oden on Lawrence North's three straight Indiana Class 4A championship teams, Conley reinforced his credentials with 11 points, six rebounds and two steals, while controlling the tempo of the game whenever he was on the court. He was named the game's Most Valuable Player/
"When Mike is running the show and has the ball in his hands and DeJovaun is on the floor, we just have stability," Indiana coach Chris Benedict said. "They do a tremendous job of communicating with all of the other players. They kept everybody in tune to what was going on, and just got us in a situation where we could do the things and play to our strengths and try to stay away from our weaknesses."
The 6-1 Conley, who will remain Greg Oden's teammate next season at Ohio State, had assists on six of Indiana's first 10 baskets, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Cole Holmstron and Vaughn Duggins for a 22-11 lead. With Conley on the bench, Kentucky closed to within 28-27 on a 3-pointer by Joshua Mack, but Conley returned and led a 22-4 run that put the game out of reach.
"I'm really not impressed," Greg Oden said. "I know he can do it whenever he wants to, even when I'm out there on the floor. Sometimes I'm mad at him when he doesn't take over."
Conley hit a 3-pointer and a reverse layup and assisted on two other baskets by Sawyer-Davis during that decisive run. Two free throws by Sawyer-Davis with 10 seconds left in the first half gave Indiana a 43-31 lead at the break.
The Hoosiers completed their streak by scoring the first seven points of the second half, including a fast-break layup by Conley and a 3-pointer by Andrew Warren off another assist by Conley. Kentucky could get no closer than 16 points.
Indiana built the lead to 26 points midway through the period and 28 in the final seconds.
"It was pretty obvious we didn't shoot well," Kentucky coach Tim Riley said of his team's 34 percent effort. "We had to shoot it really, really well to have any kind of hope and prayer against these guys."
Brandon Hopf of Forest Park did not score for Indiana, going 0-for-4 from the field.
Indiana improved its series lead to 77-41.
