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Oden waiting to get cleared for practice
Jeff Goodman / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 3 hours ago
All the talk centers around the defending national champion Florida Gators and even the young, talented North Carolina Tar Heels.
On his own campus, the focus has squarely been on the football team and its quest for the national championship. That will change quickly once Greg Oden takes the court in Columbus.
The target date for Greg Oden's return from a wrist injury (and his Ohio State debut) is Jan. 2 vs. Indiana. (Brian Bahr / Getty Images)
While Ohio State got past Michigan last weekend in a game that determined who had the inside track to the national championship, Oden continues to play the waiting game on his wrist to determine whether the Buckeyes have a legitimate shot for the twin bill.
Oden, who comes into college with a reputation unmatched by a collegiate basketball player in the last decade or so, had major surgery on his right wrist in the summer.
Last Thursday marked one month to the day that Oden had the screw taken out of his wrist. Now it's just a wait and see deal for how quickly the bone fills in where the screw came out.
For now, it's just light shooting drills and mostly watching for Oden, who could make as much impact in 15 or so games than most college players do in their four-year careers.
Thad Matta's club has won its first five games and claimed the BCA title with a resounding victory against one of the nation's better mid-major clubs: Kent State.
"We're small without him," Matta said. "But we're getting better every day."
They did it without the future No. 1 pick in the land.
"It's definitely harder to play without him because he erases a lot of mistakes," said Buckeyes freshman Mike Conley Jr., who has been Oden's teammate in high school and in the summer. "But we've come together and we're doing OK without him."
"But I'm happy he's coming back soon," Conley added.
How soon? No one knows for certain, but it's almost a guarantee he won't be going up against UNC big man Tyler Hansbrough in Chapel Hill on Nov. 29. There's a chance Oden could play against Florida's Joakim Noah on Dec. 23 in Gainesville, but the target date for his return is Jan. 2 against Indiana.
Oden hasn't been cleared for full-contact workouts.
"We just don't know when he's coming back or when he's going to be 100 percent," Matta said. "When will he get full motion in his wrist back and when will he get his shooting touch back? We're not sure."
"Greg's so flexible that everything could come back a little quicker and that's what we're hoping," Matta added.
So, maybe that matchup with Noah and the defending national champs isn't out of the question?
Oden's teammates haven't had much difficulty picking up the slack so far. Ron Lewis is averaging 17.2 points and is shooting a sizzling 48 percent from long distance. Jamar Butler has moved to shooting guard this year to allow Conley, a poised and pass-first natural floor leader, to start at the point guard spot. Conley is averaging 9.8 points 6.6 assists and just over 2 turnovers per game in his first five college games, but he's not the only newcomer to make an instant impact.
Daequan Cook, a summer teammate of Oden and Conley's for the last few years, leads the team in scoring at 18 points per contest. He's also shooting the ball well from long range, making 9-of-20 shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
Othello Hunter, an unknown junior college kid who grew up in North Carolina, has taken Oden's spot in the lineup and responded, averaging 8.8 points, 7.6 boards and 2 blocks thus far.
"He's stepped up ? a lot," Conley said of Hunter. "No one knew anything about him, but he's going to be a really big part of the team. He controls the boards and holds things together down low."
Once Oden returns, that'll change.
The mild-mannered big man, who has drawn comparisons to nearly every NBA center who has enjoyed success other than Shaq (his body build is more like Alonzo Mourning's), could lead the Buckeyes to the national title on the hardwood ? if he's healthy.
His attitude has changed lately and the hunger that his coach and best friend have seen of late could spell more trouble for opponents in college than it did back in high school when Oden appeared to take pity on some of his victims.
"He was really down for a stretch, but now his spirit has been elevated after sitting and watching three games in three days," Matta said. "He realizes he's not that far away and how much he wants to get out there."
"He's definitely got a little more pep in his step lately," Conley added. "He's smiling a lot more and laughing. You can tell that he's getting closer to coming back. He's just waiting to get back on the floor."
It's just a matter of when.
as a reaction to how much he's been working on that left hand and how good he must be with it now. defending the post is largely about putting the weight on the player so that he has to open to his weak side. as if oden was unstoppable before...
for the hell of it. :)
