Lawrence North Wildcats (Indianapolis, IN)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

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12/2/05

December 2, 2005

sports in brief

Lawrence North No. 1

The Lawrence North High School boys' basketball team has been ranked No. 1 in the country by Sports Illustrated, and the magazine will list Greg Oden as "One of Five More Players to Watch" in this week's issue.

"We're thrilled that people think we are that caliber of ball team," coach Jack Keefer said in a statement. "This is a new team. We have new players, and time will tell if we are worthy of such a ranking. Our strengths are defense and rebounding, and that's a good start, but we need to keep advancing and bring this team along. I think we have beefed up our schedule to where we will be able to determine if we are really a team that is of that ranking."

Lawrence North will face No. 7 Glenbrook (Ill.) North on Feb. 11 at Northwestern University's Welsh-Ryan Arena.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

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12/2/05

Terre Haute South at Lawrence North

Terre Haute South at Mooresville

The action - Terre Haute South's Braves (0-1, 0-0) travel to northeastern Marion County today to face Lawrence North's Wildcats (2-0, 0-0), the top-ranked team in the state and two-time defending Class 5A state champions, in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference openers for both teams. On Saturday, the Braves travel to Mooresville to face the Pioneers (0-2 heading into tonight's game with Martinsville).

The time - Both varsity tipoffs are approximately 7:30 p.m.

The airwaves - No local broadcasts are scheduled.

The coaches - Mike Saylor is 22-7 in his second season at South. Jack Keefer is 495-201 in his 30th year at Lawrence North and 556-227 in his 34th season overall. Bob Carter is 19-25 in his third season at Mooresville and 45-44 in his fifth season overall.

Probable starting lineups - For South, two five-player platoons featuring 6-3 senior Austin Bell, 6-5 junior Ben Bertoli, 5-11 junior Michael Engle, 6-4 senior Kyle Harruff, 5-8 sophomore Koby Kraemer, 6-5 senior Alex Royce, 6-1 senior Jay Smith, 5-10 senior Travis Smith, 6-1 senior Kyle Toney and 5-9 junior Cole Vicars.

For Lawrence North, 6-4 junior Daiman Windham and 6-0 junior Q.Owen at forward, 7-0 senior Greg Oden at center and 6-1 senior Mike Conley and 6-3 senior Brandon McDonald at guard.

For Mooresville, 6-6 senior Chris Hawkins and 6-2 senior Tyler Davis at forwards, 6-6 senior Adam Lawson at center, 6-0 sophomore Trent Mossbrucker and 5-10 senior Justin Skeens at guard.

Key reserves - For South, 6-3 sophomore Christian Barnett, 5-11 junior Greg Ighily, 6-0 sophomore Quinton Towles.

For Lawrence North, 5-11 senior Evar Jones, 6-6 freshman Chris Read, 6-8 freshman Steven VanTreese, 6-4 junior Wesley Smith.

For Mooresville, 6-6 senior Steve Watkins, 6-1 junior Sean Walton.

Team leaders - Vicars, Harruff and Travis Smith return from the regular rotation of South's semistate runners-up a year ago; Vicars scored 11 points and Jay Smith 10 in the season opener last week. Oden is generally regarded as the No. 1 high school player in the country and Conley, his fellow Ohio State signee, is among the nation's top point guards. Mossbrucker, averaging 13.5 points per game so far, and Davis are the only returning regulars for the Pioneers.

Recent games - South lost 81-49 to Brownsburg in its season opener. Lawrence North has beaten Lawrence Central 62-33 and Brebeuf 72-49. Mooresville lost to Decatur Central 60-42 and fifth-ranked Anderson 83-49.

Last meeting - South lost 71-52 to Lawrence North for the semistate championship in March. Oden had 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists and Conley 17 points, eight assists and three steals for the eventual state champions, who led 30-11 and 34-19 at the half - South's Armon Bassett having scored all the Braves' points by that time. South cut the lead to 52-44 and missed a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats responded with a game-clinching 14-0 run. Bassett finished with 29 points for South. In the regular-season game last December, Lawrence North pulled away from a 28-28 tie after three quarters to win 52-40.

Saylor got his first win as South's head coach against Mooresville last year, a 67-41 decision in which Bassett had 13 points and six assists and Vicars scored 10. Josh Jones had nine points to lead the Pioneers, who scored just 22 points in the first three quarters.

Coaches' quotes - Saylor on the Braves: “Our shot selection has got to get better, and our defensive awareness has got to get better. We had some very poor decision-making [against Brownsburg].”

Keefer on the Wildcats: “We've been doing better. I felt we weren't playing intense enough [against Lawrence Central], but we did a better job last game.”

Saylor on the Wildcats: “Are they No. 1 in the country? Their national ranking speaks for itself. They've won two straight championships, they have the No. 1 point guard and the No. 1 center in America - we're potentially facing the greatest high school team in Indiana history.”

Keefer on the Braves: “If [South's 3-point shots] go in, it'll be a long night for me. They keep ‘em going, and hopefully we can keep up with them.”

Carter on the Pioneers: “On paper, we're senior-loaded, but they're not seniors with varsity experience. We've been on the road, against two very good basketball teams, and some of our weaknesses - like turnovers and giving up offensive rebounds - have been highlighted.”

Saylor on the Pioneers: “Bob Carter always has them tremendously prepared and playing a style that fits their personnel. They're always a very tough, competitive group, usually filled with multi-sport athletes, and it's always tough playing over there.”

Carter on the Braves: “I'm familiar with some of the players they've got, but right now we're really concerned about ourselves. We just have to worry about our own execution Š and we're going to see [defensive] pressure until we prove we can handle pressure.”

- Compiled by Prep Sports Editor Andy Amey

Story created Dec 02, 2005 - 08:45:32 CST.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

next thursday they are on espn against dunbar iirc.

 

[themongoose32]

Me and my friends will be at the game on thursday against dunbar because its at butler's hinkle fieldhouse. It will be exciting to see him play again. Last time i watched him I didn't know anything about him and wasn't really watching him. This time we will get to see all the buckeyes out on the court.

The Mongoose

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

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12/3/05

Lawrence North 74, Terre Haute South 45

No. 1 Wildcats turn up the pace in victory
Visiting Braves' bid to slow the tempo backfires during Lawrence North's torrid 2nd quarter

Not even Terre Haute South's early slowdown tactics could slow Lawrence North's boys basketball team Friday.

The Class 4A No. 1 Wildcats (3-0) used a flawless second quarter to break out to a 23-point lead on the visiting Braves and cruised from there, winning their Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference opener 74-45.

The Braves (0-2) used a patient attack to keep the score close in the first quarter, holding the ball for more than two minutes on one possession and 97 seconds on another. Lawrence North led just 10-5 after one quarter but then turned up the defensive pressure, forcing three turnovers and a missed shot during a 13-0 run that spanned 4:49 and left the Wildcats leading 23-5. Lawrence North had three steals during its run, when six Wildcats scored.

"We may not be as tall as we'd like to be, and we may not be some other things we'd like to be, but we are quick," Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said. "We like to use our quickness as our strength, and that's defense. We had to get out on them to speed the game up."

Even with a third-quarter flurry that saw the Braves hit five 3-pointers, Lawrence North never allowed the visitors to get closer than 18 points in the second half.

Wildcats center Greg Oden scored eight of his team-high 20 points in the third quarter. He finished with nine field goals in 11 attempts, grabbed five rebounds and passed out two assists.

The Wildcats had 14 assists on 31 baskets and shot 63 percent from the floor.

Guard Mike Conley had a game-high five assists to go with his 14 points and three steals. Eight other Wildcats scored.

"Our kids showed patience, and I really liked the way we passed and moved the ball," Keefer said.

"Good teams pass the ball well."
Terre Haute South562113--45Lawrence North10241822--74

Terre Haute South -- J. Smith 8-10 0-0 22, Bell 0-0 0-0 0, T. Smith 4-8 1-2 11, Engle 0-1 0-0 0, Vicars 0-3 3-4 3, Toney 3-5 2-2 -9, Harruff 0-1 0-0 0, Kraemer 0-0 0-0 0, Royce 0-0 0-0 0, Ighily 0-0 0-0 0, Towles 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 15-28 6-8 45.

Lawrence North -- Owen 2-2 2-2 7, Windham 4-4 0-0 8, Oden 9-11 2-3 20, Conley 5-8 2-2 14, McDonald 2-6 1-2 6, Read 1-2 0-2 2, Jones 0-1 0-0 0, W. Smith 4-7 0-0 9, Van Treese 2-4 0-0 4, Bibbs 1-2 0-0 2, L. Smith 1-1 0-1 2, Weigel 0-1 0-0 0, Thomas 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 31-49 7-11 74.

3-point shooting -- Terre Haute South 9-15 (J. Smith 6-7, T. Smith 2-3, Toney 1-2, Vicas 0-2, Engle 0-1); Lawrence North 5-11 (Conley 2-4, McDonald 1-2, Owen 1-1, W. Smith 1-1, Jones 0-1, Bibbs 0-1, Thomas 0-1). Rebounds -- Terre Haute South 10 (J. Smith 4); Lawrence North 18 (Oden 5). Assists -- Terre Haute South 10 (Harruff 4); Lawrence North 14 (Conley 5). Turnovers -- Terre Haute South 18; Lawrence North 4. Total fouls -- Terre Haute South 4; Lawrence North 11. Officials -- Dave Kostka, Jeff Bocek, J.K. Weider.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

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12/4/05

LAWRENCE NORTH 75, MARION 49
Oden, Conley, Wildcats too much for Giants

Too much Greg Oden. Too much Michael Conley. And for the Marion Giants, not enough answers.

Oden and Conley performed every bit up to their ballyhooed standards Saturday and No. 1-ranked Lawrence North leveled the host Giants 75-49 before a larger than normal crowd of 4,500 in the Bill Green Athletic Arena.

With the 7-foot Oden dominating inside and the 6-1 Conley working the perimeter, the duo combined for 44 points. That was just five points under what the Giants scored. Marian struggled this weekend in a pair of big losses to the Wildcats and No. 5 Anderson.

"They are two good players, and they have played together for a while," Marion forward Billy Pettiford said of Oden and Conley. "They know what to do, and they have good role players around them."

Oden also grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots, and his minutes were limited in the second half due to foul problems. His presence also was responsible for Marion's 34.1 percent field goal shooting (15-of-44) and Lawrence North's 26-16 rebounding advantage.

"Anytime you're that big you're going to alter some shots," Pettiford said. "You just got to keep attacking him and try to get him into foul trouble."

Oden and Conley are both bound for Ohio State but are out to make Indiana high school basketball history before they leave. They have an opportunity to lead the Wildcats to three consecutive state titles, a feat last accomplished by Marion from 1985-87.

"It was a really really hard game," Oden said. "Even though it was 30 points, it was the hardest team we had to play so far.

"But champions step up and that's what we did tonight," Oden said.

"Champions have to play physical, and we showed that we had the ability to play physical as well as Marion did."

Lawrence North (3-0) never trailed, but it wasn't Oden and Conley who made that possible. Damian Windham, a 6-5 junior, got loose for four consecutive layups as it appeared the Giants were confused with their defensive assignments. That sparked the Wildcats to a 10-7 lead.

Jay Edwards then sank a layup that pulled Marion to within 10-9, but Lawrence North finished the first quarter with a 14-5 run and a 24-14 lead. The Giants never were closer than eight.

Yet, the Giants were within striking distance at halftime, trailing 40-26, but the third quarter ended any lingering suspense. Lawrence North outscored Marion 19-4 in the period, when the Giants shot 2-of-10 from the floor and made five turnovers.

"We needed a real tough game and that's what we got tonight," Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said. "I was happy with the way we got out and ran the floor."
Lawrence North24161916--75Marion1412419--49

Lawrence North -- Bibbs 0-1 1-2 1, Owen 0-2 0-0 0, McDonald 3-9 2-2 8, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Conley 8-13 2-6 22, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Weigel 1-1 0-0 3, Smith 1-3 3-4 5, Windham 5-8 1-2 11, Henderson 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 1-1 0-0 2, Read 0-2 1-4 1, Van Treese 0-1 0-0 0, Oden 7-11 8-8 22. Totals: 26-52 18-28 75.

Marion -- Freshwater 0-0 0-0 0, Edwards 2-3 4-6 8, Jo. Bragg 2-7 0-0 6, Ja. Bragg 0-1 2-2 2, Mays 5-11 4-4 17, Wood 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 0-2 0-0 0, Pettiford 4-7 1-2 10, Jones 2-13 2-4 6. Totals: 15-44 13-18 49.
3-Point Goals -- Lawrence North 5-12 (Bibbs 0-1, Owen 0-1, McDonald 0-2, Conley 4-7, Weigel 1-1), Marion 6-17 (Bragg 2-6, Mays 3-4, Smith 0-2, Pettiford 1-2, Jones 0-3). Rebounds--Lawrence North 26 (Oden 9), Marion 16 (Pettiford 6). Assists--Lawrence North 9 (Owen 4), Marion 8 (Jones 3). Total fouls--Lawrence North 21, Marion 22. Turnovers--Lawrence North 18, Marion 21.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

indystar

12/8/05

December 8, 2005


Oden, his teammates return to national TV
ESPN2 game pits Lawrence North star, Conley vs. another future Buckeye


Greg Oden figures he'll be more comfortable this time on national television.

"When you get on national TV, you get really nervous, so the best thing is for you to just play hard," said the 7-foot center, the central figure in tonight's game between his Lawrence North High School basketball team and Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar.

"I know now when you go out there, you can't try to look cool. You have to play hard and just try to play your game."

The 7:30 p.m. game at Hinkle Fieldhouse will be broadcast on ESPN2. It's the first of two national TV appearances for Lawrence North, which will play on ESPN2 on Jan. 19 at North Central.

Oden's first national TV appearance came last year when he had 16 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots in leading Lawrence North to a 56-40 victory over Poplar Bluff (Mo.), led by 6-9 Tyler Hansbrough, now starting at North Carolina.

Tonight's game will give the nation a look at three-fifths of the "Thad Five," the five-player recruiting class by Ohio State coach Thad Matta that has been rated as one of the best in the nation and one of the best in the Big Ten in more than a decade.

In addition to Oden, Lawrence North features Mike Conley, one of the nation's top-ranked point guards. Dunbar is led by 6-5 Daequan Cook, one of the nation's top-ranked shooting guards. All three have signed with Ohio State.

Oden, the reigning national high school Player of the Year, is averaging 21.3 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 76.1 percent from the field and 78.9 percent from the line despite playing less than three quarters per game.

The two-time defending Class 4A state champion Wildcats (4-0), who are ranked No. 1 in the nation by Sports Illustrated, are winning by an average of 26.5 points per game.

Conley missed school Wednesday with a stomach virus but said he expects to be fine by game time.

Oden, Conley, Cook and Dunbar's 6-9, 290-pound power forward Aaron Pogue all played on the same summer team and have played more than 100 games together over the past several summers.

"It's almost like you want to be friends, but on the court, you want to be his worst enemy," Conley said.

Cook is averaging 17.5 points for an explosive Dunbar team. In its 75-66 season-opening win, Dunbar (2-0) had five dunks in a row, including an alley-oop thrown off the backboard to Cook.

"It's going to be very awkward," Cook said. "I've never had a chance to play them in a real game. At ABCD (individual camp), we were on opposite teams, but we've never played against each other in a serious game on national television."

Organizers expect a crowd of 6,000 to 8,000. Last year's game at Hinkle drew more than 7,000, including a row of NBA scouts and local celebrities such as Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James and team president Bill Polian.

The game drew a 0.5 rating (477,000 households).

Announcers will be Mark Jones on play-by-play with former St. John's and New Mexico coach Fran Fraschilla and Jay Williams, the former Duke All-America guard, doing commentary.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta is expected to be in attendance. Even though Oden isn't eligible for the draft until after one year of college, NBA scouts have been keeping tabs on him.

Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said there was pressure to move the game to Ohio State.

"I had one reporter call and say, 'If you had it at Ohio State, don't you think you'd have 17,000 (fans)?' " Keefer said. "They were really thinking it ought to be right there at Ohio State."

 

[bucknut11]

Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said there was pressure to move the game to Ohio State.

"I had one reporter call and say, 'If you had it at Ohio State, don't you think you'd have 17,000 (fans)?' " Keefer said. "They were really thinking it ought to be right there at Ohio State."

That would've been awesome.

 

[DaytonBuck]

Lawerence North TV

LN has had a game against Arlington that's been replayed on the channel INHD1 a couple times this week. It's on right now, 3pm today, and 1am friday night.

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

Thanks for the heads up, Dayton.

I just watched the first half. Oden is amazing, considering it is from last year, I can't even imagine what he will be like once he is playing here.

It's gonna be a good year

 

[BuckeyePride]

Dayton dunbar (cook's team) Vs Lawrence North (Oden's team)

tonight on ESPN2 7:30 pm

 

[jwinslow]

tonight's game thread:

DAYTON DUNBAR VS LAWRENCE NORTH (OFFICIAL GAME THREAD)

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

12/9/05

Matt Kryger/Indianapolis Star
Dunbar's Aaron Pogue (44) has his shot blocked by Lawrence NorthÕs Greg Oden in the first half of their game Thursday at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Lawrence North, ranked No.Ê5 by USA Today, won 69-54.

lawrence north 69, dayton (ohio) dunbar 54
This season, Oden shows he's ready for prime time
Wildcats star dominates game with 2 other OSU recruits

Greg Oden's second appearance on national television earned him at least one more admirer.

The 7-foot senior center had 23 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocked shots to spearhead Lawrence North to a 69-54 victory over Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar on Thursday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

"The thing about Greg that he does so well is that he doesn't give you 45 (points) or 35 rebounds -- even though he has the ability to do that -- but he gives you whatever your team needs in order to win," said former Duke All-America guard Jay Williams, part of the broadcasting crew for ESPN2 and a former first-round NBA draft pick.

"I think that's the biggest trait that can make him great for any team he goes to in the NBA or college. He gives you winning stats every night. To have 23, 17 and nine blocks, I don't care if you're in high school or where you're at, that's an amazing stat."

The made-for-TV game featured three-fifths of Ohio State's highly touted recruiting class in Oden, Lawrence North point guard Mike Conley and Dunbar shooting guard Daequan Cook. They have played together most of the past five years on a summer team.

Conley, slowed by a stomach virus, had 13 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists, including a spectacular alley-oop to Oden for a fast-break dunk.

"That was a gutty performance for a guy who can hardly walk," Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said.

Cook finished with 11 points for Dunbar (2-1), but left the game with 2:32 to play in the second quarter after taking an inadvertent elbow to the face while trying to battle for a rebound against Oden.

Cook, who averaged 22.6 points last year, walked off the court and did not return to the bench in the second half. He was taken to a hospital for observation, Dunbar officials said.

Still, the game served as a national preview for what's to come for Ohio State fans.

"They saw that Greg can dominate, that Daequan can score at will, as he did when he was in there, and I can run the team and do whatever it takes to win," Conley said. "We showed everybody we are a good group, and when we're on the same team, it'll be great to see all of us in action at one time."

Thursday's snowstorm, which started midafternoon, decimated the crowd, estimated at 600. It was a far cry from last year when about 7,000 fans and rows of NBA scouts watched Oden lead Lawrence North to a 56-40 victory over Poplar Bluff (Mo.) and current North Carolina center Tyler Hansbrough.

"I wasn't as nervous this time," said Oden, the reigning national high school Player of the Year. "I know when Brandon McDonald went off in the first half, that really comforted me and got me going in the second half.

"It was all my teammates. Without McDonald getting it going and (Qadar) Owen playing great defense, I don't think I could have done it."

McDonald had eight of his 17 points in the first half.

Colts running back Edgerrin James, who attended last year's televised game, was in the crowd along with linebackers Cato June and David Thornton to see Oden on Thursday.

"We all were saying he's gotten bigger and more aggressive since last time. He must have been hitting the training and lifting because he's buffed up," James said.

"We like to see the young players coming up who are going to be superstars. That way we can say, 'We saw you back when you were in high school.' "

Also sitting in the front row was North Central star shooting guard Eric Gordon. One of the top-ranked players in the junior class, Gordon will lead the Panthers against the two-time defending Class 4A state champion Wildcats in a Jan. 19 game that will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Oden, battling a triple team that included 6-8, 285-pound Aaron Pogue, shot 7-for-13 from the field, including a hook shot and a midrange jumper, and 9-for-10 from the free throw line.

"He had three people on him, so it's not like he's going to just dance around in there," Keefer said after his team improved to 5-0 with five double-figure victories.

"But we didn't have enough patience to wait him out sometimes on some of those, and sometimes he didn't have enough patience to wait on us. Overall, he had a nice performance. He was very aggressive, ran the floor very well."

Lawrence North's lead was just three points in the fourth quarter before Oden and Conley took over. They scored 14 points in a 16-3 run that put the Wildcats up 63-47 and sealed the outcome.

Oden was strong from the beginning, reaching a double-double with two free throws with 1:26 to play in the second quarter.

LAWRENCE NORTH 69, DAYTON (OHIO) DUNBAR 54

DUNBAR -- Cook 4-9 2-2 11, Anderson 5-11 1-3 11, Pogue 3-11 0-0 6, Powell 1-3 0-2 2, Sain 7-12 0-0 15, Rakestraw 0-1 0-0 0, Walker 1-2 0-0 2, Benson 1-1 0-1 2, Dixon 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Cole 2-12 1-1 5. Totals 24-63 4-9 54.
LAWRENCE NORTH -- McDonald 6-9 3-4 17, Windham 2-7 2-4 6, Oden 7-13 9-10 23, Owen 2-5 2-2 6, Conley 6-12 0-0 13, Bibbs 0-0 0-0 0, L. Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Weigel 0-1 0-0 0, W. Smith 1-2 0-0 2, Thomas 1-2 0-0 2, Read 0-1 0-0 0, VanTreese 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 16-20 69.
Dunbar11111814--54Lawrence North16181124--69
3-point goals: Dunbar 2-8 (Cook 1-4, Powell 0-1, Sain 1-1, Rakestraw 0-1, Cole 0-1), Lawrence North 3-10 (McDonald 2-4, Owen 0-1, Conley 1-5). Rebounds: Dunbar 32 (Anderson 8), Lawrence North 39 (Oden 17). Assists: Dunbar 6 (Powell 2, Cole 2), Lawrence North 15 (Thomas 5, Conley 3). Blocked shots: Dunbar 2 (Anderson 2), Lawrence North 12 (Oden 9). Steals: Dunbar 10 (Sain 3), Lawrence North 11 (Conley 5).

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

 

[akronbuck]

I watched that game and I could not believe he is in high school. He looks like he's 25 already just like lebron did in high school

he is just like lebron as a player ahead of his years as a player for his age, he could be dominating in the NBA right now.

He would start for almost any NBA team now except maybe, a few or miami may be the only one

He reminds me of a WILT CHAMBERLIN type now with his speed , athletic ability and size

shaq was about 7 1 275 as a freshman at LSU but, ogden is faster and with more athletic ability

I would say shaq/garnett combo easily if not better which, is nuts because, those two will go down as 2 of the best of all time in the NBA. I love that he will be a buckeye for at least a year

The CAVS should trade away half the team now except LEBRON to take a chance getting that number 1 pick like the LAKERS are doing now TO GET THAT SUPERSTAR

LEBRON AND OGDEN WOULD BE CRAZY OK I STOP DREAMING LOL

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

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12/10/05

Amey Takes Aim: Just where do Wildcats stand in history of prep basketball?

Andy Amey

This is going to sound vaguely unpatriotic of me, but I actually enjoy watching Lawrence North play boys high school basketball.

A pair of ongoing debates are already in progress: are the Wildcats the best high school basketball team in the country, and are they the best team in the history of Indiana basketball? I'm not fortunate enough to have seen enough teams from other states to weigh in on the first question, but I can answer the second from an oblique angle: nobody has ever guarded better than these Wildcats do.

I left their gym last weekend impressed by their pep band (always), their student cheering section (witty), their hospitality room (I'm a sucker for soft cookies) and by perimeter defenders Brandon McDonald and Qadr Owen.

McDonald had a limited role last year, and I didn't remember Owen at all. But both of them are in-your-face man-to-man defenders that I wouldn't want to face.

That makes them, of course, the third- and fourth-best defenders, in some order, on their own team. Mike Conley, I'm convinced, is the smartest, sneakiest and best defensive point guard I've ever seen at the high school level, apparently capable of stealing the ball whenever he wants to and at every crucial moment. And if somehow you get past the three guards, you either have to slow down (and let them catch up) or take the ball to the hole, where Greg (I blocked 18 against Indianapolis Arlington) Oden awaits.


This lineup may give Terre Haute North a chance for a February upset, if nothing changes between now and then, because one of the Lawrence North perimeter defenders will have to guard one of the Patriot big men.

And in trying to figure out how the Wildcats would fare against the great Indiana teams of the past, for example, somebody would have to guard George McGinnis or Steve Downing.

But can the Patriots - or could the 1969 Indianapolis Washington Continentals - get the ball through those other guards? And how do they score on Oden if/when they do?

That 1969 Final Four, if you recall, was probably the best one ever - four teams with one loss among them heading to Hinkle Fieldhouse. And the Marion team that almost beat Washington in the afternoon had the state's previous all-time best defender in 6-foot-7 guard Jovon Price.

But until this year, my all-time best Indiana teams came the next two years - East Chicago Roosevelt with the mercurial Jim Bradley in 1970, East Chicago Washington the following year to give the state three consecutive unbeaten champions.

I was home for the holidays in Crown Point early in the 1970-71 season, and went to see East Chicago Washington (I can still sing the Senators' school song) play a pretty good Crown Point team. Crown Point had a Division I guard in Jim Lis (Memphis) and played an absolutely great game in its own gym - and lost 104-62. No Indiana high school team has ever scored points faster than that one, with 6-5 Pistol Pete Trgovich (UCLA) and 6-5 Junior Bridgeman (Louisville, Milwaukee Bucks) at forwards, 6-8 Tim Stoddard (Baltimore Orioles, among other baseball teams) at center and Ruben Bailey and Darnell Adell at guard, with 6-5 James Williams coming off the bench. There's my matchup with Lawrence North, so get the computer simulations ready.

I wasn't all that thrilled with the Jay Edwards-Lyndon Jones Marion teams that won three straight, or with the Muncie Central mini-dynasty that sidelined Terre Haute South twice. The teams with great stars - Damon Bailey's Bedford North Lawrence, Shawn Kemp's Concord or Chandler Thompson's later Muncie Central team - didn't really stack up either. Maybe the Oscar Robertson Crispus Attucks teams would be a good test. The only other comparable defensive team might have been an obscure one, the 1980 Broad Ripple Rockets.

But Oden is the greatest high school basketball force I've ever seen, defensively and athletically, and with Conley around I'm still not convinced he's the best player on his own team. It's pretty hard for me not to go with Lawrence North.

Andy Amey can be reached after 4 p.m. for comments or news items at 1-800-783-8742 or at (812) 231-4277; by e-mail at [email protected]; by mail at P.O. Box 149, Terre Haute, IN, 47808; or by fax at (812) 231-4321.