PG Mike Conley (1st Team All BIG, NBA All-Star, Oscar Winner, Minnesota Timberwolves)

[Dryden]

This is the fourth time Conley has won the award, an NBA record.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

All-time great

 

[brodybuck21]

MIKE CONLEY, EVERYONE. An Ohio State fan-favorite in the mid-2000s, Mike Conley Jr. appeared on The Rich Eisen Show on Friday to discuss the Minnesota Timberwolves’ hot start to the 2023-24 season, the new NBA In-Season Tournament, San Antonio Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama and more.

Toward the end of Conley’s appearance, he and Eisen discussed his former Ohio State teammate Greg Oden and how he ended up in Columbus for his college basketball career. A video of the discussion and a transcription are below.

ON GREG ODEN​

“Man, I probably think about him more than anybody. It was such an opportunity to be around a guy like that and see somebody who had so much potential. In a league that has changed so much, I think he would have adapted really well throughout his career. I think he would still be playing at a very high level because of his athleticism, his ability to finish and his soft touch with both hands. He was a team guy. You don’t find too many of those bigs who can do all of those things. I wish he would have had that opportunity and stayed healthy enough. When he was healthy, he was a force. Who knows? The history books may have been rewritten a little bit, and he could have been a part of some great teams.”

ON HOW HE ENDED UP AT OHIO STATE​

“It was our last college visit. I had visited Wake Forest the week before, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m committing to Wake Forest. I’m gone. There’s no question.’ My dad was like, ‘Man, take one more visit – you and Greg. Dequan Cook is already there. You should visit Ohio State. You and Thad Matta have a great relationship.’ I said, ‘Alright. I’ll go.’ It was a Saturday night football game. They played Texas, and Vince Young was the quarterback at the time. It was a massive game. I saw those fans and people, and the city was shut down. I was like, ‘Man, this is a college. This is crazy.’ From that point on, I wanted to be a Buckeye, experience that every weekend and make this basketball program something special.”

If Conley’s goal was to make the Ohio State basketball program special, he accomplished that in short order.

A one-and-done star with Oden and Cook in 2006-07, Conley averaged 11.3 points, 6.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest, helping lead Ohio State to 35-4 record with a Big Ten regular-season title, a Big Ten Tournament championship, and a national championship game appearance, where the Buckeyes fell to a stacked Florida team, 84-75, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

While that season didn’t end with a national championship, boy, am I glad Mike Conley Sr. – that’s Olympic gold medalist Mike Conley Sr. – encouraged his son to travel to Columbus in the fall of 2005.

That decision undoubtedly changed the direction of Ohio State men’s basketball he departed for the NBA, where he’s had an impressive 17-year career with the Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Skull Session: Richard Larkins Wished to “Kill Off Football” Before Woody Hayes‘ Hire, Ohio State Hoops Must Avoid More “Lazy” Losses and The 1870 Society Starts a Fundraising Campaign

Richard Larkins wished to “kill off football” before hiring Woody Hayes, Ohio State hoops must bounce back from “lazy” loss and The 1870 Society starts a fundraising campaign.

www.elevenwarriors.com

 

[ScriptOhio]

Former Ohio State Star Guard Mike Conley Named NBA's Teammate of the Year

Former Ohio State guard Mike Conley has been named the NBA's Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year.

www.elevenwarriors.com

FORMER OHIO STATE STAR GUARD MIKE CONLEY NAMED NBA'S TEAMMATE OF THE YEAR​

One of Ohio State’s best NBA players ever added some hardware to his trophy case on Wednesday.

Former Buckeye turned Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley was named the NBA's Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year.

 

[OHSportsFan]

The man

 

[ScriptOhio]

Skull Session: Ohio State is No. 2 in ESPN’s Post-Spring Top 25 and Nikola Jokic Calls Mike Conley “The Most Underrated Player in the League”

Ohio State ranks second behind Georgia in ESPN’s post-spring top 25, and Nikola Jokic calls Mike Conley "the most underrated player in the league.”

www.elevenwarriors.com

SKULL SESSION: OHIO STATE IS NO. 2 IN ESPN’S POST-SPRING TOP 25 AND NIKOLA JOKIC CALLS MIKE CONLEY “THE MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE”​

“THE MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE.” After a one-and-done Ohio State career, Mike Conley became the No. 4 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, landing with the Memphis Grizzlies. Seventeen years later — including 12 years with the Grizzlies, two years with the Utah Jazz and three years with the Minnesota Timberwolves — Conley is still kickin’ it in the league.

According to three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, whose Denver Nuggets fell to Conley’s Timberwolves in seven games in the Western Conference semifinals, Conley is “the most underrated player in the NBA.”

Jokic’s claim came after Minnesota orchestrated the largest Game 7, second-half comeback in NBA playoff history on Sunday. Down 15 points at halftime, the Timberwolves clawed their way back, completing a 32-9 run that started in the third quarter and ended in the fourth. During that span, Conley collected three points, three rebounds and one assist. He ended the game with 10 points, eight boards, four helpers and two steals.

“I think they’re built to beat us,” Jokic said of the Timberwolves. “They have basically two All-Stars (Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns), two All-Defensive First Team players (Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert) and Mike Conley, who’s the most underrated player in the NBA probably. I love the guy. He’s so good. He always makes the right play.”