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Indianapolis Lawrence North teammates Greg Oden and Mike Conley may take several weeks to decide if they want to go to Ohio State or anywhere else.
BuckeyeFROMscUM said:Conley is quoted in this article as saying that he's worried about "our class" and the effect the NCAA sanctions will have on it. Therefore, in combination with all of the rumors, I think the answer to where mike conley will be:
a) Conley signs with OSU... OSU sees nothing beyond minor penalties, at most one year more.
b) Conley goes to Wake... if every expert is wrong and OSU is penalized for two additional years for past crimes... this situation seems extremely unlikely.
Conley is ours to lose, IMO.
Rivals $
This makes me think one of two things, either he thinks its a possibility for himself to enter the NBA draft, or he is waiting to see what Greg Oden does. Because if Oden does go to school then his choice would be OSU, but if Oden would happen to enter the draft then I think Wake could very well be Conley's choice. Just my opinion though.wadc45 said:He will wait for the NBA age limit decision to make a choice.
Conley tells the Illinois site that OSU and Wake are at the top with Michigan State and Illinois still in the mix. When asked about the possible sanctions at OSU, Mike says he does follow the issue but does not think it will effect his class and he hopes it will all be worked out.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence North point guard Mike Conley has another championship after his Spiece Indy Heat AAU team won the annual adidas May Classic in Bloomington, Ind., this weekend. Conley would like to have a college choice, but he it will take some more time. Get the latest on his recruitment in this Rivals hoops update. [more]</TD><TD width=6></TD><TD vAlign=top></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Possible sanctions not scaring away top OSU recruits
By Doug Harris
Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS | Ohio State officials may have some jitters about the sanctions the NCAA could impose on their basketball program, but the uncertainty doesn't appear to be scaring away any high-profile recruits.
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Dunbar's Daequan Cook and David Lighty of Cleveland, who are ranked among the top 20 juniors nationally, reaffirmed their commitment to OSU on Tuesday. And the school remains an appealing option for two of Cook's prized AAU teammates, according to their coach.
Mike Conley Sr. said his son, Mike Jr., and seven-footer Greg Oden — who have led Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis to two straight state titles — won't let numerous NCAA violations committed during previous coach Jim O'Brien's regime sour them on the Buckeyes.
"Obviously, this is about a past administration," Conley Sr. said. "It has nothing to do with the reason why the boys want to go to Ohio State. ... It's still high on their list."
Oden is considered the top overall prospect in the class of 2006, and Conley Jr. is rated by Scout.com as the nation's second-best point guard.
Both list OSU as their co-leader with Wake Forest, although Oden still intends to make a visit to
Indiana.
"We knew about the potential sanctions when they started this process," Conley Sr. said. "The focus was on how the sanctions were going to potentially impact them in '06. ... With what's out there so far, we just feel that it won't."
OSU athletic director Gene Smith certainly is counting on that. The Buckeyes already suffered through a one-year
postseason ban, and he's willing to give up past Big Ten titles and take down the 1999 Final Four banner if it would spare the current team of further penalties.
"We need to do everything we can to protect the future of this program and the kids," he said. "That will be our mantra going into the NCAA (hearing). Whether we win or not, I don't know."
Smith's strategy won't be helped by allegations that have surfaced since the NCAA completed its investigation.
Mike Sierawski, a Serbian church official in Columbus, acknowledged in a court deposition that he gave $500 to former OSU basketball player Boban Savovic. When school officials asked Savovic for the money to repay the gift, Sierawski said he slipped the player another $500.
Sierawski also said he provided cash and clothing to 7-foot-3 recruit Aleksandar Radojevic.
Smith said the new charges will be lumped in with the others.
"We've already had a conversation with the NCAA about those allegations," he said. "They'll assess the credibility of them and see if something else needs to be done."
Cook and Lighty consider all of the charges irrelevant since they occurred before coach Thad Matta and his staff arrived.
"It's not really their fault," Lighty said. "They didn't do anything — it was coach O'Brien.
"They're heading in the right path. They're making the program upscale. This probably will be only a little setback."
Contact Doug Harris at 225-2125.
May 19, 2005
Buckeyes' woes won't deter Oden, Conley
<!-- SIDEBAR --><!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><!-- STORY TEXT --><!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->
By Jeff Rabjohns
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--document.write(''+'jeff.rabjohns'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>[email protected]
Greg Oden and Mike Conley won't shy away from considering playing at Ohio State after this week's formal announcement of alleged NCAA violations by the basketball program, Conley's father said.
Mike Conley Sr. said the alleged violations were essentially what the Lawrence North High School stars knew about from previous reports, and for which the Buckeyes already served a one-year self-imposed ban from postseason play.
"It wasn't any new news," said Conley Sr., coach of the players' AAU team. "Based on what's out there, the boys still feel it won't have an effect. That's not to say there won't be potential penalties, but it won't affect them."
The seven alleged violations occurred under former coach Jim O'Brien. The NCAA could still choose to punish the team further, but major penalties, such as a further postseason ban, are not expected.
Conley Sr. said it would take extremely severe sanctions to take Ohio State out of the mix for his son and Oden, two of the top players in the class of 2006. "The NCAA would have to give them a three-year death sentence of no postseason play for it to affect them," he said.
Conley, a 6-1 point guard, has said Ohio State and Wake Forest are his top choices. Oden, a 7-foot center, lists Ohio State, Wake Forest, Indiana and Michigan State as his final four.
Thad Matta, the former Butler coach headed into his second season at the Ohio State helm, has never been in trouble with the NCAA.
"They're picking their schools based on the people," Conley Sr. said. "At Wake Forest and Ohio State, there are good people associated with those programs."