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Front page of the Cbus Dispatch this morning has an article about the Savovic mess.
Front page of the sports section has an article about the impending recruiting haul.
Ain't life grand?
Front page of the Cbus Dispatch this morning has an article about the Savovic mess.
Front page of the sports section has an article about the impending recruiting haul.
Ain't life grand?
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Conley has been on record saying that any possible sanctions are not that much of a concern. I would have to say that if any more sanctions come down it will not effect the 2006-2007 season which would be Conley's and Oden's freshmen year.
I can't even put into words what these two commitments will do for the program.......
I can't even put into words what these two commitments will do for the program.......
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
link
6/25/05
Some interesting comments from Eric Gordon......
Quote:
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Best talent has gone elsewhere in recent years
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• Hoosiers miss out again on in-state talent
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• Ask the expert: IU reporter Terry Hutchens
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By Jeff Rabjohns
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--document.write(''+'jeff.rabjohns'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>[email protected]
Sean May. Josh McRoberts. Jon Scheyer. Jason Gardner. Andre Iguodala.
If you're a basketball fan, you've heard their names and know their stories. They are among the talented basketball players from the Midwest who in recent years have left Big Ten country to play in other conferences.
Heading off to places such as the Atlantic Coast Conference or the Pac-10 has been the norm.
With the Midwest sporting some of the most highly recruited players in the classes of 2006 and 2007, this is a critical time for Big Ten schools. There are a growing number of signs that staying in the Midwest might become fashionable again.
North Central High School guard Eric Gordon, who plays on the same AAU team as Greg Oden and Mike Conley, said word the Lawrence North duo plans to play for Ohio State was not news to him.
"We've pretty much known they were going there for a while now," said Gordon, a junior-to-be who is playing this week in the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp in Richmond, Va.
In the recent past, it would have been a surprise.
McRoberts, considered by some scouting services as the No.1 player in the Class of 2005, is headed to Duke from Carmel High School. Scheyer, a nationally ranked guard in the Class of 2006, is leaving the Chicago suburbs to play for Duke.
Gardner of North Central went to Arizona. May of Bloomington led North Carolina to the 2005 national title.
Why do the players leave?
"There's a big theory that if you're a great guard, you go to an ACC or a Pac-10 school," Scheyer said. "The Big Ten is supposed to be a banging, slow-it-down league, so a lot of players are going away."
Another factor has been stability. Some of the other conferences have had it while Big Ten schools have been either in turmoil or turnover.
How long Gene Keady would stay at Purdue was a question until he announced this past year was going to be his final one. There have been multiple coaching changes at Illinois in the past 10 years.
Ohio State's Jim O'Brien was forced out prior to Thad Matta taking over last year.
At the same time, coaches like Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Arizona's Lute Olsen are entrenched at their schools.
"The thing is, is it a trend that continues?" national talent scout Van Coleman said. "That's the big thing for the Big Ten schools. Now you have schools with coaches who are beginning to get settled."
As for Indiana University, which has struggled recently to land top in-state players, there is constant speculation regarding the future of coach Mike Davis, who took over when Bob Knight was fired in 2000.
"In state, it comes down to the uncertainty, and you still have the backlash there from some people who wouldn't send their kids to IU because they're Bob Knight people," Coleman said. "I think the thing right now is, 'Is Mike going to be there?' and that's the question the university has to answer."
As for the Midwest talent base, the region has the top-ranked players in each of the next two classes in Oden (2006) and Cincinnati shooting guard O.J. Mayo (2007). The states of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan have seven of the top 40 players in the Class of 2006 and 10 of the top 40 players in the Class of 2007, according to the Rivals.com rankings.
Now that players can't jump directly to the NBA from high school, the next two years are critical for the Big Ten.
Gordon said he sees the conference in a positive light.
"I would say guys are more ready for the NBA from Big Ten schools," said Gordon, a top-10 player in the Class of 2007 who lists Illinois as his favorite.
"You work on full-court defense, half-court defense, all kinds of stuff, rather than just run up and down the floor."
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6/25/05
Looks like the heat is starting to get turned up on Davis at IU.Hoosiers miss out again on in-state talent
Lawrence North's Oden, Conley choose Ohio State, not IU; some fans don't like recent trend.
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By Terry Hutchens
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--document.write(''+'terry.hutchens'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>[email protected]
If a 42-42 record over the past 84 games and two consecutive seasons without an NCAA Tournament bid weren't bad enough for Indiana University basketball coach Mike Davis, now comes a threat to his reputation as being a top recruiter.
One day after The Star reported Lawrence North's Greg Oden will attend Ohio State in 2006, IU basketball fans expressed their displeasure at how another in-state star slipped away.
In the past few years, Bloomington North's Sean May (North Carolina), Carmel's Josh McRoberts (Duke), Washington's Luke Zeller (Notre Dame) and Richmond's Dominic James (Marquette) have chosen schools other than IU. Oden and Lawrence North teammate Mike Conley Jr. are expected to join that list. With the exception of the Class of 2004 that included A.J. Ratliff, Robert Vaden and James Hardy, IU has missed out on more in-state players than it has landed.
"I think this is one of those time periods in Indiana hoops when we have five or six amazing players all at the same time, and now it looks like we're not going to get any of them," said Mark Swearingen, a 1995 IU graduate from Mooresville, Ind. "Oden was just the icing on the cake. I just think this miss makes a lot of IU fans ask themselves what is wrong with our state of recruiting.
"I've always found myself defending Mike Davis by saying he's a great recruiter and he brings all of these great players in. But when they're on our backdoor step and we're not getting them, it just makes you wonder what the problem may be."
When former Indiana Mr. Basketball and IU standout Pat Graham heard the news as he drove home from work Friday afternoon, he said he was "floored."
At the same time, he remembered how the Hoosiers lost a good 7-foot center from Lawrence North in his recruiting class of 1989 -- Eric Montross.
"Eric Montross and I were very good friends, and his decision just about killed us. We couldn't believe it," Graham said. "But I was close to him and he told me one day, 'I've got to do what's best for me.' And he went (to North Carolina) and won a national championship.
"I've got to be honest, if I could have traded spots with him and won a national championship, I would have done just that."
Oden and Conley did not confirm The Star's report Friday. Oden didn't return two calls, and Conley said they won't comment until a formal announcement is made.
Graham said he wasn't surprised to see them select the same school. He said when he and six recruits attended IU to form the Class of 1989, they went there because they wanted to play together. That class also included all-time IU leading scorer Calbert Cheaney and Lawrence Funderburke.
"I think everyone thought we all went to IU because of Bob Knight, but that wasn't it at all," Graham said. "We went there because we played together almost every summer, we enjoyed each other and we thought this was the best chance to win.
"I think a lot of times today's athletes are different. They're looking at going to a place for a year or two and using it as a steppingstone. No one wishes Greg Oden would have chosen Indiana as that place more than me, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way."
Graham said that like Montross, he expects Oden will hear negative reaction about leaving his home state. May did when he selected North Carolina.
"It's not 'you're from Indiana, so you should go to Indiana.' I don't buy into that," Graham said. "Every kid has his choice and he has to live with that choice."
Most IU fans interviewed said basically the same thing. Upon hearing the news, they felt as if someone had punched them in the stomach.
"It's disappointing because he's been up in Indianapolis and we've known about him for a long time, and we all had visions of D.J. White and Greg Oden playing side by side, and now it doesn't look like it's going to happen," said Kevin Hanlon, a 21-year-old IU senior who lives on the Southside of Indianapolis.
College bound
Lawrence North's Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. plan to attend Ohio State. Here is a sample of where some of the state's top basketball recruits have gone to college:
<TABLE rules=all width="100%" border=0 frame=box><TBODY><TR><TD class=related>Player</TD><TD class=related>Town</TD><TD class=related>Grad.</TD><TD class=related>College</TD></TR><TR><TD class=related>Damon Bailey</TD><TD class=related>Bedford</TD><TD class=related>1990</TD><TD class=related>Indiana</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#dddddd><TD class=related>Larry Bird</TD><TD class=related>French Lick</TD><TD class=related>1974</TD><TD class=related>Indiana State</TD></TR><TR><TD class=related>Jay Edwards</TD><TD class=related>Marion</TD><TD class=related>1987</TD><TD class=related>Indiana</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#dddddd><TD class=related>Jason Gardner</TD><TD class=related>Indianapolis</TD><TD class=related>1999</TD><TD class=related>Arizona</TD></TR><TR><TD class=related>Alan Henderson</TD><TD class=related>Indianapolis</TD><TD class=related>1991</TD><TD class=related>Indiana</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#dddddd><TD class=related>Jared Jeffries</TD><TD class=related>Bloomington</TD><TD class=related>2000</TD><TD class=related>Indiana</TD></TR><TR><TD class=related>Eric Montross</TD><TD class=related>Indianapolis</TD><TD class=related>1990</TD><TD class=related>North Carolina</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#dddddd><TD class=related>Sean May</TD><TD class=related>Bloomington</TD><TD class=related>2002</TD><TD class=related>North Carolina</TD></TR><TR><TD class=related>George McGinnis</TD><TD class=related>Indianapolis</TD><TD class=related>1969</TD><TD class=related>Indiana</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#dddddd><TD class=related>Josh McRoberts</TD><TD class=related>Carmel</TD><TD class=related>2005</TD><TD class=related>Duke</TD></TR><TR><TD class=related>Rick Mount</TD><TD class=related>Lebanon</TD><TD class=related>1966</TD><TD class=related>Purdue</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#dddddd><TD class=related>Zach Randolph</TD><TD class=related>Marion</TD><TD class=related>2000</TD><TD class=related>Michigan State</TD></TR><TR><TD class=related>Jimmy Rayl</TD><TD class=related>Kokomo</TD><TD class=related>1959</TD><TD class=related>Indiana</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#dddddd><TD class=related>Oscar Robertson</TD><TD class=related>Indianapolis</TD><TD class=related>1956</TD><TD class=related>Cincinnati</TD></TR><TR><TD class=related>Glenn Robinson</TD><TD class=related>Gary</TD><TD class=related>1991</TD><TD class=related>Purdue</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#dddddd><TD class=related>Chris Thomas</TD><TD class=related>Indianapolis</TD><TD class=related>2001</TD><TD class=related>Notre Dame</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Call Star reporter Terry Hutchens at (317) 444-6469.
Some interesting comments from Eric Gordon......
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Big Ten needs to reel in Midwest kids
Best talent has gone elsewhere in recent years
<!-- SIDEBAR --><!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=210 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=10>
• Hoosiers miss out again on in-state talent
<!--RELATED EXTERNAL LINKS-->Related links
• IU message board
• Ask the expert: IU reporter Terry Hutchens
Links to other web sites will open a new browser. IndyStar.com is not responsible for the content, accuracy or privacy practices of these sites.
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By Jeff Rabjohns
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--document.write(''+'jeff.rabjohns'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>[email protected]
Sean May. Josh McRoberts. Jon Scheyer. Jason Gardner. Andre Iguodala.
If you're a basketball fan, you've heard their names and know their stories. They are among the talented basketball players from the Midwest who in recent years have left Big Ten country to play in other conferences.
Heading off to places such as the Atlantic Coast Conference or the Pac-10 has been the norm.
With the Midwest sporting some of the most highly recruited players in the classes of 2006 and 2007, this is a critical time for Big Ten schools. There are a growing number of signs that staying in the Midwest might become fashionable again.
North Central High School guard Eric Gordon, who plays on the same AAU team as Greg Oden and Mike Conley, said word the Lawrence North duo plans to play for Ohio State was not news to him.
"We've pretty much known they were going there for a while now," said Gordon, a junior-to-be who is playing this week in the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp in Richmond, Va.
In the recent past, it would have been a surprise.
McRoberts, considered by some scouting services as the No.1 player in the Class of 2005, is headed to Duke from Carmel High School. Scheyer, a nationally ranked guard in the Class of 2006, is leaving the Chicago suburbs to play for Duke.
Gardner of North Central went to Arizona. May of Bloomington led North Carolina to the 2005 national title.
Why do the players leave?
"There's a big theory that if you're a great guard, you go to an ACC or a Pac-10 school," Scheyer said. "The Big Ten is supposed to be a banging, slow-it-down league, so a lot of players are going away."
Another factor has been stability. Some of the other conferences have had it while Big Ten schools have been either in turmoil or turnover.
How long Gene Keady would stay at Purdue was a question until he announced this past year was going to be his final one. There have been multiple coaching changes at Illinois in the past 10 years.
Ohio State's Jim O'Brien was forced out prior to Thad Matta taking over last year.
At the same time, coaches like Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Arizona's Lute Olsen are entrenched at their schools.
"The thing is, is it a trend that continues?" national talent scout Van Coleman said. "That's the big thing for the Big Ten schools. Now you have schools with coaches who are beginning to get settled."
As for Indiana University, which has struggled recently to land top in-state players, there is constant speculation regarding the future of coach Mike Davis, who took over when Bob Knight was fired in 2000.
"In state, it comes down to the uncertainty, and you still have the backlash there from some people who wouldn't send their kids to IU because they're Bob Knight people," Coleman said. "I think the thing right now is, 'Is Mike going to be there?' and that's the question the university has to answer."
As for the Midwest talent base, the region has the top-ranked players in each of the next two classes in Oden (2006) and Cincinnati shooting guard O.J. Mayo (2007). The states of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan have seven of the top 40 players in the Class of 2006 and 10 of the top 40 players in the Class of 2007, according to the Rivals.com rankings.
Now that players can't jump directly to the NBA from high school, the next two years are critical for the Big Ten.
Gordon said he sees the conference in a positive light.
"I would say guys are more ready for the NBA from Big Ten schools," said Gordon, a top-10 player in the Class of 2007 who lists Illinois as his favorite.
"You work on full-court defense, half-court defense, all kinds of stuff, rather than just run up and down the floor."
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Upvote
0
CleveBucks
Serenity now
This one is all but wrapped up folks. You gotta wonder who all they're trying to recruit now...
(from the Dispatch)
(from the Dispatch)
Upvote
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Conley is such a quality kid off the court and on that its great to have them be apart of the program. Wednesday will be a huge day for OSU basketball.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
link
6/26/05
6/26/05
June 26, 2005
Oden, Conley set to announce college choice
<!-- SIDEBAR --><!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><!-- STORY TEXT --><!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->
By Jeff Rabjohns
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--document.write(''+'jeff.rabjohns'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>[email protected]
Lawrence North teammates Greg Oden and Mike Conley plan to announce their college choice at a joint news conference at 1 p.m. Wednesday at their high school.
The Star has reported the choice will be Ohio State, but Conley said Friday the players will not make any public statements until the formal announcement.
Oden, at the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Game at Conseco Fieldhouse on Saturday night, said he had no comment.
Oden this past year joined NBA star LeBron James as the only players to be named National High School Player of the Year as juniors.
Conley is one of the top-ranked point guards in the nation.
The duo led Lawrence North to a second consecutive Class 4A state title this past season.
Oden, a 7-foot, 245-pound center, averaged 20 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots. Conley, a 6-1 point guard, averaged 10.7 points and five assists.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
I agree....in the next few days I will be posting a thread on the direction of the OSU basketball program that takes a look at where we are and where we are headed.....
Upvote
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
scout.com$
6/27/05
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">
By Steve Helwagen Bucknuts.com Managing Editor
Date: Jun 27, 2005
The Indianapolis Star reported on Friday that the choice is Ohio State, but Conley and Oden's camp has denied the report and will be announcing their choice on Wednesday. The night before that report, the two were playing in the state's junior/senior all star game, and after the game, each took time out to speak with reporters. Check out video footage of those interviews as well as footage of WSYX-TV ABC 6's report on the Star article, featuring Bucknuts managing editor Steve Helwagen.
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Video of Conley in action and also an interview from this past Thursday.
rivals.com$
6/28/05
Nothing much new.....Wednesday they will hold a press conference to announce their decision. In my opinion its 99.9% Ohio State.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
6/27/05
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">
By Steve Helwagen Bucknuts.com Managing Editor
Date: Jun 27, 2005
The Indianapolis Star reported on Friday that the choice is Ohio State, but Conley and Oden's camp has denied the report and will be announcing their choice on Wednesday. The night before that report, the two were playing in the state's junior/senior all star game, and after the game, each took time out to speak with reporters. Check out video footage of those interviews as well as footage of WSYX-TV ABC 6's report on the Star article, featuring Bucknuts managing editor Steve Helwagen.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Video of Conley in action and also an interview from this past Thursday.
rivals.com$
6/28/05
Nothing much new.....Wednesday they will hold a press conference to announce their decision. In my opinion its 99.9% Ohio State.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Upvote
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
rivals.com (free link)
6/28/05
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>Rapp Around: Oden, Conley at a crossroads <HR width="100%" noShade SIZE=1></TD></TR><TR><TD>Jeff Rapp
BuckeyeSports.com Senior Writer </TD><TD noWrap align=right>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Sensing that the Greg Oden and Mike Conley decision was near -- and hearing from good sources that they were leaning heavily on Ohio State -- I couldn't resist trekking to Richmond, Ind., June 23, for the final rendition of the Indiana all-star series pitting the state's top seniors and juniors.
<!--Start Image--><SCRIPT language=Javascript>document.write(insertImage('/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/MIKECONLEY7_22200.JPG', '', 0, 267, 200, 1, 'Mike Conley Jr. could be Ohio State\'s point guard of the future, and help the Buckeyes to the nation\'s top hoops recruiting class.', 'Rivals.com', 1119967605000, '', 1014, 'Align=Left'));</SCRIPT><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=202>
</TD><TD width=6 rowSpan=4>
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>Rivals.com</TD></TR><TR><TD height=3>
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Mike Conley Jr. could be Ohio State's point guard of the future, and help the Buckeyes to the nation's top hoops recruiting class.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- End Image-->After all, this column is not only named "Rapp Around" because of the fun play on words but also because I pride myself in actually trying to get out and see what I'm writing about. I had seen the 7-0 Oden and 6-1 Conley play together in a huge AAU gathering, which they won, a couple months back in Fort Wayne, Ind., and they certainly lived up to their dual billing as the top prospect in the nation (Oden) and a top-40 player among the best point guards in his class (Conley).
However, I was absolutely dazzled at the camaraderie of the Indianapolis Lawrence North standouts in what turned out to be a competitive and highly entertaining exhibition game. The two have so much basketball IQ and so many shared brain waves that it's almost unfair when they are on the court together -- even against older and more experienced players such as local boy Dominic James and Luke Zeller, the state's reigning "Mr. Basketball."
Behind a perfect floor game from Conley (10 assists, no turnovers) and a surprising surge of offense (24 points, 4 for 8 on three-pointers) and the usual dominance inside by Oden (17 points, six rebounds and four blocks), the juniors pulled away for an impressive 109-96 win at the Tiernan Center, a palatial high school gymnasium if ever there was one.
Afterward, I asked both players if they still had Ohio State in the middle of their radar screen and if a decision indeed was imminent.
"Now that the (NBA) ruling and stuff came out, we're trying to make a date closer to the end of June," Conley told me. "We're trying to get it over with because we're both sick and tired of phone calls from every college and stuff. It'd be better to just have that monkey off our back and be able to play."
Another reporter then made sure to ask if he was down to Ohio State and Wake Forest, his two leaders all along and the only schools both players visited officially.
"Those are the only two," he assured.
Oden, meanwhile, has been mum about his thoughts, but confirmed Ohio State was every bit at the top of his list, which also includes Wake, Michigan State and Indiana.
"I love everything about them," he said of the Buckeyes. "I just love them.
"But I like everybody else too so I've still got some back consideration."
Back consideration? I wondered what that meant. Could Oden already have his mind just about made up? Did back consideration mean he had another school to pick if Conley had changed his mind?
I knew he wasn't going to tell me, so instead I followed up with a question about his official visit to Ohio State, which he made in mid-May along with Conley, offering precious few public comments since.
"They gave me a good visit," he said. "I had a lot of fun. That's all I needed."
Considering Oden's quiet nature, that Conley seemed more gung ho about OSU prior to the visit and what I had heard in confidence during the week -- several reliable sources had told me their choice of OSU was virtually a done deal and that they may have already issued a joint verbal to head coach Thad Matta -- it would be easy to conclude they are about to be fitted for scarlet and gray.
But Conley did a good job of leaving the proverbial door open when he said, "Both coaches (Matta and Wake Forest boss Skip Prosser), they know how to win. I've watched Thad Matta since he was at Butler and Xavier and I know he can do it at any program he goes to. Both coaches, they handle guards very well and I feel they can both develop me for the future. Their players aren't going anywhere else."
"(My parents) like both schools just like I do. They're kind of up in the air with both of them, just like I am. They don't know which one and we talk about it all the time. It's a real hard decision right now."
I reminded myself that teen-aged kids change their minds all the time, that their parents had begged them to give it more time after they returned from Columbus giddy about Ohio State -- that Wake and the allure of the ACC can't be counted out, that Oden could always do the crowd-pleasing thing and opt for Indiana University, and that the two were to head to Purdue's team camp for the weekend, no doubt ensuring they'd face more local pressure.
And then there's the ultimate wild card, the NBA. The league announced a new minimum age restriction of 19 when it finalized its latest collective bargaining agreement, but there was talk of a provision for highly regarded players to ask for early entry at 18, which Oden will be upon graduation next year.
Before the restriction, just about every pundit assumed Oden would follow the path of every top-five big man of the last 10 years and jump to the pros, a key Kevin Garnett turned in the mid-'90s.
"I think he's going to the league," Dallas Lauderdale of Solon, Ohio, told me when I asked him if there was a Greg Oden factor with his recruiting.
<!--Start Image--><SCRIPT language=Javascript>document.write(insertImage('/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/GREGODEN06200.JPG', '', 0, 267, 200, 1, 'Indianapolis star Greg Oden seems ready to give Ohio State the inside presence it hasn\'t had since Ken Johnson.', 'Rivals.com', 1119967908000, '', 1014, 'Align=Right'));</SCRIPT><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=6 rowSpan=4>
</TD><TD width=202>
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>Rivals.com</TD></TR><TR><TD height=3>
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Indianapolis star Greg Oden seems ready to give Ohio State the inside presence it hasn't had since Ken Johnson.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- End Image-->Even Oden's own coach seemed to be of the mind-set of "I'll believe it when I see it."
"It'll be a hard thing to turn down," longtime Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said weeks ago. "There will be some people who will sit down with him and tell him, 'If you go now, that means you'll get your first three-year contract over with quicker and therefore your next contract blah, blah, blah,' and they're going to show him all the millions of dollars there are to be made that he hasn't thought about probably.
"So he has to get through all that, but his intentions are to go to college because that's what he really wants to do."
Keefer, though, also predicted weeks ago the decision would come at the very end of June and intimated Ohio State was in good standing.
"I think it starts with Matta. He has been recruiting Mike since he was at Xavier, I know, and Mike had as one of his choices Xavier back in those days. So I think you start there and it certainly helped when (Daequan) Cook (committed) there.
"But I think Matta is probably the biggest strength of them all. He's just a very aggressive, very energetic guy.
"We've had every coach go through here from around the nation the last two or three years, but he just comes at you with a work ethic and he convinces the kid that they'll be better when they leave Ohio State. He goes through their workout in the morning and in the evening with them and what they'll be doing in the four years they're going to be there. He feels they'll be ready for the next step up after they've been in his program for four years."
Matta's sales pitch apparently was strong enough for Oden to pass on an unofficial visit to IU and for both to stay tucked away in their Chapel Hill hotel room instead of taking the guided tour of North Carolina while there for another AAU tourney.
It also apparently has stuck with them enough to make OSU either the grand-prize winner of the Oden-Conley sweepstakes, or, at worst, a very unlucky bridesmaid.
I drove away from the Tiernan Center sure that I had enough to at least paint a very rosy picture for OSU fans.
The Indianapolis Star stole some of that thunder with a report that circulated the next morning claiming that an unnamed family member of Oden's had inside information that the two were about to tab Ohio State. The paper later quoted AAU teammate Eric Gordon as saying it was known for a while in the inner circle that OSU was the pick.
I also came to find out that Oden, Conley and Cook spent some of their free time at the USA Basketball Youth Developmental Festival in San Diego in early June telling the likes of Lance Thomas, Thaddeus Young and Bryce Webster that they needed a forward to join them and Dave Lighty of Cleveland to complete the dream class. Young, by the way, told a scout at the NBA Camp last weekend that he received a text message from an unnamed coach telling him Oden and Conley were committed to OSU.
But I didn't know hardly any of that info when I began to leave Richmond.
On my way up to the I-70 on-ramp I realized I needed to fill up the gas tank and pulled in front of a white SUV to an open pump. While dispensing the much-needed liquid a familiar face came out of the store -- Conley. He caught my gaze and smiled.
"I swear I'm not following you," I joked. He came over for a chat and we made sure each other knew the San Antonio Spurs had just won the NBA championship and mentioned how we still had some traveling to do.
"You going back tonight?" Conley asked.
"Actually I'm staying with family in Centerville, so I just need to get there," I said. "How about you?"
"Yeah," he said. "Another trip home."
Just then Oden came out followed by a white-haired man I assume was Keefer, who had the unenvious task of transporting a 17-year-old who already is worth $100 million. After a few more pleasantries we were on National Road headed to the interchange. I passed the SUV and offered a wave to Conley and couldn't help but notice the symbolism ahead.
They were in the lane headed to the sign that said "70 West, Indianapolis." I was in the right lane about to follow the sign that read, "70 East, Columbus, O."
The way things were proceeding I was pretty sure I would be taking that route west again soon for a press conference -- and that Keefer one day would be driving the other way to deliver possibly one of the best packages in the history of Ohio State athletics.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Great piece on the Oden/Conley recruitment....
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
scout.com$
6/28/05
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Tomorrow is the day when everyone will find out for sure what college superstars Greg Oden and Mike Conley of Indianapolis Lawrence North will be attending. There's been plenty written about these two players in recent months, but today, we have a chance for you to see what they can do. We have some footage posted of the two players in action during last week's Indiana junior/senior All-Star game, as well as a couple clips of another player OSU likes, Luke Harangody. Click the link for more. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Excellent videos of Oden and Conley in action. I can't stop smiling people....
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
6/28/05
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>Rapp Around: Oden, Conley at a crossroads <HR width="100%" noShade SIZE=1></TD></TR><TR><TD>Jeff Rapp
BuckeyeSports.com Senior Writer </TD><TD noWrap align=right>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Sensing that the Greg Oden and Mike Conley decision was near -- and hearing from good sources that they were leaning heavily on Ohio State -- I couldn't resist trekking to Richmond, Ind., June 23, for the final rendition of the Indiana all-star series pitting the state's top seniors and juniors.
<!--Start Image--><SCRIPT language=Javascript>document.write(insertImage('/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/MIKECONLEY7_22200.JPG', '', 0, 267, 200, 1, 'Mike Conley Jr. could be Ohio State\'s point guard of the future, and help the Buckeyes to the nation\'s top hoops recruiting class.', 'Rivals.com', 1119967605000, '', 1014, 'Align=Left'));</SCRIPT><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=202>
However, I was absolutely dazzled at the camaraderie of the Indianapolis Lawrence North standouts in what turned out to be a competitive and highly entertaining exhibition game. The two have so much basketball IQ and so many shared brain waves that it's almost unfair when they are on the court together -- even against older and more experienced players such as local boy Dominic James and Luke Zeller, the state's reigning "Mr. Basketball."
Behind a perfect floor game from Conley (10 assists, no turnovers) and a surprising surge of offense (24 points, 4 for 8 on three-pointers) and the usual dominance inside by Oden (17 points, six rebounds and four blocks), the juniors pulled away for an impressive 109-96 win at the Tiernan Center, a palatial high school gymnasium if ever there was one.
Afterward, I asked both players if they still had Ohio State in the middle of their radar screen and if a decision indeed was imminent.
"Now that the (NBA) ruling and stuff came out, we're trying to make a date closer to the end of June," Conley told me. "We're trying to get it over with because we're both sick and tired of phone calls from every college and stuff. It'd be better to just have that monkey off our back and be able to play."
Another reporter then made sure to ask if he was down to Ohio State and Wake Forest, his two leaders all along and the only schools both players visited officially.
"Those are the only two," he assured.
Oden, meanwhile, has been mum about his thoughts, but confirmed Ohio State was every bit at the top of his list, which also includes Wake, Michigan State and Indiana.
"I love everything about them," he said of the Buckeyes. "I just love them.
"But I like everybody else too so I've still got some back consideration."
Back consideration? I wondered what that meant. Could Oden already have his mind just about made up? Did back consideration mean he had another school to pick if Conley had changed his mind?
I knew he wasn't going to tell me, so instead I followed up with a question about his official visit to Ohio State, which he made in mid-May along with Conley, offering precious few public comments since.
"They gave me a good visit," he said. "I had a lot of fun. That's all I needed."
Considering Oden's quiet nature, that Conley seemed more gung ho about OSU prior to the visit and what I had heard in confidence during the week -- several reliable sources had told me their choice of OSU was virtually a done deal and that they may have already issued a joint verbal to head coach Thad Matta -- it would be easy to conclude they are about to be fitted for scarlet and gray.
But Conley did a good job of leaving the proverbial door open when he said, "Both coaches (Matta and Wake Forest boss Skip Prosser), they know how to win. I've watched Thad Matta since he was at Butler and Xavier and I know he can do it at any program he goes to. Both coaches, they handle guards very well and I feel they can both develop me for the future. Their players aren't going anywhere else."
"(My parents) like both schools just like I do. They're kind of up in the air with both of them, just like I am. They don't know which one and we talk about it all the time. It's a real hard decision right now."
I reminded myself that teen-aged kids change their minds all the time, that their parents had begged them to give it more time after they returned from Columbus giddy about Ohio State -- that Wake and the allure of the ACC can't be counted out, that Oden could always do the crowd-pleasing thing and opt for Indiana University, and that the two were to head to Purdue's team camp for the weekend, no doubt ensuring they'd face more local pressure.
And then there's the ultimate wild card, the NBA. The league announced a new minimum age restriction of 19 when it finalized its latest collective bargaining agreement, but there was talk of a provision for highly regarded players to ask for early entry at 18, which Oden will be upon graduation next year.
Before the restriction, just about every pundit assumed Oden would follow the path of every top-five big man of the last 10 years and jump to the pros, a key Kevin Garnett turned in the mid-'90s.
"I think he's going to the league," Dallas Lauderdale of Solon, Ohio, told me when I asked him if there was a Greg Oden factor with his recruiting.
<!--Start Image--><SCRIPT language=Javascript>document.write(insertImage('/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/GREGODEN06200.JPG', '', 0, 267, 200, 1, 'Indianapolis star Greg Oden seems ready to give Ohio State the inside presence it hasn\'t had since Ken Johnson.', 'Rivals.com', 1119967908000, '', 1014, 'Align=Right'));</SCRIPT><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=6 rowSpan=4>
"It'll be a hard thing to turn down," longtime Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said weeks ago. "There will be some people who will sit down with him and tell him, 'If you go now, that means you'll get your first three-year contract over with quicker and therefore your next contract blah, blah, blah,' and they're going to show him all the millions of dollars there are to be made that he hasn't thought about probably.
"So he has to get through all that, but his intentions are to go to college because that's what he really wants to do."
Keefer, though, also predicted weeks ago the decision would come at the very end of June and intimated Ohio State was in good standing.
"I think it starts with Matta. He has been recruiting Mike since he was at Xavier, I know, and Mike had as one of his choices Xavier back in those days. So I think you start there and it certainly helped when (Daequan) Cook (committed) there.
"But I think Matta is probably the biggest strength of them all. He's just a very aggressive, very energetic guy.
"We've had every coach go through here from around the nation the last two or three years, but he just comes at you with a work ethic and he convinces the kid that they'll be better when they leave Ohio State. He goes through their workout in the morning and in the evening with them and what they'll be doing in the four years they're going to be there. He feels they'll be ready for the next step up after they've been in his program for four years."
Matta's sales pitch apparently was strong enough for Oden to pass on an unofficial visit to IU and for both to stay tucked away in their Chapel Hill hotel room instead of taking the guided tour of North Carolina while there for another AAU tourney.
It also apparently has stuck with them enough to make OSU either the grand-prize winner of the Oden-Conley sweepstakes, or, at worst, a very unlucky bridesmaid.
I drove away from the Tiernan Center sure that I had enough to at least paint a very rosy picture for OSU fans.
The Indianapolis Star stole some of that thunder with a report that circulated the next morning claiming that an unnamed family member of Oden's had inside information that the two were about to tab Ohio State. The paper later quoted AAU teammate Eric Gordon as saying it was known for a while in the inner circle that OSU was the pick.
I also came to find out that Oden, Conley and Cook spent some of their free time at the USA Basketball Youth Developmental Festival in San Diego in early June telling the likes of Lance Thomas, Thaddeus Young and Bryce Webster that they needed a forward to join them and Dave Lighty of Cleveland to complete the dream class. Young, by the way, told a scout at the NBA Camp last weekend that he received a text message from an unnamed coach telling him Oden and Conley were committed to OSU.
But I didn't know hardly any of that info when I began to leave Richmond.
On my way up to the I-70 on-ramp I realized I needed to fill up the gas tank and pulled in front of a white SUV to an open pump. While dispensing the much-needed liquid a familiar face came out of the store -- Conley. He caught my gaze and smiled.
"I swear I'm not following you," I joked. He came over for a chat and we made sure each other knew the San Antonio Spurs had just won the NBA championship and mentioned how we still had some traveling to do.
"You going back tonight?" Conley asked.
"Actually I'm staying with family in Centerville, so I just need to get there," I said. "How about you?"
"Yeah," he said. "Another trip home."
Just then Oden came out followed by a white-haired man I assume was Keefer, who had the unenvious task of transporting a 17-year-old who already is worth $100 million. After a few more pleasantries we were on National Road headed to the interchange. I passed the SUV and offered a wave to Conley and couldn't help but notice the symbolism ahead.
They were in the lane headed to the sign that said "70 West, Indianapolis." I was in the right lane about to follow the sign that read, "70 East, Columbus, O."
The way things were proceeding I was pretty sure I would be taking that route west again soon for a press conference -- and that Keefer one day would be driving the other way to deliver possibly one of the best packages in the history of Ohio State athletics.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Great piece on the Oden/Conley recruitment....
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
scout.com$
6/28/05
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Tomorrow is the day when everyone will find out for sure what college superstars Greg Oden and Mike Conley of Indianapolis Lawrence North will be attending. There's been plenty written about these two players in recent months, but today, we have a chance for you to see what they can do. We have some footage posted of the two players in action during last week's Indiana junior/senior All-Star game, as well as a couple clips of another player OSU likes, Luke Harangody. Click the link for more. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Excellent videos of Oden and Conley in action. I can't stop smiling people....
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Upvote
0
OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Today is going to be a huge day in OSU basketball history.....
Just a reminder that the press conference is scheduled for 1:00pm cst and 2:00pm est....please keep that in mind.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Just a reminder that the press conference is scheduled for 1:00pm cst and 2:00pm est....please keep that in mind.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Upvote
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One Last Article
LN's Oden, Conley set to make college call
By Jeff Rabjohns
Lawrence North teammates Greg Oden and Mike Conley plan to publicly announce their college choices at 1 p.m. today at their high school.
The Star reported last week both will attend Ohio State. Oden and Conley have said they will not make any public statements until the formal announcement.
Oden this year joined NBA star LeBron James as the only players to be named National High School Player of the Year as juniors. Conley is one of the top-ranked point guards in the nation.
The duo led Lawrence North to a second consecutive Class 4A state title this season.
Oden, a 7-foot, 245-pound center, averaged 20 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots. Conley, a 6-1 point guard, averaged 10.7 points and five assists.
Oral commitments are nonbinding. The earliest Oden and Conley can sign a national letter of intent is Nov. 9.
Next month, Oden will travel to Hollywood as one of 10 nominees for the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year. The award will be presented July 13, prior to the taping of the ESPY awards. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, retired soccer star Mia Hamm, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett, Orlando Magic forward Dwight Howard and Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie are scheduled to attend.
Oden and the other nominees will attend the ESPY awards, which air July 17.
LN's Oden, Conley set to make college call
By Jeff Rabjohns
Lawrence North teammates Greg Oden and Mike Conley plan to publicly announce their college choices at 1 p.m. today at their high school.
The Star reported last week both will attend Ohio State. Oden and Conley have said they will not make any public statements until the formal announcement.
Oden this year joined NBA star LeBron James as the only players to be named National High School Player of the Year as juniors. Conley is one of the top-ranked point guards in the nation.
The duo led Lawrence North to a second consecutive Class 4A state title this season.
Oden, a 7-foot, 245-pound center, averaged 20 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots. Conley, a 6-1 point guard, averaged 10.7 points and five assists.
Oral commitments are nonbinding. The earliest Oden and Conley can sign a national letter of intent is Nov. 9.
Next month, Oden will travel to Hollywood as one of 10 nominees for the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year. The award will be presented July 13, prior to the taping of the ESPY awards. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, retired soccer star Mia Hamm, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett, Orlando Magic forward Dwight Howard and Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie are scheduled to attend.
Oden and the other nominees will attend the ESPY awards, which air July 17.
Upvote
0
OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
LINK
6/29/05
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">OHIO STATE BASKETBALL
OSU's recruiting class to be 'Fantastic Four'
Wednesday, June 29, 2005 Bruce Hooley
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus - Thad Matta's promise before Ohio State hired him as its men's basketball coach sounded bold and brash, but might prove overwhelmingly understated.
Hire me, Matta told the search committee when he interviewed last July, and I'll put a fence around <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:State><ST1:place>Ohio</ST1:place></st1:State> when it comes to recruiting.
Today, Matta and his staff are expected to expand those boundaries by claiming oral commitments from USA Today national Player of the Year Greg Oden and his Indianapolis Lawrence North teammate, Mike Conley Jr.<O:p></O:p>
<O:p> </O:p>
The 7-0, 240-pound Oden is the consensus No. 1 player in the Class of 2006. He likely would be the top pick in the NBA draft next year, if not for a new 19-year-old NBA entry age limit that will force the center to play college basketball for at least one season.
Conley, a 6-1 point guard, is a consensus top 25 player nationally and ranked as the No. 4 point guard by Scout.com.
They join earlier OSU commitments Daequan Cook of Dayton Dunbar and David Lighty of Cleveland Villa-Angela St. Joseph.
Oden and Conley have scheduled a <st1:time Hour="14" Minute="0">2 p.m.</st1:time> press conference today to announce their college choice.
Matta and his coaches cannot comment on any of the players until they sign binding letters of intent with <ST1:place><st1:PlaceName>Ohio</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceType>State</st1:PlaceType></ST1:place> in October. The Indianapolis Star reported last week that the players would announce for OSU.
"I don't think there are going to be any surprises," said Dave Telep, national recruiting director for Scout.com. "Everything I hear tells me Oden and Conley are headed to <ST1:place><st1:PlaceName>Ohio</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceType>State</st1:PlaceType></ST1:place> to join Cook and Lighty, which is just amazing given all the obstacles Thad Matta had to fight through."
One year ago today, Matta still was more than one week removed from being hired at OSU. The program was immersed in the morass of Jim O'Brien's firing and rumored NCAA violations.
Those rumors have grown fangs over the past 12 months as details arose about O'Brien giving a former recruit $6,700 and accusations that former assistant coach Paul Biancardi orchestrated a system in which an OSU booster's housekeeper provided cash, gifts and improper academic assistance to former player Boban Savovic.
<ST1:place><st1:PlaceName>Ohio</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceType>State</st1:PlaceType></ST1:place> has admitted that further NCAA sanctions are likely beyond the one-year tournament ban the school self-imposed this past season.
Despite all that, Matta and his staff ran down a class analysts already rate favorably with the "Fab Five" at <st1:State><ST1:place>Michigan</ST1:place></st1:State> in the early 1990s.<O:p></O:p>
"Right now, instead of a 'Fab Five', we'll call it a 'Fantastic Four'," said national recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons of All Star Report. "If they get Raymar Morgan of Canton McKinley, that would give them five guys in the top 25 nationally. But even without Morgan, what Thad Matta has done is amazing."
Last year, Matta gave immediate notice of the importance he placed upon recruiting by delaying his appearance at his debut press conference at OSU by one day so he and assistant coach John Groce could attend the July 8 start of the ABCD Camp in Teaneck, N.J.
Oden, Conley, Cook and Lighty all were present at that camp, although Matta and Groce were barred by NCAA rules from speaking to them.
Hired at OSU only the day before, neither Matta nor Groce was certain any of the players knew they had left <ST1:place><st1:PlaceName>Xavier</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceName>University</st1:PlaceName></ST1:place> for OSU. Their wardrobe didn't give away the news, either, since both headed for <st1:State><ST1:place>New Jersey</ST1:place></st1:State> without any OSU shirts or other logo apparel.
Instead, Matta and Groce improvised, with Matta wearing a gray polo and Groce a maroon shirt that was the closest color in his closet to OSU scarlet. The two coaches stood side-by-side as the players took the court and hoped the subliminal message came across.
That relentless approach doesn't surprise OSU professor John Bruno, who was a member of the search committee that affirmed Matta's hiring.
"When Thad talked to us, he had such a passion and such an energy level, I was tired at the end of the interview," Bruno said. "I think we all were. He just reflected this clear confidence, without being boisterous, of his vision for the program and what it could become. He had a plan, and he shared it with us, and one aspect of that plan was the fence he wanted to put around <st1:State><ST1:place>Ohio</ST1:place></st1:State>. It looks like he's done that and gone beyond it a bit."
Cook was the corner post for the "Thad Four," committing to OSU shortly after its surprising 65-64 upset of unbeaten <st1:State><ST1:place>Illinois</ST1:place></st1:State> in the final regular-season game.
Since then, he has been applying the full-court press to Oden and Conley - his AAU teammates since the seventh grade - to join him at <ST1:place><st1:PlaceName>Ohio</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceType>State</st1:PlaceType></ST1:place>.
"Conley, Oden and Cook, first and foremost, are really close and really good friends," Telep said. "[Matta] sold those guys on the concept of taking their friendship to the same school."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
6/29/05
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">OHIO STATE BASKETBALL
OSU's recruiting class to be 'Fantastic Four'
Wednesday, June 29, 2005 Bruce Hooley
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus - Thad Matta's promise before Ohio State hired him as its men's basketball coach sounded bold and brash, but might prove overwhelmingly understated.
Hire me, Matta told the search committee when he interviewed last July, and I'll put a fence around <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:State><ST1:place>Ohio</ST1:place></st1:State> when it comes to recruiting.
Today, Matta and his staff are expected to expand those boundaries by claiming oral commitments from USA Today national Player of the Year Greg Oden and his Indianapolis Lawrence North teammate, Mike Conley Jr.<O:p></O:p>
<O:p> </O:p>
The 7-0, 240-pound Oden is the consensus No. 1 player in the Class of 2006. He likely would be the top pick in the NBA draft next year, if not for a new 19-year-old NBA entry age limit that will force the center to play college basketball for at least one season.
Conley, a 6-1 point guard, is a consensus top 25 player nationally and ranked as the No. 4 point guard by Scout.com.
They join earlier OSU commitments Daequan Cook of Dayton Dunbar and David Lighty of Cleveland Villa-Angela St. Joseph.
Oden and Conley have scheduled a <st1:time Hour="14" Minute="0">2 p.m.</st1:time> press conference today to announce their college choice.
Matta and his coaches cannot comment on any of the players until they sign binding letters of intent with <ST1:place><st1:PlaceName>Ohio</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceType>State</st1:PlaceType></ST1:place> in October. The Indianapolis Star reported last week that the players would announce for OSU.
"I don't think there are going to be any surprises," said Dave Telep, national recruiting director for Scout.com. "Everything I hear tells me Oden and Conley are headed to <ST1:place><st1:PlaceName>Ohio</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceType>State</st1:PlaceType></ST1:place> to join Cook and Lighty, which is just amazing given all the obstacles Thad Matta had to fight through."
One year ago today, Matta still was more than one week removed from being hired at OSU. The program was immersed in the morass of Jim O'Brien's firing and rumored NCAA violations.
Those rumors have grown fangs over the past 12 months as details arose about O'Brien giving a former recruit $6,700 and accusations that former assistant coach Paul Biancardi orchestrated a system in which an OSU booster's housekeeper provided cash, gifts and improper academic assistance to former player Boban Savovic.
<ST1:place><st1:PlaceName>Ohio</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceType>State</st1:PlaceType></ST1:place> has admitted that further NCAA sanctions are likely beyond the one-year tournament ban the school self-imposed this past season.
Despite all that, Matta and his staff ran down a class analysts already rate favorably with the "Fab Five" at <st1:State><ST1:place>Michigan</ST1:place></st1:State> in the early 1990s.<O:p></O:p>
"Right now, instead of a 'Fab Five', we'll call it a 'Fantastic Four'," said national recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons of All Star Report. "If they get Raymar Morgan of Canton McKinley, that would give them five guys in the top 25 nationally. But even without Morgan, what Thad Matta has done is amazing."
Last year, Matta gave immediate notice of the importance he placed upon recruiting by delaying his appearance at his debut press conference at OSU by one day so he and assistant coach John Groce could attend the July 8 start of the ABCD Camp in Teaneck, N.J.
Oden, Conley, Cook and Lighty all were present at that camp, although Matta and Groce were barred by NCAA rules from speaking to them.
Hired at OSU only the day before, neither Matta nor Groce was certain any of the players knew they had left <ST1:place><st1:PlaceName>Xavier</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceName>University</st1:PlaceName></ST1:place> for OSU. Their wardrobe didn't give away the news, either, since both headed for <st1:State><ST1:place>New Jersey</ST1:place></st1:State> without any OSU shirts or other logo apparel.
Instead, Matta and Groce improvised, with Matta wearing a gray polo and Groce a maroon shirt that was the closest color in his closet to OSU scarlet. The two coaches stood side-by-side as the players took the court and hoped the subliminal message came across.
That relentless approach doesn't surprise OSU professor John Bruno, who was a member of the search committee that affirmed Matta's hiring.
"When Thad talked to us, he had such a passion and such an energy level, I was tired at the end of the interview," Bruno said. "I think we all were. He just reflected this clear confidence, without being boisterous, of his vision for the program and what it could become. He had a plan, and he shared it with us, and one aspect of that plan was the fence he wanted to put around <st1:State><ST1:place>Ohio</ST1:place></st1:State>. It looks like he's done that and gone beyond it a bit."
Cook was the corner post for the "Thad Four," committing to OSU shortly after its surprising 65-64 upset of unbeaten <st1:State><ST1:place>Illinois</ST1:place></st1:State> in the final regular-season game.
Since then, he has been applying the full-court press to Oden and Conley - his AAU teammates since the seventh grade - to join him at <ST1:place><st1:PlaceName>Ohio</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceType>State</st1:PlaceType></ST1:place>.
"Conley, Oden and Cook, first and foremost, are really close and really good friends," Telep said. "[Matta] sold those guys on the concept of taking their friendship to the same school."
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