The Guy Behind The Guy
He leads the Big Ten in assists and steals and already has the Ohio State freshman record for dimes to go along with a resume that includes three Indiana state titles and McDonald's and Parade All-American honors. But Mike Conley Jr. is playing in the shadow of a phenom.
It's always been that way for Conley, who during his childhood was known as the son of Olympic gold medallist Mike Conley Sr. And no matter what, Conley can't seem to shake the perception of being the Cal Naughton Jr. to Greg Oden's Ricky Bobby. The two played on the same middle school, high school and AAU teams and despite his own exploits, many thought his landing in Columbus was some sort of package deal with Oden.
"I think a lot of people didn't see me as a McDonald's All-American, Parade All-American and things like that," the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder from Lawrence North (Indianapolis) High. "They just saw me coming along for the ride almost."
While he may not escape Oden's sizeable shadow until the big man is in the NBA, Conley has shown he's not riding the coattails of a player who has been called the best American-born big man in a generation.
His 6.4 assists a game are sixth in the nation and his 3.13 assist-to-turnover ratio is tops in the Big Ten. The only knock on Conley (9.7 ppg) has been his struggles with his outside shot, hitting just 28.9 percent from behind the arc. But Conley has excelled in those areas which define a point guard: getting his teammates involved and shouldering the load when needed.
"I want them to see how I can make my teammates better and how I can change the game and take over the game," Conley said. "I want people to know that I can play in clutch situations and not get rattled. [It's] just that overall game that I want people to notice."
He put that complete game on display in last week's win over Purdue. With Oden grieving over the death of his best friend, Ball State's Travis Smith, it was Conley who helped guide the Buckeyes to a victory, scoring a career-high 18 points to go along with six assists. With Oden back to his dominant self in Saturday's win at Michigan State, Conley was again relegated to the background, scoring 10 points and adding three assists while Oden had 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
But don't think that Conley feels slighted by being the guy behind the guy. He knows having Oden on his side has its advantages.
"I never took anything away from him," Conley said. "Playing with him has made me that much better as a player and as a person. He's a great person off the court to be a friend with and he makes me better and he makes the rest of the team better."
It's that long history that gives Conley a certain insight into what makes Oden tick -- and an ability to set him off like nobody else.
The two live in a four-person suite along with fellow freshmen Daequan Cook and David Lighty, with the fifth member of the Thad Five, Othello Hunter, living across the hall. When they're away form the court and the classroom, Conley says Oden likes his peace and quiet, spending his time in his room watching movies -- and nothing irks the big man more than putting a kink in his relaxation sessions.
"I know I can set him off at any time when I'm bangin' music and he can't hear his movies," Conley said. "That's his favorite pastime and I know how to get to him."
But what doesn't get to Conley is being underrated or under appreciated while everyone focuses on his 7-foot-1 high school chum.
"I don't look at it like that," he said. "I just try to keep an open mind and stay focused in what my goals are and not really think about what people are saying or who the highlights are of on TV."
