PG Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies)

[underoath437]

44820,

i say it is at 65%

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

44820, when are you going to bump it to 60-65% . I'm loving how the mo Thad has built is starting to topple the domino's the way he wants them to fall!!

gsnuts.....no need to after the next few weeks.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

scout.com$

4/30/05

<CENTER><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff>
Mike Conley Jr.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top> Spiece Coverage: Conley and Cook
By Kyle Lamb
Date: Apr 30, 2005

Kyle Lamb provides a report from the Spiece Run 'N Slam tournament in Fort Wayne, Ind. Today he has interviews with Spiece Indy Heat teammates Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook. We will have updates all weekend. Click here for more.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

</CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER>

The interview was very positive for OSU in my opinion. Mike said he was excited about the visit to Wake, but that he is very excited about his visit to OSU next weekend. Conley wants to see what it will be like in the classroom and other things, he expects a lot on his visit. He did mention that he was up to OSU in the fall for a football game and it blew him away.

One key thing Conley talked about is that when Cook verbaled it changed a lot of people's perspectives in regard to OSU and that he is seeing that continue with Lighty's verbal upcoming and now it could be the one school he can see himself going to.

Conley stated he would make a decision soon after his visit to OSU.

(In my opinion everything I am hearing and that is being rumored is that OSU is the leader at this point for both Conley and Oden and that if everything on the visit goes as planned it will be hard to beat OSU at this point.)

scouthoops.com$

4/30/05




MIKE CONLEY UPDATE FROM SCOUTHOOPS.COM



Conley tells them is top to schools are Wake and Ohio State. Apparently, North Carolina has talked to Mike about a late May visit, but that is unlikely to happen. Conley says coach Matta and Prosser have been with him since day one and he is comfortable around them. Conley did say that both schools are "even right now". They speculate that Ohio State is surging at this point. (hmmm...both schools are even before he even visits OSU? )

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

rivals.com$

5/2/05

May 2, 2005
Conley says he could opt for OSU very soon

Conley is very excited about his upcoming visit to OSU and says there is a very, very high possiblity that he will make a decision soon after his visit.

Conley says he didnt always like OSU but always liked Matta. Conley and Oden will arrive in Columbus on Friday and will visit for 48 hours. Cook and Lighty will also make their official visits over the weekend.

Most sources believe OSU is the leader and apparently his mother while watching Mike play stated she wanted him to go to Wake but that he was leaning towards OSU.

[osugrad21]

Moment of possible hyperbole:

This weekend is possibly the most important 48 hours of tOSU basketball in many decades.

[Cornerback6]

I hope you guys are ready to celebrate because I feel REALLY good about our chances here! If you don't think Matta's going to seal the deal this weekend, you're crazy. With Cook & Lighty there too...forget about it!

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

In terms of impact on a program.....anytime you can bring to campus 4-5 players who are ranked in the top 25 in their class......its absolutely huge. Its a great move by Matta to get Conley, Oden, Cook, Lighty and possibly Thad Young on official visits the same weekend. That is quite an accomplishment.

I have no doubts he will seal the deal with Oden and Conley. (In my opinion, its been a done deal since the Wake visit.)

[Cornerback6]

Hey 44820...since you're so confident about Oden & Conley, what do you think our chances are with Young? I mean, if you're Matta here, all you really need to say to the kid is, do you, or do you not want to be a part of this potential NC squad?

Secondly, is Young visiting this weekend with the other two? I haven't heard anything that would hint at that.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

cornerback6.....check out the Thaddeus Young thread for your answer.

[BGriffBuckeye]

Either Conley was caught up in the dreamy "Thad Five" scenario like everyone else or he already knew something when he said, "I'm very excited. I don't know what's going to happen after we commit. I hope the best comes out of me because a lot of talk is that if we commit, a lot of other people will look at the school and we'll become a great program. Hopefully that's what will happen if that comes out that way."

Added Cook, "I'm sure the coaches will let us get together and talk about the situation. It's a big step up for them (the Buckeyes). I feel we aren't going to do anything other than play up to our potential, play up to the hype."

This says it all....

[JCOSU86]

I can almost hear the Wake posters' melt down from down here....

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

LINK

Oden's AAU team wins key matchup
Spiece Indy Heat take tournament crown with victory over team led by O.J. Mayo.

<!-- SIDEBAR --><!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=210 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=10></TD><TD><!--MAIN PHOTO--><!--RELATED ARTICLES--><!--RELATED PHOTO GALLERIES--><!----><!--RELATED PHOTOS GALLERIES AND MULTIMEDIA ASSETS--><!--MAIN FACTS BOX--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#cccccc><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>Oden Update
• Staying put at No. 1: Talent scout Dave Telep said Greg Oden remains the top player in the nation in his class and has yet to have that status challenged. "He's a 7-1 center that runs the floor, blocks shots. He changes games defensively," Telep said Sunday, while watching Oden's AAU team, the Spiece Indy Heat, win the Spiece Run 'n' Slam Classic, which drew hundreds of the top players in the nation. "His stock is not going anywhere." In the championship game, Oden had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots as Spiece beat the D1 Greyhounds, led by 6-5 O.J. Mayo, the No. 1 player in the 2007 class.
• A new Fab Five? Since Dayton Dunbar's Daequan Cook gave an oral commitment to Ohio State in March, there has been considerable speculation that Oden and Lawrence North classmate Mike Conley would follow. Cook has been trying to make it happen. "We've been talking a lot," said Cook, a 6-5 shooting guard ranked as the No. 8 player in the Class of 2006 and an AAU teammate of Oden and Conley. "We always said that we were going to play basketball together. It's always been on our mind to go to the same college. It'd be fun. We could win an NCAA championship. A championship would be bound to happen." Ohio State is also the leader for 6-5 David Lighty, a top-20 talent in Oden's class. Those four would make for the best recruiting class in the nation.
• Early hiccup: Oden's AAU team entered the summer season ranked No. 1 in the country by Telep with a star lineup that also included North Central's Eric Gordon. Spiece lost to Memphis Pump-N-Run in the final of its first event, the Real Deal on the Hill in Arkansas, with Oden scoring just 11 points after dominating the early rounds
• Going global: One of the most interesting events this summer is for individuals, but with team in mind -- Team USA. Oden and Conley have been invited to the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in June, to be held in either Colorado Springs, Colo., or San Diego. For the first time, the Youth Festival will include international teams: from Russia, China, New Zealand and Canada. With the U.S. slipping in recent Olympics, USA organizers wanted to familiarize future U.S. players with the international game earlier. "It's an education process," USA Basketball men's director Sean Ford said. "It's knowing that skill and teamwork are important and that respecting your opponent is where you have to begin."
• Mowing local: If the weather is nice, it's possible you could see a 7-footer mowing a lawn near you. Oden's summer job is working for the mowing business run by Lawrence North assistant Ralph Scott. "When we don't have open gym, I'll work," Oden said. "It's trimming, mainly."
-- Jeff Rabjohns

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!--ADDITIONAL FACTS --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- STORY TEXT --><!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->
By Tracy Dodds
<SCRIPT ********************><!--document.write(''+'tracy.dodds'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>tracy.dodds@indystar.com


FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- With two of the nation's top high school basketball players going against each other, hundreds of fans filled Spiece Fieldhouse -- and then some -- for Sunday's Run 'n' Slam Classic title game.

The objects of the fans' desire: Greg Oden of Lawrence North High School and Spiece Indy Heat, the nation's No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2006; and O.J. Mayo of Cincinnati North College Hill and D1 Greyhounds, tabbed No. 1 for the Class of 2007.

On this day, Oden got the best of Mayo, getting 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in Spiece's 77-58 victory.

This matchup may become a trend on the AAU circuit.

"It's the first of many times we'll probably play this year, and I look forward to playing against him," Mayo said.

Throughout the three-day tournament, Spiece and the D1 Greyhounds were magnets for the biggest crowds. Both teams feature many of the nation's top-flight high school players.

With Oden on the Spiece team were Michael Conley Jr., who also will be a senior at Lawrence North, and Eric Gordon, who will be a junior at North Central.

With Mayo on the D1 Greyhounds was Bill Walker, who also will be a junior at North College Hill.

After Spiece beat D1 Greyhounds, Spiece coach Michael Conley -- the younger Conley's father and a former Olympic triple jump star -- couldn't say enough about the talent on the court.

"There were a lot of future pro and college players on that court," Conley said. "There were some potential top picks, No. 1 draft picks. That was quite a show for $10."

Actually, admission was $5 Sunday, a day on which both teams played three games before meeting in the final.

In all, the Spiece Indy Heat had to win nine games to get the trophy. Three days, 156 teams competing in three categories, and the game the fans wanted finally materialized.

Backing Oden's effort in the final game was Daequan Cook (Dayton Dunbar) with 20 points. Gordon had 16.

Conley was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament's top division.

Mayo scored 27 points -- many of them after the outcome was assured -- and Walker 12 in the final game.

Getting to the final was no small task. It was Spiece's depth -- or, as its coach pointed out, the quality depth and guts -- that allowed the team to win so much and have something left for the title game.

"When you have the depth we have, you don't have to play as much, especially during the early parts of the tournament," Oden said.

D1 Greyhounds had an easier time in their semifinal game, making quick work of the King James Shooting Stars 69-46, while Spiece had to fight off a determined Illinois Fire 71-61.

"They were a good team," Oden said. "They wanted to beat us."

As did Mayo's team, which beat Oden's team two years ago in their only other matchup.

There could be something of a rematch during the high school season. The athletic directors for Lawrence North and Cincinnati's North College Hill are trying to set up a game. The idea is for the game to be on TV in early December, possibly at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said: "We've tried to work with them in many ways but haven't been able to get any movement."

If that doesn't pan out, the Wildcats likely will target Dayton Dunbar, led by Ohio State recruit Cook, an AAU teammate of Oden's, for that date.

The Wildcats have an opening for an opponent in the Circle City Classic and an open date in early December that last year was used for the game against Poplar Bluff (Mo.), which was shown on ESPN2.

Lawrence North athletic director Grant Nesbit said his school will still try to work with Mayo's school. "We would love to play Mayo's team," Nesbit said.

The match-up between Oden/Conley vs Mayo/Walker would be interesting to see.

[wadc45]

Rivals $

5/2/05

From Peegs.com...this link actually includes video highlights of not only Conley, but also Oden, Cook, Pogue, Gordon, Mayo, and Walker. But since it shows up under Conely's name on the BSB headlines, I am just going to post it here.

All I can say is wow...

[BGriffBuckeye]

Mike has court vision like Ray Felton... with NBA range on his shot. MVP of the tourney.

Cook can shoot as well and is a very powerful dunker... that windmill in traffic was sweet. It was amazing how effortless he makes the game look.

Greg is Greg, we all know how good he is. Dominating defensive presence and a force downlow.

Gordon seems to have a nice shot, but only 2 clips and one was a made freethrow...

Pogue though looked great. He knows how to use his big body and definitely has a love for the game. Wears his emotions on his sleeve, and I like it.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

scout.com$

5/5/05
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">
<CENTER><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff>
Greg Oden

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top> Official Visits Are On As Planned
By Kyle Lamb
Date: May 4, 2005

This is a big weekend for OSU basketball recruiting as two of the nation's top prospects -- guard Mike Conley and center Greg Oden of Indianapolis Lawrence North -- will be coming in to Ohio State for a visit. Kyle Lamb has the latest update on the visit details.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER>

Oden and Conley will be taking an official visit to Ohio State this weekend. Also, Cook will be taking his official visit and possibly Lighty at this point. A note on Young, apparently they are going to try to set up a visit in two weeks but nothing is definite. Oden, Conley and Cook will not play in the AAU tourney in Columbus this weekend.

<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->