C Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

I hope that Matta and company made an impression on Oden and Conley. I expect that we closed the deal fellas.

[SCBuck]

Sportscenter just ran a piece on Oden/Conley. ESPiN interviewed both of them (along with Prosser and Izzo) and they both confirmed that Oden's priority is college. Conley predicts (again) they will attend the same college together. a quote from Oden "I can't imagine NOT playin with Mike next year." It's looking good for the Bucks.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Time and time again, Oden has expressed his desire to attend college and I for one believe him. He is a down to earth, humble kid who I think honestly is only focusing on college. I know when he is asked about the NBA or age issue, he always says he is not worried or focusing on that because college is his next step.

scout.com$

5/8/05
Quote:
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<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> Conley Reflects On Visit; Oden Featured On ESPN
By Kyle Lamb
Date: May 8, 2005

Indianapolis Lawrence North junior basketball standouts Mike Conley Jr. (pictured) and Greg Oden made their long-awaited official visit to Ohio State this weekend. We had a chance to speak with Conley about the visit. Plus, we have excerpts from ESPN's "Outside The Lines" segment from Sunday on Oden. Click here for the latest.
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Conley said his visit to OSU was very nice and he got some of his questions answered. Its still down to OSU and Wake. He did say that he may wait to see what happens with the NBA age issue before he makes a decision and if that drags on he will make a decision at the end of the summer at this point.

He said his family felt more comfortable with OSU after the visit and they spent a lot of time on academics and just spent time with the team. His mother was very impressed with the academics which bodes well for OSU.

Conley did say that he had a feeling for the team and could see himself playing with them. They did not get a chance to play with the team though.

Oden, once again said he will be going to college on ESPN. I don't know how much clearer he can make it for everyone in my opinion.

(I will be very suprised if Conley waits that long to verbal, Kyle Lamb also has that opinion, everything points to a month at the most right now)

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

[BB73]

An article about Oden's mom in the Indianapolis Star on Mother's Day:

In the Oden household, Mom stands the tallest

<!-- SIDEBAR --><!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=210 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=10></TD><TD><!--MAIN PHOTO--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD>-- Kelly Wilkinson / The Star
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By Tracy Dodds
<SCRIPT ********************><!--document.write(''+'tracy.dodds'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>tracy.dodds@indystar.com


Zoe Oden is a single mother who works at St. Vincent Hospital. She has two sons: Greg, 17, who is completing his junior year at Lawrence North High School, and Anthony, 15, who is a freshman there.

On this Mother's Day, The Star asked her to talk about the responsibilities and pressures facing a mother whose son grows to be 7 feet tall and is lauded as the best high school basketball player in the country.

For Greg, it's an exciting time. He has begun another big summer on the AAU circuit, and next fall comes the chance to win a third straight high school championship, something accomplished only twice in Indiana's storied basketball history. He's being recruited hard by several colleges, but he could also opt to jump straight to the NBA, where he would likely be a top pick and make an instant fortune.

What's a mother to do?

Question: At what point did you realize Greg was going to be a really special basketball player?

Answer: When they went undefeated at Craig Middle School. That was when people started making a big thing out of the fact that he was 6-11 and he was going to be a freshman.

Q: Were there other people in your family that were so tall that you might have anticipated Greg's height?

A: I'm 6-1. I have a brother who is 6-8.

Q: If Greg had been 6-8, he'd be expected to be a basketball player, whereas at 7 feet, that gets a whole lot more attention.

A: That's right. But I have always told Greg that if he didn't want to play basketball, he didn't have to play basketball just because he's tall. That's his choice. Once he started playing, he enjoyed it.

Q: You sit through a lot of basketball games. Do you enjoy it?

A: I'm starting to.

Q: Do you worry about Anthony (who is 6-8 and also plays basketball) being expected to come up to Greg's level?

A: Yes. But they are so different.

Q: With all that goes on around Greg, do you feel that you have to make up the difference for Anthony?

A: No. Because they are so different. Greg is quiet, and he doesn't require a whole lot from me. It balances itself out.

Q: Greg can't help but see that eventually he'll have a pro contract worth a lot of money. How do you factor that in when you're trying to teach him basic values, like the importance of education?

A: He's a teenager. He's 17. I treat him as a teenager and stick with the basics. School comes first. Everything else is extra. Basketball is entertainment for him, something to do to keep him off the streets.

Q: What do you do, though, about all the other people who see him not as a teenager but as a future millionaire? Scouts or people who want to manage the money in his future, people with deals and offers -- how do you know whom to trust?

A: Well, I have a good support system. And it really hasn't been that bad.

Q: No one has approached you to sell himself as a future agent?

A: Once before someone called on the phone. But, it really hasn't been that bad. The phone doesn't go crazy. College coaches are not constantly calling. The only thing is mail. Most of the mail goes to the school, and that's pretty much basic stuff. Colleges send newspaper clips and questionnaires. It really hasn't been too much.

The biggest problem has been the press. Reporters are always in his face and they're always trying to find a story. And it seems like there is always someone in his face asking for an autograph. But it hasn't been bad bad. Not anything that he really can't handle.

Q: But don't you anticipate that it's going to escalate?

A: I'm sure it will. I'm sure it will. Especially if they have another great year.

Q: You're going to have to help your son decide among several top colleges competing for him, or, if the rules don't change, possibly an NBA contract right out of high school. Only a few parents have ever been in that position. Are you in consultation with any mothers who have been this route before?

A: No one. . . . I did try to reach Jermaine O'Neal's mother once, thinking it would be like calling a normal person, but I couldn't get through.

Q: No matter what you do, you're going to have people all over the country saying, "Why didn't his mother make him do this?" or "Why didn't his mother tell him that?" Is that a concern?

A: No. Because this is about my family. I will handle my family.

Q: Has his involvement in basketball been a help to you as a single mother?

A: I wasn't brought up in basketball, so I have no way of knowing what the outcome is going to be. As far as what they're doing while I'm working, I always know that they're safe at school or playing basketball. Or Greg is working. He does have a girlfriend. But, for both (Greg and Anthony), basketball does keep them very busy and I know where they are. But they've never been the kind of people to be on the street.

Q: Speaking of girlfriends, do you talk to him about knowing who his true friends are and about the women who might try to get close to him for the wrong reasons?

A: I always talk to him about that. I talk to him about the things that are going on out there if he has sex. I let him know that I don't want him to be doing that, but if he is, he'd better be protected. There are too many diseases out there. And he doesn't need to be getting somebody pregnant now.

Q: Is he going to kill you for saying that?

A: He's heard it from me too many times to be surprised I'm saying it again.

Q: That's true for any young man, but when a guy has the kind of potential he has, the possibilities can be scarier.

A: At that point, it's going to come down to his judgment.

Q: To this point, has Greg shown good judgment? You've never had a problem with him?

A: He is a good kid. And people ask me all the time if I'm proud of him. Yes, of course, I'm very proud of him. But I don't want to make it sound like our life is always perfect or that we've never had any conflict. . . . He is a teenager. He's a normal teenager. But no, nothing major.

Q: You're not intimidated to have to look up at him and let him know how things are going to be?

A: I am not intimidated by him at all. Or Anthony.

Q: That's right. You're looking up at both of your sons. Most 6-1 moms wouldn't have to give that a thought.

A: It's wonderful to be able to come home to sons who make me feel as if I'm short.

Q: Do you have any advice for other mothers with star athletes coming up?

A: Treat them with respect, and when they show they can handle responsibility, trust their judgment. I've always told Greg, I do trust him to have good judgment, but I need to know what's going on. Somebody always needs to know what's going on. . . . There are times when I can tell he just really hates to admit that I was right about something. I don't even have to say the words, "I told you so." He knows.

Q: It's that little voice you put in his head that gets him ready to make his own decisions, isn't it?

A: You do the best you can to prepare them for what's out there, and eventually you have to let go. But not yet.

[BuckeyeFromHecK]

Sounds like she gets down to business, and doesnt try to sell it for something its not. Hopefully she will realize the possibilities at The Ohio State University, and help her son get there.

[BuckeyeInTheBoro]

Wow. Great interview with mom. Greg sounds like he really has his head on straight and reading that article it's easy to see why. Mom has her head on straight.
I imagine it would be pretty easy to get caught up in the circus of expectations and potential, but she's putting her son's long term well-being first... as it should be.

I loved this:

The biggest problem has been the press. Reporters are always in his face and they're always trying to find a story.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Sounds like she gets down to business, and doesnt try to sell it for something its not. Hopefully she will realize the possibilities at The Ohio State University, and help her son get there.

According to Conley, Oden enjoyed his visit to OSU and so did his mother. They both had a lot of questions answered.

rivals.com$

5/9/05

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>Indianapolis Lawrence North teammates Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. are back after an official visit to Ohio State with commitments Dave Lighty and Daequan Cook. [more]</TD><TD width=6></TD><TD vAlign=top></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Coach Matta picked up Oden and Conley in Indianapolis due to a flight problem. Cook stated that both of them really seemed to enjoy themselves. According to Cook's high school coach, the parents raved about the visit. The article says its possible that they could hold a press conference as early as this week.

(As they say, no news is good news in my opinion. I think we gained an advantage with this visit over Wake and I expect an announcement within the next month.)

[bucknut11]

Long write-up from Andy Katz at E$PN, discussing whether or not Oden will go to college. This kid's really got his head on his shoulders.....

INDIANAPOLIS – We know the household names. Kobe. LeBron. KG. Jermaine. Amare. Al. Eddy. Tyson. Prodigies who left high school for the NBA.

So why wouldn't Greg Oden do the same? He might, but the somewhat docile 7-foot, 235-pound specimen from Lawrence North High in Indiana is giving every indication he's ready to spurn millions to go to college instead of taking his apparent place as the top pick in the 2006 NBA draft.

"Basketball is not always going to be there, so why not get an education and develop, so when basketball is gone, you still have your education?" Oden asked.

Why should college coaches, the NBA, or even you, the fan, believe him?

"It's hard for me to believe," chuckled Jack Keefer, Oden's high school coach who recently coached in the McDonald's All-American game. Keefer has been at Lawrence North for 29 years. He's won three state titles – including the past two seasons with Oden as a sophomore and junior (the first came with Eric Montross in the middle).

"But he says he wants to, and I think that he's a man of few words, and when he says something he usually means it," Keefer said. "So we will have to see what he's got in mind."

The past two No. 1 picks (LeBron James and Dwight Howard) were, like Oden, the top-rated high school players in their respective classes. Kwame Brown, who is currently serving a suspension, was the top pick in 2001 – the first-ever high schooler to go No. 1. Brown was a top-five player in his class but not a consensus No. 1 like James, Howard and Oden.

So, what makes this 17-year-old center different? Two things: He would like to be recruited by and attend the same school as his close friend, Mike Conley Jr., a teammate since the eighth grade.

The other? The kid is a whiz at math.

That's right. Math.

"I'm just good at math and it comes to me easy," Oden said. "I have good teachers in math."

Still, no one believes Oden will go to college – not even those recruiting him.

Keefer said Oden tells college coaches that he wants to be an accountant. Of course, each coach's response must be: Someday you might want to hire an accountant, not be one.

"They act surprised when I tell them that, because they'll say, 'All my players hate math,'" Oden said.

What is it about math that Oden finds so challenging?

"Not much, and that's why I like it so much," he added.

The center's number-crunching fetish hasn't escaped his buddy's notice.

"Yeah, we tease him all the time," Conley Jr. said. "Whose favorite subject is math? I mean, nobody that we can really name."

Oden seems certain about one thing – he wants to go to school with Conley.

"If we weren't to go to the same college, it would be OK, but I really can't see myself going to a college without him there," Oden said.

"A lot of coaches have told me that they come to see me, because they think Greg will go to the NBA rather than go to college," Conley said.

Conley visited six schools unofficially – Illinois, Wake Forest, Ohio State, North Carolina, Indiana and Michigan State – and Oden tagged along for all but Illinois. In the past three weeks, Conley and Oden have visited Wake Forest and Ohio State officially.


Not coincidentally, the five schools that Conley and Oden visited together are now Oden's finalists. Under NCAA rules, college coaches can't comment publicly about recruits. But the question remains, how can coaches determine if an elite player is serious about attending college?

"I don't know if you ever really know," Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said. "I think we would have to have conversations with the young man and detect a real passion and intention to go to school."

Look at how Wake Forest changed its approach with Oden from his unofficial to his official visit. "The first time I just felt like a tagalong," Oden said. "I knew we were [there] for Mike. But I wanted to check it out, too. Now they're recruiting me a lot more."

It took a while for coaches to jump on Oden's recruitment, but that was natural. A number of coaches looked at Oden as another James or Howard of the past two years.

"We did recruit LeBron some as a sophomore and then just realized that you can't waste time if you are convinced that he is going pro," said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who has picked up his recruitment of Oden in the past six months.

In stark contrast to James, who embraced stardom as a high school junior and coveted the lavish lifestyle of the NBA, Oden hasn't wavered on pursuing a college education on his way to the NBA.

Ironically, Oden might not have the same choice as James or Howard. The NBA and its players union could implement an age minimum this summer, possibly preventing Oden from entering the draft until after his sophomore year in college. The prospect of an age minimum has altered the recruitment a bit.

"There's been a rush of late on him," Keefer said. "He was ignored for a while, and I had to call coach Izzo and a few other coaches and say, 'Hey, he wants to go to school.' Greg's had five visits here [at Lawrence North, with the five finalists] ... and he could have had hundreds if he wanted to."

Keefer said many schools that normally would show interest in a player like Oden haven't because of the assumption that he will declare.

Keefer mentioned Kentucky as one school familiar with his program that hasn't been chasing Oden. Coach Tubby Smith signed Keefer's last big-name center, John Stewart, but Stewart tragically died after collapsing during a Class 4A regional playoff game on March 13, 1999.

"Smith recruited John," Keefer said, "so he had been in touch here over the years and knew our players and knew Greg was here, but didn't pay attention as much until lately."

Keefer said Oden is developing along a similar path as his previous 7-footers. The coach said Oden is comfortable with his jump shot and jump hook. He runs the floor well, something that Keefer demanded of him on a daily basis.

Oden said he emulates Tim Duncan for his face-up game and Shaquille O'Neal for his post-up game.

Given all this, what would it say if a player who is supposed to be the top pick in the NBA draft decides to go to college?

"That would send a statement that you can do both," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "I've always told my players that all the great players I've coached have earned their degree, and I know you can do both."


Keefer compared Oden's college vs. NBA decision to Matt Leinart's decision to stay at USC for his senior season instead of being the top pick in the 2005 NFL draft.

"It's unusual for a kid to turn his back on such grandeur," Keefer said. "He may or may not. I just can't say. But he's going to have good people around him when he makes this decision."

That inner circle includes Keefer, Oden's mother, Conley and Conley's father, Mike Sr., who was a gold medalist in the triple jump in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Oden says agents have shied away from him. He claims he's never had any runners – that is, assistants to agents, shoe people and the like – trying to get to him, either.

"I don't think there will be pressure on him," Keefer said. "But he still has to give this a lot of thought."

So, where does Oden stand on his final five schools?

Indiana? "It's close to home, and I like the players and coach [Mike] Davis, a real cool guy, and I like the atmosphere."

Michigan State? "The players are real cool and they have a history of NBA-type players, and I love the coaching staff."

Wake Forest? "It's real nice. It's a little far away, but when you are going to college you need to leave and find yourself. It's a little college where you can get to know everybody and just develop into a man at a great academic place."

Ohio State? "I like the Buckeyes and I love the coaches. I like the campus a lot. They say Columbus is a lot like Indianapolis, so it would be like home for me."

North Carolina? "Coach [Roy] Williams is a great coach and North Carolina is a great place to play. A lot of NBA-caliber players have come out of North Carolina, and coach Williams has a great list of players and academic players that he's had through the years."

Do you believe Oden yet?

Regardless of an age-minimum rule change, Oden and those close to him say it won't have any bearing on his decision. He wants to make an announcement before his senior season begins.

So, where does Oden play in the fall of 2006?

"I say college right now," Conley Jr. said. "I really do think he will pick college over the NBA."

"I'll be on a college campus," Oden said. "Definitely."

[hoopsfan]

Originally Posted by bucknut11

Long write-up from Andy Katz at E$PN, discussing whether or not Oden will go to college. This kid's really got his head on his shoulders.....

this was actually a feature on Sunday AM Sportscenter - a great piece.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

This morning on 610 am WTVN radio, they had a brief interview with Conley and Oden's high school coach and he basically said the fact that Cook signed with OSU really helps Matta and that both of the kids are very comfortable with Matta because of the way he has approached them during their recruiting and how energetic and passionate he is about OSU.

They also mentioned that according to their coach, he expects a decision sometime in June.

(I have been saying that we would have a decision within the next month after the visit, its always been the time frame and I think OSU is sitting in great position at this point)

Conley and Oden will be playing in the Adidas May Classic this coming weekend in Bloomington, Indiana. There has been speculation that they will not make their decision known this week due to being blasted by the media in Indiana for not selecting IU.

Spiece Indy Heat will play against Thaddeus Young and his team Memphis Pump and Run on Saturday.

rivals.com$

5/10/05

The article talks about some of the top prospects of the 2006 class including Oden and Conley. They feel its only a matter of time before an announcement is made and they feel they are headed to OSU.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Here is a pick of Oden (I think he will look good in an OSU uniform).....

[jimotis4heisman]

http://iowa.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?f...8&sid=&style=2
more rumors

[BGriffBuckeye]

sweet, if true

[akronbuck]

That would be the biggest commitment of all time for OHIO STATE bball and the way all these top 5 position players are ranked in football and Tressel cleans up in ohio again, this would be like a dream year for us recruiting buckeye freaks

The new fab 5 which, would blow away scummies fab 5

howard, webber and rose were considered A.A IN ALL TOP 25 and the others too , were between 50-100 national.

oden,cook and lighty in the top 25 or better already and with 2 average or superstar players


GEIGER WAS THE MAN FOR TRESSEL AND MATTA

WOODY, GEIGER, TRESSEL AND MATTA SOON TO JOIN

[Oh8ch]

Gotta give that post a zero on the credibility scale. A simple unsupported statement from a board whose school is not even in the hunt.