C Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)

[jimotis4heisman]

Originally Posted by 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

wrong, 4 were in the top 18, king i believe was #48

o8ch i agree thats why i said more rumors

[scooter1369]

Originally Posted by jimotis4heisman

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

There are a couple guys on there making sense. Its not "Why are they doing well now?" Its "Why haven't they done well recently until now?"

The answer is simple. The coach. Matta is much better recruiter.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

http://iowa.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?...68&sid=&style=2
more rumors

jimotis4heisman stated these were rumors.....entertaining at best.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

rivals.com$

5/12/05

The article discusses the timetable for their decision.....their high school coach feels it will be in June or later at this point. Conley and Oden have not said much since their visit to OSU but from all sources, it seems like OSU has an advantage right now. Conley and Oden will play in the adidas May Classic in Bloomington May 13-15. It appears at this time that Oden and possibly Conley will take an unofficial visit to Indiana (the tourney is on campus). Their is also a chance that Conley and Oden will take a visit to North Carolina.

(I believe that OSU is the leader at this point and I think they are going to announce in June at the latest. I do not see them taking a visit to North Carolina and I believe that Oden is only taking a visit to Indiana because they are on campus and to appease some of the people putting pressure on his camp to at least look at Indiana. I feel confident we are sitting in a good position to land these two top players.)
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Kyle Lamb is reporting that Oden will not be attending the tourney in Bloomington this weekend. I guess that means no unofficial visit to Indiana at least this weekend. Its my opinion that he will not visit Indiana at all.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

5/13/05


Oden has been chosen nationally by USA Basketball to participate in the Men's Youth Development Festival, to be held June 7-11 in San Diego as part of the International Sports Invitational.

roster<!--ARTICLE TOOLBOX-->
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[jwinslow]

<!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="body" -->Hoosier Hoops Mag

While there is still plenty of top caliber teams, Spiece Indy Heat will be without the services of Greg Oden, who will be in New York this weekend for a family graduation.

[Ahiacitian]

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...TS02/505140412


In my opinion, this article sounds pretty positive for OSU...


May 14, 2005


Oden's decision not imminent
Lawrence North star returns from Ohio State; no more official college visits planned.

<!-- 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>Final four: Lawrence North's Greg Oden has visited Wake Forest and Ohio State. He says Indiana and Michigan State are his other finalists, but he has not scheduled official visits to those schools. -- Darron Cummings / Associated Press
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!--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>Recruiting 101
Oral commitment: A non-binding announcement of a high school player's intention to attend a certain college. Most players follow through, though not all. Indianapolis' Robert Vaden announced during freshman year of high school that he was going to Purdue, but he ended up playing basketball at Indiana.

Signing period: When a high school senior is allowed under NCAA rules to sign a national letter of intent. The early period starts the second Wednesday in November and lasts one week; the late period is five weeks, starting the second Wednesday in April. A player must attend the school with which he signs, unless the school issues a release. If the athlete does not receive a release and attends another school, he must sit out a minimum of one season (it varies between conferences) and risks losing a portion of his college eligibility and initial scholarship. Signing with a college does not preclude a player from making himself eligible for the NBA draft.

NBA age limit: The NBA is pushing for an age limit of 20, but it's a point of contention as the league and the players' association negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Even if the measure passes, there are varying opinions as to when it would be implemented. The current rule is that a player's high school class must have graduated for him to be eligible for the NBA.

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<!--ADDITIONAL FACTS --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- STORY TEXT --><!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->
By Jeff Rabjohns
<SCRIPT ********************><!--document.write(''+'jeff.rabjohns'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>jeff.rabjohns@indystar.com


Greg Oden and Mike Conley say they like Ohio State even more after their official visits there, but the coveted Lawrence North High School duo said a decision on where they'll attend college could be as much as a month away.

Oden also emphasized, stronger than he had before, that he wants to attend college and not jump directly from high school to the NBA, even though he's projected as the top pick in the 2006 draft.

Last weekend's trip to Ohio State was the second official visit for Oden, a 7-foot center, and Conley, a 6-1 point guard, following an earlier trip to Wake Forest.

"After the visit (to Ohio State), I like it a lot more than I did," said Conley, who lists Ohio State and Wake Forest as his leaders. "I hadn't met the players, and we got along really well and got a chance to see what life is like for an Ohio State athlete.

"I like the campus a lot. Even though it's big, it had a new look because it's close to downtown (Columbus). The classrooms, depending on your major, are clumped together. You don't have to go all across campus."

Added Oden: "Like Mike said, the campus is really nice, new."

Oden, who has interest in majoring in accounting, said he liked what he saw from the business school and the professors he met.

Conley said their decisions are not imminent.

"We're trying to hold off to see what's up with the NBA (which wants players to be at least 20 to play in the league) and the NCAA sanctions," he said.

Ohio State banned itself from the 2005 postseason for violations that occurred under former coach Jim O'Brien, but it's still possible -- although not expected -- the NCAA could add penalties. Thad Matta, who just completed his first year as coach at Ohio State, has never been in trouble with the NCAA.

When Conley mentioned the NBA age-limit discussion, Oden just shook his head. Asked if his desire to attend college would change if he remains eligible for the draft, he said, "Probably not."

"I just want to go to college, get the college experience," Oden said. "It'll develop my game, and it'll develop my life."

Oden and Conley said they have no other official visits planned.

Oden has narrowed his choices to Ohio State, Wake Forest, Indiana and Michigan State and has not listed a favorite. Conley's final five also include Illinois, North Carolina and Arkansas.

Their AAU team, Spiece Indy Heat, is playing this weekend in Bloomington, Ind. Oden said Friday he might not be there because he plans to be in Buffalo, N.Y., to attend a cousin's college graduation.

Indy Heat is scheduled to play in another tournament in North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend. After the tournament last year, the two made an unofficial visit to Wake Forest.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

This is not a biased or slanted article, it was written by the Indy Star in Indiana and Oden and Conley are saying OSU is the team to beat right now. I don't see that changing. I have been saying for a month now that OSU has been the leader and it looks like the official visit only solidified OSU in their minds.

The timetable for their decision is not a negative or positive for OSU, its always been known they would make a decision in the month of June. From the sounds of this article, the NBA age limit issue sounds like a non issue for Oden.

[wadc45]

Scout $

5/14/05

From Scouthoops.com...Greg did not attend the adidas May Classic this weekend because he is in NY visiting a cousin who is graduating. Eric Gordon (6 3s, 28 points) and Mike Conley (20 points) picked up the slack.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

rivals.com$

5/17/05


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 vAlign=top>Ohio State basketball commitment Daequan Cook continues to lead his AAU team to championships -- and continues to believe that his two highly rated teammates will join him as Buckeyes. Cook has spent the last few weeks trying to sell the OSU program to good friends Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr., and the Dayton Dunbar star said he feels confident that Oden and Conley will eventually join him in the scarlet and gray. [more]</TD><TD width=6></TD><TD vAlign=top></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Cook says he does not want to speak for Oden and Conley but that he feels very confident they will be Buckeyes. He makes a point to say he is not pushing them but that their decision will take some time and they are just trying to sort it all out right now. They talk to eachother on a daily basis.

Their is a rumor going around that Oden and Conley will take an unofficial visit to North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend while playing in a Bob Gibbons event in Chapel Hill, Cook is not aware of any plans to visit NC.

Cook said that Oden and Conley liked the fact that OSU was a big school. When they asked him why he was so confident they would become Buckeyes he simply said that they have always talked about playing together in college and that has not changed.

[wadc45]

http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...0518osubb.html

Possible sanctions not scaring away top OSU recruits

By Doug Harris

Dayton Daily News

COLUMBUS | Ohio State officials may have some jitters about the sanctions the NCAA could impose on their basketball program, but the uncertainty doesn't appear to be scaring away any high-profile recruits.

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Dunbar's Daequan Cook and David Lighty of Cleveland, who are ranked among the top 20 juniors nationally, reaffirmed their commitment to OSU on Tuesday. And the school remains an appealing option for two of Cook's prized AAU teammates, according to their coach.

Mike Conley Sr. said his son, Mike Jr., and seven-footer Greg Oden — who have led Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis to two straight state titles — won't let numerous NCAA violations committed during previous coach Jim O'Brien's regime sour them on the Buckeyes.

"Obviously, this is about a past administration," Conley Sr. said. "It has nothing to do with the reason why the boys want to go to Ohio State. ... It's still high on their list."

Oden is considered the top overall prospect in the class of 2006, and Conley Jr. is rated by Scout.com as the nation's second-best point guard.

Both list OSU as their co-leader with Wake Forest, although Oden still intends to make a visit to

Indiana.

"We knew about the potential sanctions when they started this process," Conley Sr. said. "The focus was on how the sanctions were going to potentially impact them in '06. ... With what's out there so far, we just feel that it won't."

OSU athletic director Gene Smith certainly is counting on that. The Buckeyes already suffered through a one-year

postseason ban, and he's willing to give up past Big Ten titles and take down the 1999 Final Four banner if it would spare the current team of further penalties.

"We need to do everything we can to protect the future of this program and the kids," he said. "That will be our mantra going into the NCAA (hearing). Whether we win or not, I don't know."

Smith's strategy won't be helped by allegations that have surfaced since the NCAA completed its investigation.

Mike Sierawski, a Serbian church official in Columbus, acknowledged in a court deposition that he gave $500 to former OSU basketball player Boban Savovic. When school officials asked Savovic for the money to repay the gift, Sierawski said he slipped the player another $500.

Sierawski also said he provided cash and clothing to 7-foot-3 recruit Aleksandar Radojevic.

Smith said the new charges will be lumped in with the others.

"We've already had a conversation with the NCAA about those allegations," he said. "They'll assess the credibility of them and see if something else needs to be done."

Cook and Lighty consider all of the charges irrelevant since they occurred before coach Thad Matta and his staff arrived.

"It's not really their fault," Lighty said. "They didn't do anything — it was coach O'Brien.

"They're heading in the right path. They're making the program upscale. This probably will be only a little setback."



Contact Doug Harris at 225-2125.

[wadc45]

word on the street is that Oden may be making a courtesy visit to IU this weekend...

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

this info just broke a few days ago, but lets be clear that its not clear wether he will or will not make a visit as of right now.

I know he is feeling the heat from the Indiana people to at least take a look.

[OHSportsFan9]

Indy Star story

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...505190429/1057

May 19, 2005


Buckeyes' woes won't deter Oden, Conley


By Jeff Rabjohns
jeff.rabjohns@indystar.com


Greg Oden and Mike Conley won't shy away from considering playing at Ohio State after this week's formal announcement of alleged NCAA violations by the basketball program, Conley's father said.

Mike Conley Sr. said the alleged violations were essentially what the Lawrence North High School stars knew about from previous reports, and for which the Buckeyes already served a one-year self-imposed ban from postseason play.

"It wasn't any new news," said Conley Sr., coach of the players' AAU team. "Based on what's out there, the boys still feel it won't have an effect. That's not to say there won't be potential penalties, but it won't affect them."

The seven alleged violations occurred under former coach Jim O'Brien. The NCAA could still choose to punish the team further, but major penalties, such as a further postseason ban, are not expected.

Conley Sr. said it would take extremely severe sanctions to take Ohio State out of the mix for his son and Oden, two of the top players in the class of 2006. "The NCAA would have to give them a three-year death sentence of no postseason play for it to affect them," he said.

Conley, a 6-1 point guard, has said Ohio State and Wake Forest are his top choices. Oden, a 7-foot center, lists Ohio State, Wake Forest, Indiana and Michigan State as his final four.

Thad Matta, the former Butler coach headed into his second season at the Ohio State helm, has never been in trouble with the NCAA.

"They're picking their schools based on the people," Conley Sr. said. "At Wake Forest and Ohio State, there are good people associated with those programs."