C Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

It looks like right now that Conley, Oden, Young, Cook and possibly Lighty will be on campus 7-9 May. For Conley and Oden it will be for an OFFICIAL visit. Cook most likely will be an unofficial and Young also. Their is a possiblity of Lighty also joining the group.

(In my opinion this is absolutely huge for Thad Matta and OSU......this is when he needs to close the deal and I think he will)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

4/24/05


Nothing coming out of Wake about Oden's and Conley's visit to Wake at this point.

[crazybuckfan40]

There was a report on the wake site about how they went to a party with Chris Paul and Lebron James. Don't know how true it.

[AmeriBuck007]

Lebrons a diehard buck fan so I'd find that hard to believe..

[crazybuckfan40]

Originally Posted by AmeriBuck007

Lebrons a diehard buck fan so I'd find that hard to believe..

They said he is good friends with Paul.

But the update on bn is mainly a conley update but he said that Greg enjoyed the visit.

[hoopsfan]

Update on Oden and Conley - they are not a package deal and have different schools on their final lists. However, the fact that they would like to play together bodes well for OSU and Wake.


www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050426/SPORTS0601/504260399/1069

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Trust me...they will end up at the same college, wether or not they are called a package deal is not important.

I know one thing, Oden will not end up at Indiana.

[hoopsfan]

Originally Posted by bucknuts44820

Trust me...they will end up at the same college, wether or not they are called a package deal is not important.

I know one thing, Oden will not end up at Indiana.

I think they will commit to the same college as well, although Greg really likes Michigan State. You are right - he will not end up at Indiana. They were tops on his list last summer, but throughout this past season his interest there waned.

I said commit above because I still think Greg will go to the NBA -- in his heart he wants to go to college, but it will be too much to forego. he is very close with his mother, and wants her taken care of. From what I hear (despite what some stories say), his Mom wants him to go to the NBA.

[Baschii06]

Considering the situation at UNC do you think that a lot of these players will opt to go there instead, because of the immediate playing time they will recieve.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Considering the situation at UNC do you think that a lot of these players will opt to go there instead, because of the immediate playing time they will recieve.

My opinion is that this will not be a factor considering that their will already be freshmen from the class of 05 and current players at UNC who will prove themselves.

[hoopsfan]

Originally Posted by Baschii06

Considering the situation at UNC do you think that a lot of these players will opt to go there instead, because of the immediate playing time they will recieve.

Not these two - they will play wherever they go. I could see it impacting some others, although UNC has the #1 rated class coming in next year.

[starBUCKS]

Nothing too new but great p.r. for the Buckeyes on foxsports.com.



<TABLE class=bdy cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=770 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Oden narrows college choices to four
<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Story Tools: </TD><TD></TD><TD>Print </TD><TD></TD><TD>Email </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=440 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Associated Press
<!-- **** Tag For Search --><!-- **** name="author" content=""--><!-- **** name="source" content="AP"--><!-- **** name="eventId" content=""--><!-- **** name="contentTypeCode" content="1"--><!-- **** name="editorContentCode" content="1"--><!-- **** name="blurb" content=""--><!-- **** name="modDate" content="April 27, 2005 01:18:39 GMT"-->Posted: 26 minutes ago<SCRIPT> // front-end hack to remove postedTime from Rumors page until a better way can be determined if (document.URL.indexOf("/name/FS/rumors") != -1) document.getElementById("postedTime").style.displa y = 'none'; </SCRIPT> </TD><TD width=10> </TD><TD align=right><!--this is for sponsorships or brandings--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><!-- workingCategoryId: 99--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=bdy cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=770 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=5></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=bdy cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=770 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=5></TD><TD width=450><!-- search:</noindex> --><!-- esi: /widget/story/pagenated?contentId=3572942&pageWanted=null-->Greg Oden, considered by many as America's top high school basketball player, has narrowed his choices to Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State and Wake Forest.


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=200 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=caption><ID>Greg Oden has narrowed his choices to Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State and Wake Forest.</ID> (Dilip Vishwanat / The Sporting News)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Oden led Lawrence North to its second straight <ID>Indiana</ID> Class 4A championship last month and was chosen national player of the year by USA Today, Gatorade and Parade magazine. Projected as a top NBA draft pick next year, he has said repeatedly he wants to play college ball.

Oden, called the "Next LeBron James" by some analysts, joined James as the only two players to be named the USA Today player of the year as underclassmen.

Oden and teammate Mike Conley, a point guard also considered one of the top players in the class of 2006, visited Wake Forest last weekend.

Conley, the son of former Olympic triple-jump champion Mike Conley, listed Wake Forest, Ohio State, Illinois, North Carolina and Arkansas as his possible choices. His father was a track star at Arkansas. Conley said he and Oden will make an official visit to Ohio State in late May, but recruiters should not think of them as a package. "We like some of the same schools, and maybe that's why people think that," Conley told The Indianapolis Star. "We're not a package deal, but it would be fun to play with each other after high school."

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Yertle]

Obviously, looking at their school choices, the only two listed by both are WF and tOSU. But then again, we all already knew that......

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

In reality, the two main schools are Ohio State and Wake....every prospect lists a top four or five for the media.


It will come down to OSU and Wake....

LINK

Is it fair for NBA to keep youth out?
League's attempt to institute age limit has supporters, detractors; lawsuits are likely.

<!-- 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>Preps to the pros
Since 1995, 36 American players have participated in the NBA draft straight out of high school. Only nine are no longer in the NBA. Here's a look (players who withdrew before draft began are not included):

1995
• Kevin Garnett (picked in first round)

1996
• Kobe Bryant (first)
• Taj McDavid (not drafted)
• Jermaine O'Neal (first)

1997
• Tracy McGrady (first)

1998
• Al Harrington (first)
• Rashard Lewis (second)
• Ellis Richardson (not drafted)
• Korleone Young (second)

1999
• Jonathan Bender (first)
• Leon Smith (first)

2000
• Darius Miles (first)
• DeShawn Stevenson (first)

2001
• Kwame Brown (first)
• Tyson Chandler (first)
• Ousmane Cisse (second)
• Eddy Curry (first)
• DeSagana Diop (first)
• Tony Key (not drafted)

2002
• DeAngelo Collins (not drafted)
• Lenny Cooke (not drafted)
• Amare Stoudemire (first)

2003
• Ndudi Ebi (first)
• LeBron James (first)
• James Lang (second)
• Travis Outlaw (first)
• Kendrick Perkins (first)

2004
• Jackie Butler (not drafted)
• Dwight Howard (first)
• Al Jefferson (first)
• Shaun Livingston (first)
• J.R. Smith (first)
• Josh Smith (first)
• Robert Swift (first)
• Sebastian Telfair (first)
• Dorell Wright (first)

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!--ADDITIONAL FACTS --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- STORY TEXT --><!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->

By Mark Alesia
<SCRIPT ********************><!--document.write(''+'mark.alesia'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>mark.alesia@indystar.com



As the NBA negotiates with its union to keep high school players out of the draft starting in 2006, Greg Oden of Lawrence North High School stands above the fray.

"It's nothing that concerns me," said the 7-foot junior, widely projected to be the top pick next year if he's eligible and doesn't choose to attend college. "I'm still in high school."

Others are deeply concerned.

Oden's high school and AAU coaches criticized the idea as unfair, and Pacers center Jermaine O'Neal has charged that racial bias is involved, considering the high number of black athletes that would be affected.

NBA commissioner David Stern counters that the rule would benefit players and the league by tempering unrealistic aspirations and giving scouts more time to see players develop.

Legal experts say new restrictions could be vulnerable to a challenge in court, despite the failed effort by Maurice Clarett to overturn the NFL's limits on entering that league's draft. That's because, unlike in football, there is plenty of evidence that basketball players straight from high school can succeed in the pros.

Any change in the NBA's rule would be part of a collective bargaining agreement to replace the current deal, which expires June 30. NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik predicted earlier this week there would be increased restrictions, based on age or years out of high school.

The current rule requires a player's class to have graduated high school.

"It's not for me to decide, and I don't think it's for some rule to decide," Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said. "Soccer players are pros at 14. Baseball has players leave right after high school, and no one even cares. For some reason, in my sport, if a young man says he's ready to go, we get all up in arms and say, 'Oh, we shouldn't let him do that.'

"That's not quite right. It should be between the teams, the family and the player. . . . If the kid can (play) and the team that drafts him thinks he can (play), you have to leave it up to those two parties."

A court, however, decided the Clarett case on the basis of another party having agreed to the restrictions -- the NFL players union.

Keefer said that if the NBA players union agrees to back the proposed age rule, "it's for a selfish reason. They don't want the competition."

'Deteriorating game'

Kevin Boyle, coach of St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, N.J., favors a minimum age of 20 to enter the draft, even though he coaches Derrick Caracter, another potential 2006 draft choice. Boyle also coached Al Harrington when he was drafted out of high school by the Pacers in 1998.

Boyle's main argument is that the current culture of the game, with its emphasis on summer basketball and players being drafted on potential, has stunted players' development and made them accept losing.

"If the game is deteriorating, you have an obligation to keep it at a high level of skill and entertainment," Boyle said.

He's also concerned about the players.

"There are a ton of street agents and runners trying to get close to kids," Boyle said. "It's moved down from when it used to start in late high school or early college. Now people are trying to make relationships in ninth grade. A 6-8 freshman might have five street agents after him before he has ever developed his game."

The financial stakes are enormous. Last year's No. 1 pick, high school player Dwight Howard, is guaranteed $11.2 million from the Orlando Magic and signed a reported $30 million shoe contract. When he's eligible for free agency, Howard could earn several times what he makes now.

It's an emotional issue, especially for NBA players who entered the league out of high school. Two such players, rookies J.R. Smith of the New Orleans Hornets and Shaun Livingston of the Los Angeles Clippers, registered their concern toward the end of the regular season by wearing their socks to their knees during games.

"We all hope they don't pass the rule for all the young guys coming up," Smith told The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune. Of the 36 American high school players who have entered the draft since 1995, all but one was black. Asked by Newsday to react to O'Neal's comments on race, Martell Webster, a University of Washington recruit, said recently, "I kind of have the same position he does."

Of those 36 players, 27 are still on NBA rosters.

The NCAA could be a big winner if new restrictions result in elite players choosing college.

NCAA president Myles Brand said he has been advised by attorneys not to comment on the issue because of antitrust concerns. During a news conference at the men's Final Four, Brand deferred to Jim Haney, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Haney said coaches want a new rule based not on someone's birthday but three years after his class is out of high school.

"When we hear 20 years of age, we see kids who may have been held back in eighth grade or leave high school and go to a prep school," Haney said. "When we hear 20, we think their potential exit from college to go to the NBA may be after (just) a year.

"In three years (of college), by attending summer school, you really do have a chance to graduate. When we see (age) 20, we put it in the context of facilitating people to leave early and not creating the foundation to graduate."

Legal challenge

Michael McCann, a member of Clarett's legal team and a professor at Mississippi College, said it's inevitable that someone will mount a legal challenge to any new restriction in the NBA. He said a reasonable case could be made based on the success of players drafted out of high school, dating to Kevin Garnett in 1995.

"I think there's a mistaken impression that (the Clarett case) dictates that a player could not challenge any ban," McCann said. "There's a big distinction in issues -- namely a track record, a 10-year track record of players going from high school to the pros and succeeding. I think that's a critical distinction that a court would consider. Clarett had to argue a hypothetical."

The NFL's rule requires players to be out of high school for three football seasons before entering the draft. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court declined to hear Clarett's case. The former Ohio State running back started his case with a victory in U.S. District Court, which ruled the NFL violated antitrust law. But the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling, saying that because the players union and the league agreed to the rule, it's protected from antitrust challenges.

Courts might find that the same thing applies to basketball, if the NBA and its union agree to increased limits for its draft. But Matt Mitten, director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University, said the law is evolving.

"(The Clarett decision) is only binding in the 2nd Circuit, which is New York, Connecticut and Vermont," Mitten said. "Other courts would look to it, but they also might look at the lower court decision (that ruled in favor of Clarett)."

As the situation sorts itself out, superstars from the class of 2006 are exploring their options, including college. George Pitts, who coaches Brandan Wright of Brentwood Academy in Tennessee, said he's torn on the issue of age restrictions. Wright is considered a potential lottery pick.

"He has the option to play for whoever he chooses in college, a coach who will make him a better player," Pitts said. "I'm not saying an NBA coach won't make him better, but the atmosphere is so different. I also see that if you're a lottery pick and you're guaranteed millions, you have to go. He can get a lot of college for that kind of money."

Mike Conley Sr., coach of Oden's AAU team, the Spiece Indy Heat, said players should go to college.

"But I don't think they should be forced to go," said Conley, whose son, Mike Jr., is a high school and AAU teammate of Oden's. "It's not a safety hazard to play in the NBA, and outside of a safety hazard, I don't think there should be a rule keeping a young man from making a living in his chosen profession."

Call Star reporter Mark Alesia at (317) 444-6039.

[buckalum01]

The whole issue with age restrictions is a legal bees nest. Both sides of the argument can be made in any number of ways. I personally don't care for age restrictions. I feel that if someone wants to make a decision to go pro, in any sport, then fine. But that does not give them the authority to assume a divine right to employment or a right do whatever they want. Just because they want a job does not entitle them to one or even the right to seek one.

If the argument for age restrictions comes down to "protecting the kids"---- I say screw that. Personally, I think we (as a society) coddle our kids and our citizens way too much. Let people make their decisions and if things work out for them, then great. But if a kid decides to spurn a free scholarship (possibly the only way they could get to college) and then don't get drafted, or their careers don't work out, I say tough [censored]. We can not and should not presume to know what is best for anybody. I get sick and tired of giving people excuses for their failures and shortcomings because they are their own people and can do what they want. That comes with benefits, responsibilities and consequences. It is the real world.

But the issue, for me at least, comes down to this: the NBA, as a business entity, should have the right to ensure that their product is not diminished or tarnished. They have the right to dictate conditions of employment, if said employment directly affects the quality of their product. I own my own business, and there is nobody that could tell me that I have to hire the idiot with blue hair and a nose ring to meet and greet my clients. It may be his chosen profession, but I should be able to dictate terms for employment. Anymore, the NBA is hostage to teams feeling obligated to compete and win and therefore risk big money on a lesser product (in many cases, not all) with High School kids- who are drafted on potential not proven worth. They therefore have set themselves up in a deep quandry--- do we shut out high school kids that COULD be good?

I don't presume to know, but I feel the NBA should be able to control the quality of their product and if they feel there is a need, (they can certainly show a diminished value over recent years in comparrison with other PRO sports), then by all means do so. You can not tell a business to persue business practices that do not work financially--- it is not a charity. The same people that claim racism is involved, are the same people that know the least about business. If you tax an employers ability to make money you hinder his ability to pay wages and make a profit and ultimately (though admitedly no time soon w/ the NBA) to risk diminished number of jobs available. Come talk to me about racism then. It is not race. It is not predjudice. It is simple economics.

Sorry about the length- I just wanted to vent. Like I said, this whole issue is a hornets nest.