rivals.com (free)
11/8/05
Quote:
It looked like panic might set in at Ohio State and chaos would take over the recruiting world on the first day of the early signing period which begins Wednesday. There were reports that the nation's consensus No. 1 prospect
Greg Oden and the Buckeyes' four other verbal commitments from the 2006 class – which has been called one of the greatest recruiting classes ever – were considering not signing until the NCAA released its final results of an ongoing investigation into the Big Ten program in December.
But, Oden's high school coach Jack Keefer at Lawrence North in Indianapolis said the 7-foot, 240-pound center will be signing his letter-of-intent Wednesday along with teammate
Mike Conley, Rivals.com's No. 3-ranked point guard in the class.
Mike Conley Sr., who has coached the duo at the AAU level, recently reaffirmed that news.
"They are going to sign," the elder Conley told the Indianapolis Star Friday. "We feel that the 2007 postseason won't be an issue, looking at previous (NCAA penalty) decisions," he added.
Ohio State imposed a one-year ban on postseason play in December last season, saying that former coach Jim O'Brien paid a recruit $6,000.
The Buckeyes three other commits, five-star wings Dequan Cook and
David Lighty and junior college power forward
Othello Hunter, are all expected to sign Wednesday too.
"Ohio State had to be on pins and needles concerning Oden and company signing before an NCAA verdict,"
Rivals.com recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer said. "You can't blame [these guys] for holding out. Now Ohio State has to rerecruit [them] even harder."
What would have happened if Oden and company had let the signing period pass? Programs from all over the country would be making a mad rush to contact the prospect who has been called the best big man in more than a decade.
"I would be surprised if every school with a scholarship or potential scholarship did not come after Oden," Meyer said. "Just the attention that an up and coming program would get for being in the mix with him would be worth the recruiting effort. And if a contender landed him, national championship prospects greatly increase."
Chances are that Ohio State still would have landed the recruits in the late signing period beginning April 12. The Buckeys aren't expected to receive any more major penalties, and Oden didn't consider many schools during the recruiting process.
"I don't think it would have changed a lot,"
Rivals.com recruiting analyst Tim Watts said if Oden had chosen not to sign this week. "If (Oden) had decided to wait then I still believe he still would have went to Ohio State barring a major catastrophe handed down by the NCAA. It certainly would have perked some people up and sent them after him again but his recruitment had been very low key considering his status."
