They haven't committed yet, but the Indy Star is reporting that a source close to Oden has revealed they have decided on Ohio State. Along with Cook and Lighty, that gives OSU four players now for the 2006 class who are top 30 recruits. www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050623/SPORTS02/506240416 <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Oden planning to attend Ohio St. By Jeff Rabjohns jeff.rabjohns@indystar.com Greg Oden plans to play basketball at Ohio State University, a person close to Oden confirmed Thursday. No immediate announcement is scheduled, but Oden and Lawrence North High School teammate Mike Conley are expected to make oral commitments to the Buckeyes in the near future. Oral commitments are non-binding; the earliest players can sign a national letter of intent is Nov. 9. Oden and Conley, both entering their senior years, could not be reached for comment Thursday night after playing in the Indianapolis Star Indiana All-Stars exhibition game in Richmond. Reached by phone Thursday night, Oden's mother, Zoe, said no official decision has been made. A dominating 7-foot, 245-pound center, Oden this past year joined NBA star LeBron James as the only juniors to be named National High School Player of the Year. He averaged 20 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots in leading the Wildcats to their second straight state championship. In one game, he blocked 18 shots. Word of Oden's college choice came two days after the NBA changed its rules for the draft, requiring that players need to be at least one year out of high school. Oden -- widely projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft before the rule change -- has said all along that he wanted to play college basketball, recently narrowing his choices to Ohio State, Indiana, Wake Forest and Michigan State. Conley, one of the top-ranked point guards in the nation, averaged 10.7 points and five assists for Lawrence North last season. He had narrowed his choices to Ohio State and Wake Forest. Earlier this month, Oden and Conley took part in the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in San Diego, Calif. Shooting guard Daequan Cook, an AAU teammate of Oden's and Conley's from Dayton, Ohio, also heading into his senior year, orally committed to Ohio State this spring. Call Star reporter Jeff Rabjohns at (317) 444-6183. Star reporter Tracy Dodds contributed to this story.</div>
from what I had heard, Oden was thinking of going to MSU. If this is true, it would give Ohio State probably the best recruiting class since that one time when Michigan had Jalen Rose and Chris Webber and a couple other guys. You remember that, right? Wow this would mess up the Big 10 power structure...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Schaddy:</div><div class="quote_post"> from what I had heard, Oden was thinking of going to MSU. If this is true, it would give Ohio State probably the best recruiting class since that one time when Michigan had Jalen Rose and Chris Webber and a couple other guys. You remember that, right? </div> The difference is this recruiting class would be legal .....
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting JWohl:</div><div class="quote_post">The difference is this recruiting class would be legal .....</div>
Wow, Voodoo is going to peed off. I honestly thought Oden would chose Michigan State, but Oden and Conley must be best friends and I bet Conley influenced Oden to go along with him to Ohio State.
If you all thought Oden was going to MSU, you must have been listening to Voodoo too much. He only visited Ohio State and Wake Forest, and it's been unofficially narrowed down to between those schools for over a month I think. Again though, this isn't the announcement yet. This is just a leak on what the announcement is going to be. Mike Conley Sr. came out later and said it may or may not be true but the duo will reveal their pick soon. Ohio State recruiting class 2006 so far: #1 C Greg Oden, http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=1112427 #8 SG Daequan Cook, http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=1112448 #21 SF Dave Lighty, http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=1382037 #26 PG Mike Conley, http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=1112425 I think Lighty especially is going to surprise people. He went down with an injury which dropped his national rnaking a bit. Now we just need a 4.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Top-recruit Oden's reported commitment premature Greg Oden's commitment to Ohio State hasn't occurred just yet, despite what the Indianapolis Star reported Friday morning in a story quoting an anonymous source. Oden, a 7-footer who will be a senior Lawrence (Ind.) North, had been considered a possible No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft until an NBA rule change this week requiring players to be at least one year out of high school to be drafted. Oden's AAU coach, Mike Conley Sr., told ESPN.com that Oden hasn't committed to anyone. Conley Sr. said Oden hasn't told any coach of his intentions just yet. A source close to Wake Forest confirmed that the Demon Deacons' staff was told that no decision was made. Conley's son, Mike Jr., a teammate on the AAU Spiece Indy Heat as well as at Lawrence North High (Ind.), still hasn't committed anywhere, either. Conley Sr. said Oden's finalists remain Ohio State, Wake Forest, Indiana and Michigan State. He said his son's finalists are Ohio State and Wake Forest. Mike Conley Sr., the AAU coach of Oden and Conley, Jr., said the pair will hold a joint news conference to announce their commitment at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Lawrence North High (Ind.).</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2094297 Not looking good, Voodoo.
Don't go to Wake I can't afford to see you twice against the Heels. Stay in your Big-10, and we'll worry about you come Tourny time. Wow what a class for OSU though the best since Michigan's no questions asked.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">and we'll worry about you come Tourny time</div> We'll be struggling to get their, even when he gets to college. I think Hansbrough could take him, but I would like it if he stayed in the Big 10. He also will bring ood publicity to the Big 10, which deserves to be one of the top three. Also back to your qoute Court, maybe we'll see him in the ACC-Big Ten tournament.
The risk though is Oden is likely one and done, possibly the same could be said for Conley. This could be a one year window for OSU to win the title.
I hope it won't be a "one year window," because it would be great if Ohio State can build on this break through class and be a lasting power. They should be top 20 in 2005-2006, top 10 in 2006-2007. If a few guys stick around they'll be good again the next year, and then hopefully for much longer. Matta really seems to be able to excite the players. Oden certainly should be one-and-done, but since he's been so adamant about going to college all this time, he seems like he might be an unusual enough a kid to MAYBE stick around an extra year. Conley I think is more of a 3-year college player. He might not even start his freshman year with Butler ahead of him. Since he and Oden are coming to school together, I think that is another factor that might influence how long they stay. Conley might keep Oden around a second year. Cook is a 1-year guy if he thinks he can jump to the pros, but if he thinks he needs more time, he might stay two. I don't think he'll stay more than two. Lighty, it's hard to say, he's coming off an injury so he might need a little time to prove himself.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">High school star chooses to attend Ohio State INDIANAPOLIS -- High school standout Greg Oden said Wednesday he will play college basketball at Ohio State. The 7-foot Oden and Lawrence North teammate Mike Conley announced in unison during a news conference at their high school that they would both play for the Buckeyes, starting with the 2006-07 season. Oden, the national prep player of the year, was considered a possible No. 1 pick in next year's NBA Draft until the league changed its rules last week to require players to be at least one year out of high school before they can be drafted. The verbal commitments aren't binding until the players sign letters of intent. The earliest they can do so is in November. Oden, who has led his school to two straight Indiana high school Class 4A championships, said the NBA rule change didn't force his college choice. He chose Ohio State over Indiana, Wake Forest and Michigan State. "It didn't really affect my decision, because I always knew I wanted to go to college," Oden said. Oden was named national high school player of the year by USA Today, Gatorade and Parade magazine after averaging 20 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots as a junior last season. Conley, a point guard, averaged 10.7 points and five assists. They cited a comfort level with Ohio State coach Thad Matta in making their decision.</div> http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/8606938
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">If you all thought Oden was going to MSU, you must have been listening to Voodoo too much. He only visited Ohio State and Wake Forest, and it's been unofficially narrowed down to between those schools for over a month I think.</div> Not true at all. I actually expected this, and anyone I talked to recently would know. I said he was likely to go to Michigan State when the signs were pointing to it, but when I heard otherwise, I just started praying for him to stay in the Big Ten. I won't mind a little competition. It's getting a little boring watching Michigan State as the only consistently dominant Big Ten team. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> The difference is this recruiting class would be legal .....</div> First of all, the school had no ties to the booster. Second of all, Webber would have gone to Michigan regardless. Remember, he was a Michigan kid and Michigan was fresh off a 1989 National Championship with Glen Rice. If no other school's boosters would have paid him, he would have been a Wolverine. It's his hometown team, they had a 1st tier basketball team, and although he probably didn't think in these terms, they also have 1st tier academics.
Oh this will be a great season for OSU. Cook is my boy from Dunbar & I can't wait to see what he does. Oden is obviously great I just hope he will decide to stay for more than one year. Nonetheless it will be a great season this year.
