Greg Oden
| Greg Oden | |
|---|---|
| College | Ohio State |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Position | Center |
| Class | Freshman |
| Career | 2006–2007 |
| Height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Weight | 257 lb (117 kg) |
| Nationality | USA |
| Born | January 22, 1988 Buffalo, New York |
| High school | Lawrence North, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Career highlights | |
| Awards | |
| 2005 PARADE HS Player of the Year 2005 Gatorade Natl. Player of the Year 2006 PARADE HS Player of the Year 2006 Gatorade Natl. Player of the Year 2006 McDonald's All-American 2006 Naismith Prep Player of the Year 2007 AP All-American 1st Team | |
| Tournaments | |
| 2007 NCAA Tournament | |
Greg Oden (born January 22, 1988 in Buffalo, New York) is an American former college basketball player. He played for the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2006-07 NCAA season. He attended Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, where he led them to three straight state titles and 45 consecutive wins under coach Jack Keefer. Oden was named PARADE's High School Co-Player of the Year 2005 (along with Monta Ellis) and 2005 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, becoming the first junior since LeBron James to be named such. Also, Oden was named PARADE's High School Player of the Year and Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2006, winning the award in back-to-back years. He has declared his eligiblility for the 2007 NBA Draft.
High school
In the 2005-06 season, Oden, a 7'0" 280 lb (2.13 m, 127 kg) senior, led Lawrence North to an undefeated record, a third straight Class 4A Indiana state championship and the first ever player to finish for an Indiana school in USA Today's Super 25 rankings. [citation needed] For the season, the center scored 22.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 74 percent from the field. Oden dominated in the state championship game against Muncie Central, scoring a game-high 27 points and grabbing 26 rebounds. Lawrence North won its last three state championship games by a combined 56 points and its average margin of victory during the regular season was 41 points. Oden was named 2006 Mr Basketball in Indiana. He was also on the McDonald's All-American Team and played in the All-American game. In academics, Oden has excelled beyond popular stereotypes. In 2006, he took--prompted by his advisor's encouragement--the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME) [citation needed]. He is not married or engaged, but his spokesperson says that he has a girlfriend.
Oden has been invited to participate on the 2008 USA Olympic Basketball team. NBA analyst Steve Kerr has described Oden as a "once-in-a-decade player."[1]
On May 23, 2007, he was added to the current roster for the USA Men's National Basketball Team.
College
On June 29, 2005, Oden and Lawrence North teammate as well as best friend Mike Conley announced that they would be attending Ohio State University starting with the 2006-07 season.
Oden had surgery on his right wrist on June 16, 2006, in Indianapolis to repair a ligament injury late in his senior high school season. As a result, he sat out the beginning of the 2006-07 season with Ohio State, during which his team was ranked as high as first before losing to North Carolina. He made his college debut on December 2, 2006, against Valparaiso, coming off the bench. He finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. As of March 14, 2007, Oden has averaged 15.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game.[2]
The Big Ten honored Oden with Player of the Week, along with Wisconsin's Alando Tucker, on January 29, 2007. In the previous week he had averaged 18 points and 11.5 rebounds.[3] On March 6, 2007, Oden was named First Team All-Big Ten as well being voted the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.[4] Oden fouled out for the first time in his college career against Xavier in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and was bothered by foul trouble throughout the tournament. In the Sweet Sixteen, Oden blocked a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds against Tennessee to preserve an 85-84 victory, and went on to lead Ohio State past Memphis and Georgetown to advance to the 2007 National Championship. In the title game, Oden scored 25 points, 12 rebounds, and had 4 blocked shots in a losing effort against the Florida Gators.
On March 26, 2007, Oden, along with Kevin Durant, Arron Afflalo, Alando Tucker, and Acie Law IV, was named to the Associated Press All-American Team. Oden and Durant are the first freshmen voted to the All-American First Team since 1990 and the third and fourth overall.
NBA career
Pre-draft (2007)
On April 20, 2007, Oden announced that he would be entering the NBA Draft. Former UCLA center and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton said that the world hasn't seen more than flashes of what Oden can do on offense. [5]
On May 23, Oden flew to Portland to meet with Nike executives to talk about a shoe contract.[6]
On May 29, Oden signed with Topps Trading Card Company to a 3 year deal worth at least $3 Million. His first deal is a card featuring Oden and Bill Russell[1]
At the Orlando predraft camp, Oden's official measurements listed him at 6-foot-11 without shoes, 7-feet with shoes, and 257 lbs.[7]
Notes
- ^ Kerr, Steve (2006-12-15). "Questions and The Answer". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Greg Oden's ESPN profile
- ^ "Oden Earns First Big Ten Weekly Award". Ohio State University Department of Athletics. 2007-01-29. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Oden to named First Team All-Big Ten, Defensive Player of the Year".
- ^ http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=214148
- ^ "Oden flies to Portland . . . to talk sneakers". MSNBC.com. 2007-05-24. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
- ^ "Greg Oden is a freak of nature (updated)". OregonLive.com. 2007-06-04. Retrieved 2007-06-14.
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