Greg Oden: Difference between revisions
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Oden is currently the "Team Oden" spokesperson for Oregon Mentors, promoting mentoring for kids. |
Oden is currently the "Team Oden" spokesperson for Oregon Mentors, promoting mentoring for kids. |
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==Early years== |
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Oden was born in [[Buffalo, New York]], and moved with his family to [[Terre Haute, Indiana]] at the age of nine.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_221233524.html?keyword=topstory | title="Greg Oden, the NBA’s top pick, returns home to Terre Haute" | date=2007-08-09 | author=David Hughes | publisher=''[[Tribune-Star]]'' | accessdate=2008-08-25}}</ref> He was named the [[Indiana "Mr. Basketball" award|2006 Indiana Mr. Basketball]]. He was also on the [[McDonald's All-American]] Team and played in the All-American game. Oden was named [[Parade (magazine)|''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 [[high school junior|junior]] since [[LeBron James]] to be named such. |
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While in high school, Oden was named the [[Parade (magazine)|''PARADE'']]'s High School Player of the Year and the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year two years in a row, in 2005 and 2006. |
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Oden attended [[Lawrence North High School]] in [[Indianapolis, Indiana]]. He graduated in 2006. |
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==College== |
==College== |
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Revision as of 16:50, 7 September 2008
| No. 52 – Portland Trail Blazers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 22, 1988 Buffalo, New York |
| Nationality | USA |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lawrence North, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| College | Ohio State |
| NBA draft | 2007: 1st overall |
| Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Playing career | 2007–present |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| 2005 and 2006 PARADE High School Player of the Year 2005 and 2006 Gatorade Nat'l. Player of the Year 2006 McDonald's All-American 2006 Naismith Prep Player of the Year 2007 AP All-American 1st Team | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Gregory Wayne Oden, Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American basketball player at the center position. Oden is a member of the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA.
Oden played basketball for Ohio State University for one season, during which the team was the Big Ten Champion and the tournament runner-up in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.
On June 28, 2007, Oden was selected first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Trail Blazers. He underwent microfracture knee surgery in September 2007, and missed the entire 2007-2008 NBA season as a result. He has recovered well and run drills with the team, and is expected to debut at the beginning of the 2008-2009 NBA season, which will be considered his rookie season.
Oden is currently the "Team Oden" spokesperson for Oregon Mentors, promoting mentoring for kids.
College
On June 29, 2005, Oden and Lawrence North teammate Mike Conley, Jr. 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 on the bench during 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. In December of that year, Phoenix Suns General Manager Steve Kerr described him as a "once-in-a-decade player."[1] As of March 14, 2007, Oden 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, and had 12 rebounds and 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
Draft
On April 20, Oden announced that he would be entering the 2007 NBA Draft. On June 28, 2007, he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the #1 overall pick. Two of his Ohio State teammates were also chosen in the first round: Mike Conley, Jr. at #4, and Daequan Cook at #21.
To begin his Trail Blazers career, Oden chose the uniform number 52. On July 1, before his first NBA practice, Oden was signed to a contract which provided for two guaranteed seasons and team options for third and fourth seasons.
2007-08 season
On September 14, 2007, Oden had microfracture surgery on his ailing right knee. He missed the entire season. [5]
Oden's progress has been recorded on the Trail Blazers' website and his blog. So far reports have shown he has progressed within, or faster than, the scheduled healing time. Just before the All-Star game Oden began to run workouts with the team, passing and running plays. A full recovery was expected by the 2008-09 season.
Although picked first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, Oden will be classified as a rookie for the 2008-09 season because of the knee injury. [6] Entering the 2008-09 season he is listed at 250 lbs, but according to Blazers' trainer Jay Jensen he weighed about 290 lbs in July.[7][8]
References
- ^ 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".
- ^ "Oden's recovery from surgery likely in range of 6-12 months". ESPN.com. 2007-09-14. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
- ^ Rookie of the Year Candidates, 2008-09 season, ESPN.com
- ^ "Greg Oden Info Page". Players. NBA.com. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
- ^ Big man's small step
External links
- 1988 births
- African American sportspeople
- American basketball players
- Basketball players from Indiana
- McDonald's High School All-Americans
- Living people
- Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball players
- People from Buffalo, New York
- People from Indianapolis, Indiana
- Centers (basketball)
- Portland Trail Blazers draft picks