Greg Oden

Infobox NBA Player
name = Greg Oden


league = NBA
team = Portland Trail Blazers
number = 52
position = Center
career_start = 2007
career_end =
height_ft = 7
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 290
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1988|1|22
birth_place = Buffalo, New York
draft = 1st overall
draft_year = 2007
draft_team = Portland Trail Blazers
highschool = Lawrence North, Indianapolis, Indiana
college = Ohio State
Former team = Portland Trail Blazers 2007
career_highlights =
tournaments =
tournament_list = 2007 NCAA Tournament
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

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.

Early years

Oden was born in Buffalo, New York, and moved with his family to Terre Haute, Indiana at the age of nine. [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] He was named the 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"'s High School Co-Player of the Year 2005 (along with Monta Ellis) and 2005 National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, becoming the first junior since LeBron James to be named such.

While in high school, Oden was named the "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.

Oden attended Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated in 2006.

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." [cite news | last = Kerr | first = Steve | authorlink = Steve Kerr | title = Questions and The Answer | publisher = Yahoo! Sports | date = 2006-12-15 | url = http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=sk-mailbag121506&prov=yhoo&type=lgns| accessdate = 2007-01-29 ] As of March 14, 2007, Oden averaged 15.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=31545 Greg Oden's ESPN profile] ]

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. [cite news | title = Oden Earns First Big Ten Weekly Award | publisher = Ohio State University Department of Athletics | date = 2007-01-29 | url = http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/012907aaa.html | accessdate = 2007-01-29 ] On March 6, 2007, Oden was named First Team All-Big Ten as well being voted the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. [cite news | title = Oden to named First Team All-Big Ten, Defensive Player of the Year | url = http://bigten.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030607aad.html] 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 were 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. [cite news |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3017538 |title=Oden's recovery from surgery likely in range of 6-12 months |date=2007-09-14 |publisher=ESPN.com |accessdate=2007-11-19]

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. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Rookies-080627 Rookie of the Year Candidates, 2008-09 season] , ESPN.com] 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. [cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/playerfile/greg_oden/|title=Greg Oden Info Page|work=Players|publisher=NBA.com|accessdate=2008-07-26] [ [http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/121790850650380.xml&coll=7&thispage=4 Big man's small step] ]

References

External links

*NBA-profile
* [http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/oden_greg00.html Official Ohio State Buckeyes Bio]
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=31545 ESPN Profile - Greg Oden]

succession box
title = Indiana Mr. Basketball award
years = 2006
before = Luke Zeller
after = Eric Gordon

Persondata
NAME= Oden, Greg
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= American basketball player
DATE OF BIRTH= January 22, 1988
PLACE OF BIRTH= Buffalo, New York
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=