Standouts at the prep and AAU level as well as in their one glorious season at Ohio State, Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. have traversed the entire country because of the game of basketball. They are now well-paid professionals who some day could be Olympians in the mold of current American NBA stars Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.
And through it all the Indianapolis products swear they have found their home away from home: Columbus.
After the 6-1 Conley put in a very encouraging rookie year for the Memphis Grizzlies and the 7-foot Oden rehabbed a knee injury that put off his highly anticipated debut with the Portland Trail Blazers, the two took up temporary residence in Columbus this summer to take classes at OSU and, in Conley’s case, participate in pickup games with the current Buckeyes.
They also teamed with buddy Daequan Cook of the Miami Heat – who ushered their arrival to campus in 2006 and helped the dynamic duo lead Ohio State to a Big Ten title, school-record 35 wins and appearance in the 2007 national championship game – this week as headliners of the Old Spice Buckeye Stars Basketball Camp.
“Community means a lot to me, especially being here,” Conley said Wednesday while 200 campers ages 7-18 anxiously were awaiting his address at Worthington Kilbourne High School. “We love Columbus, otherwise we wouldn’t be back going to summer school, being around the team, being around the students again and just the Buckeye nation.
“It’s fun to be around the whole city and the state of Ohio. We love giving back to the community. I’ve gotten to give back a lot since I’ve been in the NBA and I’m in a good position to do that. I feel like I almost have to do it and I want to do it for everybody else.”
Oden spoke to reporters the day prior but his sentiments were identical. He admitted missing Ohio State while recovering from microfracture and getting a courtside view of his dream job.
“That’s the reason why I came back, because I missed it so much,” he said. “A lot of other NBA players wouldn’t have come back, but I liked it so much I decided to try to come back and get my degree.”
Oden actually took just one class this summer, biology, because he had to drop it during his freshman year as he was taking the Buckeyes into the stratosphere of college basketball. He knows he’s not on a fast pace to a degree yet he plans to keep pursuing it, even while becoming an NBA superstar.
“I don’t know but it’s going to be a long time,” said Oden when asked how long it would take him to earn his sheepskin. “Like probably over 10 years, because I’m not taking a lot of classes.”
When Conley was informed of that prediction, of course he had to try to top it.
“It’s going to take a long time but I can beat that,” he said with his trademark broad smile. “I’ll probably try to get it in nine, nine and a half.”
Conley, who is still just 20 years old, said he plans to take some online classes during the season and expects he’ll be back at Ohio State again next summer to continue driving to a degree.
Oden was taken with the first pick of the 2007 draft as expected but it was Conley who was the pleasant surprise of the NCAA Tournament and the lead-up to the draft. Smooth, quick and nearly ambidextrous, Conley was so impressive in the spring that he was selected just three picks later, as the Grizzlies nabbed him fourth overall.
He shook off early nagging injuries and overcame the expected rookie mistakes in time to average 9.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game for the Grizz. Oden, who turned 20 in January, was seen most recently tickling the ivories on the stage of the ESPYs and already has built up a cult following with his entertaining blog entries, which usually include the adventures of his puppy, Charles Barkley McLovin.
The serious-appearing but actually goofy center who likes to sleep too much and the sometimes gregarious, sometimes deadly serious point guard who is rigid by comparison are a modern-day Odd Couple yet they decided to rent a place together the last couple months.
“We split it, but the funny thing is I’m the one who is paying the whole thing at the time,” Conley said. “I give the check and I’m paying the whole thing and he’s like, `I’ll give you the half later.’ ”
Conley mocked Oden’s cavern-deep voice and suggested he might have the NBA garnish his former teammate’s wages until he got paid back, but the teasing was all in fun. They’ve been close friends since middle school and were famous oncourt cohorts from sixth grade until their freshman year of college, collecting a staggering amount of wins to just a handful of losses.
In talking to both it’s clear they yearn to remain connected to each other and the college town where they first set out onto the path of adulthood.
“It’s very important, and I like it out here in Columbus,” Oden said. “I know that if I stay connected to Ohio State coming back here people are so nice that they’ll take care of you no matter what. It’s just a really nice place to live and be around.”
In their time around the campers, both Oden and Conley heard more references to their alma mater than their current places of employment, which only cemented their feelings.
“It’s been more `Ohio State’ than anything else,” Conley said. “What we did that year was a lot bigger than what we’ve done in the NBA so far. That’s what people know, and I’m happy with it because that’s a great memory for me and a lot of us.”
Before migrating back to Ohio’s capital city, Oden returned to his hometown of Indianapolis to do perhaps the only thing he does better than play basketball – chill out.
“I’ve just been staying with my mom and hanging out with my dog,” he said. “She’s actually keeping him. I’m kind of mad about that. McLovin, he’s the man. He does it all.
“The best thing about turning pro is my mom has a sick house now. It’s ridiculous. I love it. I didn’t help do anything for it, I just wrote the check. She is happy, and it’s a good thing to know that you can take care of your family.”
Oden also enjoys taking care of youngsters, whether they are the future of the game or not.
“These are littler kids than the camps I was at,” he said. “The camps I was at were really competitive. This is just a fun thing for the kids to come out, learn a couple skills and just see me, Mike and Daequan – just have a good three hours and a fun day.
“I know the coaches are in here sweating hard trying to teach them some things. It’s just little things. You might learn one thing at each station, but that’s one thing you can add on to your game.”
Conley mesmerized a group of campers with his signature ball handling drills and answered a plethora of questions afterward.
“I enjoy it a lot,” he said. “I already run a camp down in Memphis with (Grizzlies forward) Rudy Gay. That was my first one, so I got to experience that a little bit. So I had to do one in Ohio and give back to the kids. I was in the same position they were in not too long ago. I really appreciated it when I was a kid and I wanted them to have the same kind of opportunity.”
Conley said he attended Nolan Richardson’s camp at the University of Arkansas from ages 7 to 14. His father, Mike Conley Sr., was a track star at Arkansas before going onto Olympic glory as a triple jumper and becoming an agent for several clients including his son and Oden.
“They had a weeklong camp then and I was there the whole time. I didn’t miss a camp, didn’t miss a day,” Conley said.
Richardson was well-known for running his Razorbacks teams furiously and even did so at his youth camps. Conley, though, wanted his endeavor to put more emphasis on the reward of competition and effort.
“More than anything I want them to take away don’t let anybody tell you what you can and can’t do,” he said. “With hard work, persistence and dedication you can be anything you want to be, if it’s in basketball or not in basketball or school or whatever it is. Keep pulling away at what your dream is or what your goals are. Set goals and be able to achieve them.”
