Hooped Up

Greg Oden will enter the 2007 NBA draft, his father said Friday.

Oden, the 7-foot, 280-pound freshman center who led Ohio State to the NCAA title game, is widely projected as the top pick.

Greg Oden Sr. said he was comfortable with his son’s decision.

“Why not, as long as he finishes school in the offseason?” the elder Oden said. “He’s the kind of kid that, even though he’ll have a lot of money, he needs to do more than just basketball.

“They had an exciting season, but why take the chance on him getting hurt?”

Oden and fellow Ohio State freshmen Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook are planning to meet this weekend in Indianapolis.

Mike Conley Sr., the former director of elite athlete services for USA Track and Field, has been certified as an NBA agent and is opening a representation firm.

“He (Conley Sr.) is going to manage (Greg),” Oden Sr. said.
The younger Conley, a 6-1 point guard, and Cook, a 6-5 shooting guard, also are expected to put their names in the draft, Oden Sr. said. If they don’t sign with an agent, they could return to school.

Indianapolis Star