Lot of interesting tidbits on Ohio State and Greg Oden in this SI article by Seth Davis:
What's truly amazing about Oden's debut is that before Saturday he had never participated in a full practice at Ohio State. Instead, he spent most of the preseason trying to maintain his conditioning and doing some isolated skill work. Since getting his hard cast removed 2 1/2 weeks ago, the coaches have been gradually working Oden back into the fold, but he still had done most of his offensive work in five-on-zero drills. When the practices would shift to full-contact and rebounding drills, Oden would be sent back to the sidelines.
It's really incredible that Oden could come out and put up the numbers he put up last Saturday after not even really participating in a college level practice. I think it's fairly safe to say that he's not going to need much of an adjustment period. He's already one of the best players in college basketball.
Nor should you expect Matta to slow down his high-octane system. There are three things that start a fast break: a steal, a rebound or a blocked shot. Oden can do those last two as well as any big man in America (and better than many who are currently playing in the NBA). Then there's Oden's ability to run the floor. "From the day I started recruiting Greg I loved his speed," Matta said. "I'm anxious to get him running up and down the floor. I don't expect our style to change at all."
This is really why Oden is such a remarkable player. He might be seven feet tall, but he has the body size and speed of someone much smaller. His frame is already filled out, and he's seems very comfortable with his size. Most players this big simply aren't coordinated enough to make a real impact; their job is mostly to take up space. Ohio State might be a national title contender this year, but the thing I'm going to enjoy the most about this season is watching Greg Oden.
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