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At Hall of Fame enshrinement, Ohio State's Greg Oden celebrates charting new path
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- At Hall of Fame enshrinement, Ohio State's Greg Oden celebrates charting new path
At the time, the sentiment was that Greg Oden was already wise beyond his years. The 18-year-old, one-and-done men's basketball star dominated the sport with just one fully healthy wrist, taking Ohio State to the 2007 national championship on his way to becoming the first pick in the NBA draft.
Oden is now 36 years old. The same amount of time has passed since his Ohio State career as before it. And now, with two degrees to his name and this weekend's enshrinement in the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame , Oden is finally, truly making the first step on his own path.
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Basketball has been the predestined universe through which everything else has been filtered since Oden first started playing in third grade. After going from player to student manager to graduate assistant to college basketball staff member , Oden is taking his leave from the game that has long dictated his days. Last month, Butler University announced that Oden was leaving his role as director of basketball operations to pursue other interests.
There's his role as an athlete advisor at Edyoucore, where he advises players on a topic that hits close to home: financial literacy. There's hopes for a career in public speaking. With his work in the financial world, there's hopes of getting involved in the name, image and likeness (NIL) space.
Mar 10, 2019; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes former forward Greg Oden honored during senior day before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Oden has made the choice to pursue those interests. This wasn't something planned out for him, and it's one reason why the big man was all smiles and outwardly at ease as he arrived at the Covelli Center on Friday evening to be inducted alongside 13 other former Buckeyes in the 2024 class.
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"Most athletes, you just do what's supposed to happen next," Oden said. "This was a decision for me, and I'm happy with it. I'm going to figure it out. My wife is working with me. I just had to take the first step. I'm so thankful for Thad for giving me that opportunity.
"Maybe when my daughter is older and doesn't want to spend time with me I can go back to coaching, but right now I just wanted to explore some things while I'm still young and still got a recognizable name and face."
His name and face were instantly recognizable at Ohio State during the 2006-07 season when he averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game while being named a second-team All-American and the NABC Defensive Player of the Year, among other awards. It was a dominant season, one that began with Oden missing the first seven games after offseason surgery to his right, dominant wrist.
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Oden played with a protective brace on the wrist, learned to shoot free throws left-handed and still powered the Buckeyes to the title game. In the loss to Florida inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Oden finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds while playing against Al Horford and Joakim Noah. It was enough of an impact in just one year to merit inclusion in the school's hall of fame.
"Something I wanted to do was leave my mark on stats, but I think making it to the national championship game and what we accomplished that year left enough of a mark," he said.
Greg Oden, Butler assistant, at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, as Yale loses to the Butler men, 61-71.
Oden played for Thad Matta, and the two were reunited for the last two seasons at Butler as Matta returned to coaching and hired him to his staff after Oden spent three years as a student manager for the Buckeyes and one year as a graduate assistant. Along the way, Oden earned a bachelor's degree in sport industry in 2019 and now a Master's in sport coaching. Both degrees are from Ohio State.
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As recently as last winter, Oden spoke openly about his desire to progress up the coaching ladder as he got experience under Matta's tutelage . But as the Bulldogs endeavor to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017-18 (although they would've been in with ease in 2020), the commitment that was going to be necessary from Matta's staff was something Oden said he wasn't prepared to commit to.
"Thad really wants to make the tournament," Oden said. "He wanted a lot more of us, a lot more time. That means coming in earlier, staying later and doing things differently. Right now, getting my Master's, I kind of had my mind on doing some other things outside. The time commitment, it wouldn't have let me.
"I'm happy with that decision but I felt like I owed it to Thad to not be one foot in, one foot out."
When Oden was at Ohio State and a clear one-and-done player, Matta frequently praised the big man for his ability to remain "two feet in" while he was part of the program. The two now part professionally on amicable terms, and it was Matta who broke the news to Oden about his hall of fame selection.
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Matta wasn't able to attend, but Oden said he was thrilled just to be back on campus at his alma mater. That year as an Ohio State player, the final before the sport turned into big business, remains special not just for what happened on the court but for how he could live his life.
Now he's hoping to recapture some of that as an adult, even if he's sort of always looked and outwardly seemed like one.
"I just love being here," he said. "I love that when I went to school here, I was able to be a kid. I was able to be an 18-year-old kid and just enjoy myself and enjoy this university and also dominate a little bit in basketball."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Greg Oden enters Ohio State's hall of fame, charts new path
