Posts from March 12, 2007

I have heard a lot of things over this past season about Greg Odon’s future, but not much of it has come from Greg Oden. Greg says he’ll see how the season plays out and then decide. That’s all he can do. If he wins an NCAA championship one-handed, what else does he have to prove? If he doesn’t reach that goal, then we can start speculating on his priorities. Then we can start wondering about how big of an insurance policy he can get. Then we can talk about what Greg’s mom meant when she was urging people chanting “One more year” after the Wisconsin game to “Shhhh!” Then we can talk about shoe contracts.

What if Greg gets hurt?
Shaun Livingston of the Clippers went down with a bad knee injury this week, which is supposed to illustrate the dangers of not going pro and grabbing the cash while you can. Would Shaun Livingston have gotten hurt at Duke? Who knows? Could his knee have benefited from getting stronger in a 35-game season against easier competition? Maybe. I’m still waiting to hear of an example of a college kid who stayed in school and suffered a career-ending injury. If there were one, the experts would sure be pointing to him. Guys do suffer in the draft if they stay in college too long and get their weaknesses exposed.

Can Greg’s weaknesses be exposed?
One thing Greg Oden will not get next year is exposed. Greg will be better. But will he get better? Will he improve his game by staying in college? I know a lot of people will instantly say of course because first he will have two good hands. My concern about Greg returning is will he get the proper guidance as a big man at Ohio State. We know that Coach Matta was a guard and I believe all of his coaching staff was guards — so how does Greg learn from guys who have never lived in the paint? I have to admit that you can tell he has benefited from his free throw shooting. To be able to shoot 62.5% from the free throw line with the opposite hand is simply amazing to me. And Coach Matta’s strength as a recruiter has ensured that Greg will be battling with athletic big men every day in practice — 7′2″ Kosta Koufas joins the daily practice wars next year.

Who is really benefiting here?
But back to my point — will it benefit Greg to return to the Buckeyes for his sophomore season? I heard the great Bill Walton say something that was very interesting when we played against Penn State at Happy Valley a few weeks ago. He was doing a phone interview during the game and he was asked what was the difference between his freshman year at UCLA and Greg’s at Ohio State. Walton stated that the great John Wooden used UCLA to make Walton better, but he believes that Ohio State is using Greg Oden to make Ohio State better. Was Walton on to something, or simply on something? It’s a different world from Walton’s freshman year, when no freshman could play, you couldn’t leave school early for the NBA, and dunking the ball was a technical foul. But are we using Greg Oden to make Ohio State better? When I thought long and hard I had to disagree with Mr. Walton. Coach Matta is doing more with these young guys than just basketball. He challenges his players in more ways than one. I know that Coach Matta was offered a lot of different opportunities to parade his famous “Thad Five” around like a race horse but he turned it down. If Coach Matta wanted to use Greg to make Ohio State better then why didn’t he take advantage of all the different offers that were probably brought his way? I believe Coach Matta turned all that down because he has class and he did not want to take advantage of the young men whose houses he sat in and told their parents that he would take care of them. He didn’t want to exploit Greg or the other players. Coach Matta is not using Greg to make Ohio State better — he is using this opportunity to help a young teenager to become a man. Coach Matta is interested in more than just his players as basketball athletes. I believe he is trying to help them become better men. As you can see from this year’s team he is well on his way into raising young boys into men and he is doing it with class and a winning style that goes along with it.

So if you ask me do I think the big fella should stay? I would have to say only if he is interested in becoming a better person than he already is. I choose to be optimistic like Clark Kellogg and think that the Eraser will surprise a lot of people and come back.

Popularity: 38% [?]

He was a star basketball player and world-class high jumper. Then former Ohio State athlete Otis Winston decided to put down his ball, kick off his sneakers, and pick up a pen.

Otis Winston brings a fresh, compelling vision to film. With an idea and pen in hand, this powerful contemporary voice offers a “wise beyond years” perspective creatively translated from page to screen.

Winston, originally from northeast Ohio, speaks with the grace of a survivor and the confidence of a visionary. Throughout his life, he was always conscious of how choices aligned consequences in his life. He admits that it was the hard times that molded him into who he is today, and led him to realize that life isn’t supposed to be figured out—it is supposed to be lived. It is that honesty that supports the foundation of his work, as he seeks to uncompromisingly explore life’s realities in a creative format.

Interestingly, his discipline as a highly-trained athlete ultimately led to his focus and commitment for writing and filmmaking. The Ohio State University graduate learned to be physically as well as mentally creative on the court and field as he played basketball and competed in track. He admits that as an aspiring pro-athlete at that time, many of his dreams revolved around achieving in athletics. It wasn’t until circumstances shifted his career that Otis had to take a hard look at the relevance of his aspirations, and determine if they were a reflection of his true calling. He realizes today that his purpose is spiritually guided and the experience gained through competing as an athlete fuels the discipline and creative edge he needs to succeed in any arena.

Rooted in true wisdom, Winston’s words reveal a new vision. Spiritually guided, this talented mind shares with us his take on the powerful revelations of life.

This husband and father of two, is also an ordained minister in Columbus Ohio. Besides the screenplays, Otis is currently pitching a sitcom and drama in Hollywood and has many more in his vault at his production company 2nd Wind Productions.

Popularity: 25% [?]