Ranking the freshman seasons of former number one high school recruits

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: Former Syracuse Orange player Carmelo Anthony (C) receives his jersey from athletic director Daryl Gross (L) as his number is retired during a ceremony at half time during the game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2013 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Nate Shron/Getty Images) /

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Greg Oden (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Ranking the freshman seasons of former number one high school recruits: 2. Greg Oden

Freshman stats: 15.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.3 bpg

Hindsight is destroying the image of those who come up with these high school player rankings. Greg Oden was considered the best player in high school, despite coming out the same year as Kevin Durant.

After taking home Mr. Basketball in Indiana in 2006, Greg Oden came along as a once in a lifetime defensive force. While he could score a bit in the post, it was all about his ability to lock up opposing bigs and defend the lane that made him a must-have.

To be candid, the 2007 Ohio State Buckeyes were one of the most underrated teams in college basketball history. On the back of Greg Oden, he led them to a 35-4 record and a trip to the National Championship Game. Despite putting up 25 and 12, Ohio State would come up short against Florida by a score of 84-75.

Oden enjoyed his time in college as he filled his knapsack with a ton of awards including the Big Ten Tourney MVP, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, amongst others.

With averages of 15.7 points on 61.6% from the field, to go along with 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks, Oden was a man amongst boys. It’s too bad his body betrayed him on the pro level. If it didn’t, there’s a chance he would have morphed into a historically great big man.

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