Ohio State honors former No. 1 pick Greg Oden at senior day before he is set to graduate in May
Nearly 12 years after making his debut with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Greg Oden finally got his day in the sun.
The former No. 1 overall draft pick was honored at Ohio State’s senior day on Sunday before the Buckeyes fell to the No. 21 Wisconsin Badgers, 73-67.
Oden, who has been a student manager since 2016, is planning on graduating in May with a degree in sports industry. The crowd greeted him with a rousing ovation, and he received a frame with his No. 20 jersey.
NEVER. TOO. LATE.
Former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden was honored by Ohio State on Senior Day and plans to graduate in May 🙏
(via @chasshill) pic.twitter.com/8krCHilPE1— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 10, 2019
Although Oden never accomplished much in the NBA because of a bevy of injuries, he left quite the mark in his single season in Columbus.
The consensus No. 1 recruit in the nation, Oden led the Buckeyes with fellow lottery pick Mike Conley Jr. to a Big Ten regular season and conference tournament title before losing in the national championship to the Florida Gators. Ohio State also reached No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 1962.
Oden led the team with 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game, while shooting 61.6 percent from the field. He and Texas forward Kevin Durant became the first freshmen to be named to the All-America team since 1989.
Along with Oden, Ohio State honored current seniors C.J. Jackson, Keyshawn Woods and Joey Lane at senior day. Jackson leads the team with 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game and is second with 11.8 points per game. Woods has been a solid starter as a graduate transfer from Wake Forest, while Lane has been a leader of the “towel gang” on the bench as the program’s first ever preferred walk-on.
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