---

Oden, Buckeye class victorious at 42nd Roundball Classic

CHICAGO - Yes, Greg Oden is that good and yes, Ohio State deserves to be named preseason No. 1, with all due respect to the rest of the college basketball world.

That much was proven at the 42nd Roundball Classic as Oden and the West All-Stars won, 118-102. The game marked the first time that all four high school players forming Ohio State's five-man recruiting class played together. All were in the starting lineup.

Oden and Daequan Cook each received well-deserved MVP honors for the West. The 7-foot Oden was the only player to notch a double-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. He was 10-of-12 from the floor, making his first seven shots as the East had no answer for him.

"It's an awesome game," Oden said. "These players are awesome. I love being out here with the best talent in the United States. They all get out here and they work hard, that's what I like."

Cook wasn't as spectacular as his McDonald's game performance, but still tallied 18 points. The 6-5 swingman was impressive all weekend in practice, living up to his billing as a lethal force on the wing.

Cook did not originally realize that tournament organizer Sonny Vaccaro would put the four players of the Buckeyes "Thad Five" recruiting class together, but he sure wasn't disappointed when the found out.

"I didn't really expect us to play a lot together," Cook said. "They probably thought it was bogus or set up for us to play together."

The set-up included Cook and Oden's AAU coach Mike Conley Sr., who guided the boys for one last time as coach of the West. His son, point guard Michael Conley Jr., was steady as ever with seven points and 13 assists - many to his AAU teammates.

The group also included Cleveland's David Lighty, who did not play on Conley's Spiece Indy Heat team and was injured this past summer. The only Buckeye recruit not there was JUCO transfer Othello Hunter, obviously not eligible for the game.

The only non-Buckeye among the West starters was 6-9 Lance Thomas, who is still deciding between Florida, Duke and Rutgers. If Oden had his way, Thomas would add another school on his list.

"He fit in well," Oden said. "We gotta try to persuade him to come to Ohio State."

It all had the feel of something other than the typical high school All-Star game, an event more of a precursor of things to come.

"It's not so much of a last game or a last high school game," Conley Jr. said. "We're not thinking of it like that. I mean, it's like a beginiing. This was our first time playing with David and he did good tonight and we're looking for more games like that."

Oden, whose nine fourth quarter points sealed the win, simply is far superior to all of his high school peers. His presence alone in the lane denies penetration and he is as powerful as any big man in recent memory when he catches the ball within 4 feet of the hoop. It usually results in a resounding dunk.

Always hesitant about answering questions of his pro future, the two-time national high school player of the year certainly enjoyed one aspect of his first game at the United Center.

"It's a lot of fun just being here," said Oden, who has already been contacted by Jerry Colangelo to play for the United States national team. "We got to look at the (Michael Jordan) statue before we came in. I kind of stayed there for a minute just reading all the accomplishments because there's so many of them."

Lighty got a chance to showcase his all-around game, which features effort on both ends of the floor. The Cleveland native bagged a pair of 3-pointers en route to 14 points and Thomas added 13.

The West reserves featured strong performances by Chicago's Patrick Beverley and Michigan State-bound Tom Herzog. Beverly - who became a national name during a stellar senior season at Marshall High School - had 13 points and six assists. He's deciding between Arkansas and Michigan.

Herzog is a 7-footer from Linden, Michigan who will get to battle Oden next season in the Big Ten. He blocked seven shots and grabbed five rebounds.

The two MVPs for the East were North Carolina-bound Alex Stepheson from Los Angeles and Louisville-bound Derrick Caracter of Fanwood, N.J. Stepheson went head-to-head with Oden on several occasions - even blocking his shot once! - to score 15 points.

Caracter scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half after turning in a nauseating performance before halftime in which he forced ill-advised jumpers and lived on the perimeter. Once considered one of the AAU circuit's truly gifted talents, Caracter tends to drift in games rather than make his presence felt.

Louisville-bound Earl Clark also had a strong second half with 10 of his 15 points for the undermanned East, who were undermined by rough efforts from Durrell Arthur (3-for-12), Will Walker (4-for-13) and Brian Carlwell (three rebounds in 21 minutes).

But make no mistake about it. The day was a coronation for the vaunted Ohio State group, one already drawing comparisons to Michigan's Fab Five.

The Buckeyes are hoping to do what the Wolverines did not - win a national title. For now, the hype might soon surpass what Chris Webber and co. received.

"I mean, you are hearing about it now," said Cook about the expectations. "Everybody's been saying it. The only thing you can do is compete and feed off that, and just go in and work hard and play our game."

Related - April 9, 2006: 2006 Roundball Classic practice report