BMOC: Oden's big man of Classic
First we had the LeBron game. Now we have the Oden game. The Greg Oden-Mike Conley show in February packed a record crowd of close to 9,000 into Welsh-Ryan Arena.
They're back.
Oden and Conley are among the headliners for the 42nd Roundball Classic, which will be played Sunday at the United Center.
"Greg is easily the most dominant big man since Shaquille O'Neal,'' Roundball founder and game director Sonny Vaccaro said. "And I go all the way back to Moses Malone.''
There will be some Chicago flavor with Proviso East's 6-11 Illinois recruit Brian Carlwell, Bolingbrook's DePaul-bound guard Will Walker and Marshall's Patrick Beverley, who has emerged as one of the hottest recruits in the nation. Two others are Scottie Reynolds of Virginia, who grew up in the northwest suburbs, and Chris Singletary, who attended Farragut before enrolling in a Florida prep school in the fall.
"Beverley was not even on the top 100 list for McDonald's,'' Vaccaro said. "He was one of those non-entity guys who didn't get a big-time name in the summer. He was good last year, and his high school was good. But the kid was still a mystery. This is a kid from Chicago, not from rural Tennessee or Mississippi. The only one I can think of to compare him to is Dwyane Wade.
"Beverley is the best-kept secret in the country. All over America, he is the singular guy who has put himself in an all-star game. All these guys that people recruit and he was going to [Toledo], and now he has a list of major schools after him.''
Glenbrook North's Jon Scheyer and Crane's Sherron Collins were invited, but both elected to play in the Jordan game in New York.
"I have no problem with that,'' Vaccaro said. "We have very good players, and they have very good players. The difference is Oden. Greg has been the most unassuming superstar athlete I've been around. At camps, in summer tournaments and in high school, Greg has deferred to teammates and always takes away from himself.
"When he's on the court, he doesn't back down. He's crazed and plays with intensity like Alonzo Mourning. I have no doubt he's the best amateur player in the world, including all the Euros and Asians.''
Vaccaro started the event as the Dapper Dan in 1965 in Pittsburgh. Later, Magic Johnson was involved before it moved to Chicago.
"This city is one of the hotbeds for high school talent in the country,'' Vaccaro said. "It looks like we've found a permanent home.''
For an All-American game that brought LeBron James to town in 2003, Oden creates a similar buzz. And the 7-footer is just one of those players you want to see.
"He's somebody you want to say you saw play at all levels,'' Vaccaro said. "LeBron was electric. Greg is dominating. They're different people. Greg has the demeanor of Bill Russell. The man never talked -- he just won. Greg just wins. too. He is a quiet, beautiful child.''
Many people have not heard much about Damion James, a 6-8 forward from Nacogdoches, Texas. Vaccaro called the Oklahoma recruit, who averages 25.2 points and 15.1 rebounds, "the most electrifying player in the Class of 2006.'' James was an MVP at Vaccaro's ABCD Camp in Teaneck, N.J. "He's Josh Smith with more personality,'' Vaccaro said.
Another player to watch is 6-5 David Lighty of Villa Angela-St. Joseph in Cleveland. He was hurt and didn't play last summer but will be joining Oden, Conley and Daequan Cook of Dunbar in Dayton, Ohio, to give Ohio State a class that many believe rivals Michigan's "Fab Five'' in 1991.
"I love this game and having it at the United Center,'' Vaccaro said. "Jerry Reinsdorf treats us better than anyone, and it is one of the best arenas in the world.''
ROUNDBALL CLASSIC
Sunday: 3 p.m. at the United Center. Warmups begin at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $25, $15 and $7.50. Visit the United Center box office or through Ticketmaster at (312) 559-1212 or www. ticketmaster.com.
More information: Visit www.roundball classic.net.
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EAST TEAM
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | High School | College |
| Darrell Arthur | F | 6-9 | 220 | Dallas | South Oak Cliff | Undecided |
| Derrick Caracter | F | 6-9 | 280 | Fanwood, N.J. | Notre Dame Prep, Ma. | Louisville |
| Brian Carlwell | C | 6-11 | 265 | Maywood | Proviso East | Illinois |
| Earl Clark | PG | 6-9 | 200 | Rahway, N.J. | Rahway | Louisville |
| Paul Harris | G | 6-4 | 225 | Niagara Falls, N.Y. | Notre Dame Prep, Ma. | Syracuse |
| Eugene Harvey | PG | 6-0 | 165 | Brooklyn, N.Y. | St. Benedict's Prep | Undecided |
| Curtis Kelly | F | 6-10 | 190 | New York | Rice | UConn |
| Chris Singletary | G | 6-4 | 245 | Chicago | Florida Prep, Fl. | Undecided |
| Alex Stepheson | C | 6-10 | 230 | Los Angeles | Harvard Westlake | UNC |
| Perry Stevenson | F | 6-10 | 197 | Lafayette, La. | Northside | Kentucky |
| Will Walker | G | 6-2 | 180 | Bolingbrook | Bolingbrook | DePaul |
WEST TEAM
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | High School | College |
| Patrick Beverley | G | 6-2 | 175 | Chicago | Marshall | Undecided |
| Michael Conley II | PG | 6-1 | 175 | Indianapolis | Lawrence North | Ohio State |
| Daequan Cook | G | 6-5 | 210 | Dayton, Ohio | Dunbar | Ohio State |
| Bryan Davis | F | 6-9 | 225 | Grand Prairie, Texas | Grand Prairie | Texas A&M |
| Tom Herzog | C | 7-0 | 225 | Linden, Mich. | Flint Powers | Mich. State |
| Damion James | F | 6-8 | 227 | Nacogdoches, Texas | Nacogdoches | Oklahoma |
| David Lighty | F | 6-5 | 215 | Cleveland | Villa Angela-St. Joe | Ohio State |
| Greg Oden | C | 7-0 | 250 | Indianapolis | Lawrence North | Ohio State |
| Scottie Reynolds | PG | 6-0 | 185 | Herndon, Va. | Herndon | Oklahoma |
| Lance Thomas | F | 6-8 | 210 | Scotch Plains, N.J. | St. Benedict Prep | Undecided |