5. 2006 Lawrence North (Indianapolis)Aside from LeBron James, no player this decade has been more famous before graduating high school than Lawrence North's Greg Oden.
Mike Conley and Greg Oden
teamed up at Lawrence North
before heading to Ohio State.
Photo courtesy of the IHSAA
The 7-footer stands out in Indiana history as the state's most dominant center on both sides of the ball. He flourished under the tutelage of Lawrence North head coach Jack Keefer.
It's a good thing that Oden is unselfish; his teammate, point guard Mike Conley, was nearly every bit as talented, albeit sometimes overshadowed. He was also quick to share the ball, but it wasn't for a lack of his own offensive prowess.
"Conley could score at will," said MaxPreps Senior Writer Dave Krider, who has documented the careers of Oden and Conley in his book, Uncaged: The Rise of Greg Oden, Mike Conley, and the national champion Lawrence North Wildcats.
In 2003, Oden and Conley simultaneously became the first freshmen to start for head coach Jack Keefer, and the two have been inextricably linked ever since. After back-to-back state titles, 2006 had all the makings of a dream season, and the Wildcats — namely Oden and Conley — did not disappoint.
Lawrence North steamrolled through in-state competition. In its marquee out-of-state matchup against Jon Scheyer and Glenbrook North (Ill.) in Evanston, Ill., the Wildcats went on the road and beat the nationally ranked Spartans in front of a capacity crowd.
The Wildcats also received contributions from Damian Windham, a 6-5 junior who hounded down rebounds, and scrappy defender Brandon McDonald. Point guard Qadar Owen assisted Conley with ballhandling duties, and 6-8 freshman Stephan Van Treese, a senior currently committed to the University of Louisville, backed up Oden at center.
But it was Oden and Conley that would have made the 2006 Lawrence North squad a contender in the tournament's early rounds.
"Oden was the best big man that Indiana's ever had, and Conley's the best point guard Indiana's ever had," Krider said.
Perhaps the best evidence that Lawrence North's excellent duo would have advanced the Wildcats is the performance that the pair put forth in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. As mere freshmen, they were instrumental in leading Ohio State to the title game.
As high school seniors in 2006, they would have would have led Lawrence North, arguably the greatest team in state history, to a first-round win.
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