Greg Oden Loves Fish Sticks

And who can blame him? They’re basically sweet heaven dollops, deep-fried in awesome.

Here’s a quick excerpt — of an excerpt — from David Krider, JR Shelt and Scott Freeman’s new book, Uncaged: The Rise of Greg Oden, Mike Conley, and the National Champion Lawrence North Wildcats:

At first, Greg even had a problem scoring in the correct basket. His first two points in organized basketball counted for the opposing team. Consequently, the lanky youngster didn’t see much game action. He spent most of his time on the pine as a fourth and fifth grader.

What transpired during those first two years, however, showcased Greg’s remarkable attitude, a trait he possessed even as a youngster. He never complained about his lack of playing time, and instead spent as much time in the gym as possible, working tirelessly to improve his game - layup after layup.

“I really didn’t look at it like work,” Greg recalls. “Jimmy Smith worked tremendously with me. I probably wouldn’t be as dedicated today if it wasn’t for him.”

A little bribe here and there didn’t hurt, either. Greg’s mother always promised to buy him fish sticks or chocolate milk if he scored in the game. In the classroom, Greg didn’t need any incentive to make good marks. He took great pride in his report card at each grading period, always making sure to show it to his coaches, who were impressed with Greg’s intelligence and desire to be a success off the court. Likewise, it would have been easy for a kid who found success away from the court to become disinterested with a sport he couldn’t master. But for Greg, the challenge was worth the wait.

Uncaged [HoopsHype]

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By J.E. Skeets at 4:36 pm on 09.15.2006 — Tags: College, Greg Oden, General

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