At the time, the sentiment was that Greg Oden was already wise beyond his years. The 18-year-old, one-and-done men’s basketball star dominated the sport with just one fully healthy wrist, taking Ohio State to the 2007 national championship on his way to becoming the first pick in the NBA draft.
Oden is now 36 years old. The same amount of time has passed since his Ohio State career as before it. And now, with two degrees to his name and this weekend’s enshrinement in the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame , Oden is finally, truly making the first step on his own path.
Basketball has been the predestined universe through which everything else has been filtered since Oden first started playing in third grade. After going from player to student manager to graduate assistant to college basketball staff member , Oden is taking his leave from the game that has long dictated his days. Last month, Butler University announced that Oden was leaving his role as director of basketball operations to pursue other interests…