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Portland, OR via Columbus, OH via Indianapolis, IN via Terre Haute, IN via Buffalo, NY.

Well-traveled by the time he was taken No. 1 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, Greg Oden was also heavily adorned.

He led Ohio State to the championship game as a raw college freshman, sure. But in high school, Greg had already led Lawrence North to three straight Class 4A Indiana state titles.

“We had a great coach, a great coaching staff. Being around them and the things they taught me, it helped me, my mom, my whole family. It was really great being there and learning under a staff that had produced so many great players.”

In a basketball-crazy state.

“When I was in Indiana, the high school basketball was really, really good. There are a lot of guys in the league now from all around that area - especially the city of Indianapolis - that I played against. And it was just fun. Every game was packed - all my high school games were sold out. And it was just exciting. Indiana loves its high school basketball.”

They won 45 consecutive games to close out his career, including an undefeated senior year as Greg averaged 22.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting an insanely high 74% from the floor. Saving his best for last, he dropped 27 points and ripped down 26 boards against Muncie Central, fiercely controlling the title tilt.

Having a great point guard sure didn’t hurt.

“When you have a great point guard, you know those teams are always going to be good. I was blessed to be on teams with one.”

Greg built a rock-solid relationship with his point guard.

“We’d knew each other for so long. It was to the point where we were always around each other. People tried to make it like we were the best of friends, but it was even more simple than that. I thought, ‘Man, I’m just happy to be around him everyday!’ We were able to grow that connection on the court to the point where we just clicked.”

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Greg was willing to do all the dirty work.

“Somebody’s just got to do it. It’s a team game so you’ve got to do a little bit of everything. There are guys out there who are scorers, who are going to get 20, 30 points a game. They just do that. But there’s also other guys who are going to get 10 rebounds a game, get 3 blocks a game - and maybe only score a couple of points.”

For Greg, it’s about embracing the concept of “team.”

“You need guys to do that rebounding and defensive work just as much as you need the guys to score. Team means a lot to me. I’m one of those players who isn’t worried about scoring - I just want to go out there and help the team in any way possible. There’s always going to be a need for defense, there’s always going to be a need for rebounding. So that’s what I want to go out there and do.”

Greg did it so well, McDonald’s called with a spot on their All-American squad.

Indiana named him Mr. Basketball.

Before that? He was just the first high school junior since LeBron James to be named Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

But none of those awards drove Greg on the court.

“I never really though about any of that stuff - I just kept on playing. I just wanted to go in and play hard, have fun with it. I was never really thinking about what could come out of it. I wasn’t even thinking about where I was gong to go to college until my senior year. I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to Ohio State next year.’ When I was younger, I just went out and played.”

And the hype?

“It has never affected me. Even still to this day - positive or negative - it doesn’t bother me at all. I try not to listen to that - I just go out there and play my game.”

For Greg, it’s about the love he developed for the game.

“I was always way more interested in school than I was in basketball. You know, I really just started playing basketball ’cause I didn’t have anything else to do. But then I fell in love with it - just kept playing, and playing and playing. So for young players today, just keep developing that love for the game. Just go out there and play. Don’t worry about all the outside influences or what people say. You know what you can do - go out there and have fun.”

And pressure? He brushes that aside.

“I try not to think about that, either. I already put a lot of pressure on myself to play well - so I don’t worry about what everybody else is saying. If you focus on what you’re saying to yourself - on what you want to do and what you know you can do - then all you have to do is go out there and do it.”

He entered the NBA as its top draft pick, having never lost a home game in college or high school. But before he got a shot to defend the Rose Garden - his new home court - Greg underwent microfracture surgery to fix his knee and missed the entire season. He was also forced to miss the beginning of his freshman year at Ohio State with a wrist injury.

“It was tough. I really couldn’t participate in any of the summer workouts. But it was good, too. I enjoyed being there and just seeing everything, taking it all in. The excitement from missing those first 8 games at Ohio State just got me all rammed up to go when I got back.”

And after getting his knee all the way back through a grueling year of rehab, Greg started to deliver on all the promise that catapulted him to the top of the NBA Draft.

“You just have to keep going and try not to worry about it. Injuries happen - they happen to everybody. You can always push through it and you can always learn and be better than you were before you even had the injury. I just used it as an opportunity to get better, get my body stronger and learn something new to improve my game.”

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