Former Ohio State Center Greg Oden Returning To Coaching Staff As Graduate Assistant

This will be the former No. 1 overall pick’s second stint on the Buckeyes’ bench.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Sep 1, 2021 3:17 PM EDT

According to a report from Adam Jardy of The Columbus Dispatch, former Ohio State center Greg Oden will rejoin the Buckeyes’ coaching staff as graduate assistant this season.

This marks the second time the 33-year-old Oden has been on Ohio State’s staff, as he was a student manager and student assistant coach under Thad Matta and Chris Holtmann from 2016-19. This role is more hands-on that his previous stint, however.

“I’m thankful, honestly, for coach Holt and his staff who have welcomed me in and given me this opportunity because that’s literally what I want to do is get into coaching,” Oden said. “One of the toughest things to do is get your foot in the door, so for them to give me this opportunity while I’m able to actually get a Master’s degree in sports coaching from The Ohio State University, which I would love, is something that’s just amazing. I couldn’t ask for anything better. I’m just so thankful and ready to take advantage of this opportunity.”

The 7-foot-0 and 273-pound Oden played just one season for the Buckeyes, leading them to the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships, as well as an appearance in the 2007 national title game. He averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game to earn first-team All-American honors.

Oden was the No. 1 overall pick of the Portland Trail Blazers in that summer’s NBA Draft, but injuries limited him to just 105 career games across seven seasons. He averaged 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Blazers and Miami Heat, appearing in the NBA Finals during his final season in 2013-14.

Oden has also played for the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association, Carmen’s Crew in The Basketball Tournament and the Aliens of the BIG3 basketball league. He was recently announced as an assistant coach of the DC Stealth of The Professional Collegiate League, but will now join the Buckeyes instead.

“What it’s really about is being able to help the kids coming in and bring something to the university and be able to help these kids graduate and hopefully further their playing career,” Oden said. “I think I’ve got some things I can add to that, off the court as well as on. That’s the reason why I want to be a coach in the first place. I look forward to that as well.”

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