More from Coach Oden:
Al also looked a lot more aggressive later in the summer compared to
what I saw at Glass City?
“I remember us talking down there. You probably thought we were really
bad that day! (laughing). We played like crap. If you saw us at the Adidas Big
Time tournament in Las Vegas you would have seen a much better Al and a much
better Mustangs team. We run real plays on my team. One guy called us a little
league program, but we won that tournament 4 out of the last 8 years. We work
hard, and Al works hard. That’s why he improved so much.”
Some people have said that Al has a playing style similar to Tim Duncan.
I sort of think that his style is more similar to Kevin McHale. Understanding
that no one is saying that he has the talent or potential of either of the aforementioned
players..and that we're only attempting to gaguge his style,...who would you
say he plays like?
“You guys always ask questions like that! (laughing). I can see that.
Al has the really long arms, is a great rebounder, and has the good back to
the basket game.”
How is Al in school?
“People were saying that Al would get an offer if he could get a test
score. What they didn’t mention is Al just hadn’t taken the test
yet. Al is a very good student and he’s going to score very well on the
test. Most of the kids in my program are good students. We had a team GPA of
3.6.”
Why do you think he decided to go ahead and pull the trigger?
“I think he just felt comfortable with the players and coaches. He had
been down there quite a bit. He was down there again this past weekend (along
the coach and another Mustang player, David Kool). I think he just felt
good about the situation.”
I caught up with Al this evening and he gave us his
thoughts on the decision.
When did you finally come to the decision?
"I talked to coach Amaker on the phone a little earlier and I just thought that’s
where I wanted to go."
What ultimately made Michigan the team for you?
“Well I thought that I really got along with the players and I like all
of the coaches and what they had to offer. That’s why I went ahead and
made the decision."
Have they talked to you about where and how they’re going to
use you?
“We haven’t really talked about that too much yet, but Coach Amaker
said that he thinks that they’ll use me more at the 4 spot.
What part of your game do you think you need to work on prior to arriving
at Michigan?
“I know that I’ve got to get stronger, which I’m already
working on in the weight room and stuff. I’m also going to work on extending
my range, which I’m working on already.”
How is Grand Ledge looking this year?
“We lost all of our starters except for myself. But, I think we’re
still going to be pretty good. I think we’ll still make the playoffs.”
Coach Oden told me that you’ve grown a solid inch over the summer.
How tall are you now?
“I’m about 6-9 now.”
How much do you weigh?
“Last time I weighed myself I was about 216.”