OSU has its fulltime agent

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 8:56 pm

How convenient is that Conley Sr. is building up his own agency? Looks like he wants some of that Oden $$$$. Now osu football and basketball players will have their personal agent.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... -1/ZONES04

Conley Sr. starting sports representation business
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By Jeff Rabjohns
[email protected]

Whenever Greg Oden decides to go pro, he'll have the option of turning to a longtime friend for representation.

Mike Conley Sr., who coached Oden in summer basketball and has known the Ohio State freshman phenom since he was in sixth grade, has decided to start a firm.
The company will be called Mac Management Group after the founder's full name, Michael A. Conley.
"I just need to start putting things in place, not knowing what any of the guys are going to do," Conley Sr. said Monday, referring to several college players he knows who are in the position of making decisions about declaring for the NBA draft. "They're definitely going to do something this year or next, so if I'm going to do it, I need to put myself in the position to be ready when the time comes."
Conley Sr. said starting a firm should not be viewed as any indication that Oden has made a decision about whether to go pro this year. Ohio State is in the Sweet Sixteen, and Oden has said he won't make a decision about his future until the college season is complete.
"I have had zero conversations with Greg about this, and I promised (Ohio State coach) Thad (Matta) I wouldn't until after the season," Conley Sr. said.
Conley Sr. has extensive contacts in basketball. His former summer team included Oden, fellow Ohio State freshmen Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook, Duke's Josh McRoberts and North Central High School senior Eric Gordon -- all projected as future NBA players.
"I'm not being presumptuous at all," Conley Sr. said. "Getting into this business is not just for those individuals. I'm competitive. I want to be the best at what I do, and that's not going to stop when I enter the sports management business.
"Hopefully I can attract and share a vision with some of the athletes I know, but also with others and move their careers forward."
Oden is considered a career-making client for an agent.
"He would be incredibly valuable, as valuable as you'd expect the first pick in the draft to be," said ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, who is also an attorney.
"He's worth tens of millions of dollars. As a big guy, he might not get a shoe deal equal to what LeBron James got because big guys don't tend to sell shoes. But's he's a very marketable young man who will be worth tens of millions of dollars off the court."
Conley currently is executive director of a group helping Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. He previously was in charge of elite athlete services for USA Track and Field and negotiated various contracts, including endorsement deals, in that capacity.
A former high school basketball star in Chicago, Conley Sr. became an Olympic track star, winning a gold medal in the triple jump in 1992.
He said he'll be comfortable negotiating with NBA teams.
"I've negotiated a lot of different things. Almost everything in life is negotiated," Conley Sr. said. "You have to know what it is you're negotiating. You have to know when something's a good deal. Outside of being educated about the process, the same principles exist, and that's putting both parties in a win-win situation."
A 7-foot, 280-pound center, Oden has been projected as the overall No. 1 pick whenever he decides to enter the NBA draft. He was barred from the draft after high school when the NBA changed its eligibility rules.
Oden leads the top-ranked Buckeyes in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and shooting percentage. He missed the first seven games while recovering from a wrist injury suffered as a senior at Lawrence North High School and spent most of this season with the wrist on his shooting hand in a protective brace.

redskins4ever · Post by **redskins4ever** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:18 pm

I believe that Conley's contact with Oden would be prohibited, and could spell trouble!

tekekini · Post by **tekekini** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:00 pm

and the article says they have not spoken about it. in two weeks they can talk all they want. why would oden stay

BGDrew · Post by **BGDrew** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:01 pm

tekekini wrote:and the article says they have not spoken about it. in two weeks they can talk all they want. why would oden stay

Agreed, he's never going to win a NC if he keeps knocking guys into the 1st row.

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:49 pm

tekekini wrote:why would oden stay

Because he promised his mom he'd get his degree, so he'll be at OSU for four years.

At least that's what the Buckeye fan at work says. With a straight face, somehow.

tekekini · Post by **tekekini** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 5:52 pm

4 years no way..

i can almost see comming back next year, cos I do not think he is ready to go, but he is going to be 1st pick with multi millions..he is not comming back.

NWLB · Post by **NWLB** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 2:52 am

As my time here grows, I do believe the majority of Buckeye fans are among the most out of touch people on this earth, bar none. A title formally held by Marshall and Notre Dame fans.

The locals I know, and a few media types to boot, are saying he stopped going to class weeks ago, and has said as much at one point when the media slipped the question in. He was asked if he was "enjoying" some class, and as I recall seeing on TV, he just blabs about not going anymore, without seeming to realize the implication.

Of course, he is within his rights to do that if he is leaving.

But the people that actually and seriously feel he will stay? Wacked out more than Dennis Hopper in the 70s man.

tekekini · Post by **tekekini** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:43 am

i havent heard anything about him not going to class. if that was the case and it was publicly known, the NCAA would be looking into it. I have heard nothing of this.

h2oville rocket · Post by **h2oville rocket** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:42 am

tekekini wrote:i havent heard anything about him not going to class. if that was the case and it was publicly known, the NCAA would be looking into it. I have heard nothing of this.

Why would the NCAA look into whether he was going to class? As long as he's in good standing academically at this point in the year there is no reason for anybody looking into his attendance. I missed a ton of classes over the years and the NCAA never once investigated because I was in good academic standing. Well, that and the fact that they (and a lot of my professors) didn't know I existed.