Alonzo Mourning looking forward to working with Greg Oden

When the Miami Heat signed Greg Oden many were thinking that he would solve the team's interior woes. But Heat fans might want to be patient as Oden works his way back into shape since he hasn't played in a game since December 9, 2009.

The Heat have reached back to the past to help Oden work his way back from knee troubles. Alonzo Mourning will be working with Oden to get him back in the game. Mourning sounded excited about the prospect of working with Oden.

“Extremely excited, extremely excited,” he said by phone, “because I understand the potential that he has….

“I think we all, as an organization, are looking forward to working with him, developing him, so that he can be a part of this organization for years to come….

“I know that if healthy, the impact that he can have on this franchise,” Mourning said. “Just him being 25 years old, I feel that the longevity of the possibility of him playing, that longevity will continue to stimulate a winning opportunity with the organization.”

Mourning should curb his enthusiasm regarding Oden. If you can remember the guy has been a one man M.A.S.H unit since his days at Ohio State.

If Oden can be a marginal contributor to a championship team then this will be a success, provided he can stay healthy.
 

Greg Mattison believes the Big Ten can be king again

In the world of college football it's the SEC and everyone else. The conference has laid claim to the last seven BCS championships and boasts heavyweights like Alabama, Florida, and LSU among others. With the Crimson Tide being the unanimous preseason number one team, it looks like no one will wrest the BCS/national championship crown from the SEC anytime soon.

Michigan's defensive coordinator Greg Mattison believes that it's time for a change at the top of the college football food chain.

Mattison believes that the Big Ten will start taking over again, gaining back the respect lost in BCS title game blowout losses.

"What happens with conferences, throughout history, is that they're going to go up and down," Mattison said. "I really look for the Big Ten to really start taking back over again. My respect, I can tell you this from all the places I've been, my respect for the Big Ten is greater now than maybe it was when I was here 10 years ago.

"I see how hard and how physical and how tough this league is. You'd better not, in the Big Ten Conference, go out there and think that you can just walk out there. Because you're going to get hit."  
Offensive coordinator Al Borges echoed Mattison's sentiments.

"The perception right now is that the SEC is the best conference, and they’ve got something to go on,” he said. "(But) we recruit against all those schools. We get our share of players. As long as you’re getting as good a player as they’re getting, why shouldn’t you win?

"So recruiting is what it’s all about. Focusing on that, then getting them in and developing them.”

The perception of the Big Ten it's that they're too slow for teams in the SEC. Teams in the Big Ten (Michigan,Ohio State) can recruit with the heavyweights in the SEC it's just that SEC teams get a different caliber athlete than teams on the Big Ten.

I do think it's cyclical so there will be a point and time when the SEC won't be as dominant as everyone else.