Mike Conley Jr. grew up in Indianapolis dreaming of one day becoming a premier student-athlete at Arkansas like his father. As he got older and realized he had a gift in the game of basketball his mind wandered to other schools like Wake Forest and Michigan State.

Everybody knows how that story turned out. The 6-1 nearly ambidextrous point guard ended up coming to Ohio State with longtime teammate and close friend Greg Oden as well as AAU teammate and buddy Daequan Cook, and combined with the likes of Ron Lewis, Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter, David Lighty and Ivan Harris they were able to guide the Buckeyes all the way to the 2007 Big Ten crown, the conference tournament title and the NCAA championship game.

Conley played so well in his rookie season with the Buckeyes that he was able to follow Oden and Cook out the door as a first-round NBA draft pick in June 2007. He was selected fourth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies as OSU ended up being just a one-year weigh station for the pros.

Therefore, Conley didn’t have much time to connect himself with his college experience or the city of Columbus. And yet, like Oden the day before him, his affinity for central Ohio was a recurring theme while talking to reporters at the Buckeye Stars Basketball Camp at Worthington Kilbourne High School at the end of July.

“People here are great,” he said. “Everybody in Columbus is very kind. They really treat you very well. We feel like we’re still in college almost. We want to come back and spend time with our friends and be around people that we know, and Columbus is a great place that we feel we can call home.”

Conley moved in with Oden in an off-campus apartment last summer as the two enrolled for summer classes and headlined the camp, which is for youths ages 7 to 18. This year, Conley got a separate place so he could spend time with his girlfriend but he still sees Oden almost everyday. In fact, the two have been hanging around at Ohio State to work out, play pick up games and, of course, reconnect with their former college teammates.

“The bond that we have is still here every day,” Conley said. “I see Ivan every day, I see Ron every day, I see Twig (Matt Terwilliger) every day. We’re all in touch at all times. It’s just good to have relationships like that. That team was very special and I think everybody knows that, so we’re going to try to stay as close as we can for a lifetime.”

The one player from the reunion tour that is still in the program is Lighty, a 6-5 swingman who missed most of last year with a fractured foot. Lighty recouped that year of eligibility, which means he is now a redshirt junior and still has time to elevate his status while his friends are getting paid to play.

Conley said he strongly respects Lighty’s decision to stay in school and hone his game, but that hasn’t stopped him and others from a little friendly teasing.

“We make fun of him sometime, like, ‘Dave, we’re going to get you out of here. You’re going to be out next year,’ ” Conley said. “Dave, we feel like we abandoned him almost because that was one of our best friends. But he’s doing well. I’m happy for him. He deserves all the things he’s getting now with the team, being the leader and so forth, being the face of the team. He’s definitely done a great job without us.”

So have the others. Oden is finally healthy and ready to live up to his appointment as a No. 1 draft pick with the Portland Trail Blazers. Cook is a weapon on the wing for the Miami Heat and the reigning NBA three-point champion. Conley, meanwhile, has put together a couple of very encouraging seasons with the Grizzlies.

Last season the 21-year-old played in all 82 games, starting 60, and racked up 10.9 points, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. Memphis did well on draft day and real hope is brewing now that Lionel Hollins, a former NBA point guard and veteran coach, has taken over the reins.

The changes and improvements, which include the addition of 7-3 center Hasheem Thabeet, could benefit Conley as much as anyone.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “I’ve got a lot to look forward to with the new coach and the new system that we’re in. I’ve got a lot of freedom, a lot of opportunities to do well. I’m still working hard and every day this summer I’m coming back a more improved basketball player.”

And every summer, Conley figures to come back to his second home – Columbus.

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