Ohio State basketball center Greg Oden has made just 10 of 21 attempts from the free throw line this year. This very Shaq-like percentage won’t get the kind of attention the freshman is used to receiving.

That is, until you realize that the right-handed Oden is shooting his freebies with his left hand, due to a cast he’s wearing on his healing right wrist.

Oden, the most celebrated freshman to come along in quite some time, has done everything else very well, in his first three games with the Ohio State basketball team, including hitting 17 straight field goals at one point.

The numbers for this young superstar in waiting are, in fact, quite remarkable. Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta has brought his big man along very slowly, as the highly-rated Buckeyes hammer away at some very weak early-season competition.

Greg Oden has taken 71 minutes worth of baby steps, and you’ll have to excuse this warped analogy for a man standing seven feet tall and weighing 280 pounds. In these minutes, Oden, wrapped wrist and all, has scored 44 points, grabbed 25 rebounds (9 offensive) and swatted away 13 shots.

The comparisons are pouring in faster than daily lottery results. Greg Oden is being called by many experts the next Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan, among others.