Over the years, Oakland has traveled to some of the premier buildings in the country. The Golden Grizzlies have taken trips to Pauley Pavilion, the Dean Dome, Breslin Center, the dome at Syracuse, and many others. Even this year, Oakland will play at places like Little Caesars Arena. Phog Allen Fieldhouse and Bud Walton Arena.
On Friday however, Oakland will make a trip across its own city, and play at Garth Pleasant Arena, with a capacity of 1,000 people.
Rochester Christian University is an NAIA school that plays in the WHAC. Oakland leads the all-time series 11-0, but that doesn’t include a few exhibition contests in recent seasons.
In 2019, Oakland took the court at home against the Warriors, and came away with a 61-59 win, on two late free throws by Tray Maddox.
Most recently, this same game took place, with the Warriors hosting the Golden Grizzlies in a 2022 exhibition. Once again, Oakland needed late game heroics to secure the win. After trailing most of the game, Oakland came back late, and Trey Townsend made the go-ahead bucket to eke out a two-point win.
RCU has some familiar names on its roster, both from that game and from elsewhere. Gunnar Walters and James Fischer posted big games two years ago, while Stavros Polatoglou is a big with D1 experience at Northwestern State.
Perhaps the most interesting name though is guard Brody Parker. Parker played 36 games in two seasons with the Golden Grizzlies and will probably have a chip on his shoulder entering this one.
For Oakland, this will be no walk in the park, but this is an opportunity to get some confidence back after the drubbing the Golden Grizzlies took at the hands of Michigan.
Getting DQ Cole going would be an awesome start. Michigan had bodies to match his athleticism, but on Friday he should have athletic advantages at his position. After a poor showing from Oakland’s star on Sunday, a big game from Cole would be a nice boost heading into the regular season.
David Allen Mukeba and Buru Naivalurua should be heavily utilized too. RCU has respectable size and bodies, but nothing compared to what Michigan offers. Mukeba and Naivalurua could each use a big performance.
Perhaps the biggest key defensively will be how Oakland defends the three-point line. Many times, the reason a player is at a school like RCU is because they lack something athletically, but they are skilled players. RCU has shooters, and two years ago they made 10 threes against the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland allowed Michigan to make 15 threes on Sunday, and one of the biggest keys to their special zone working is three-point defense.
This is a good chance for Oakland to get some of their mojo back after a tough exhibition opener. A win in this game, much like two years ago, will not feel like a normal win over an NAIA opponent. RCU will be incredibly prepared, not scared, and have a charged up crowd behind them, making for a charged up atmosphere. With all that said, the Golden Grizzlies are obviously the better team, time will tell if they are able to look like it.
The start time inside Garth Pleasant Arena is slated for 7pm. The game will be live streamed on Youtube. You can use this link to watch.
