In front of an overflow crowd in the small confines of Garth Pleasant Arena, it felt like anything but an exhibition.
The Rochester Christian faithful was on the edge of their seat every possession, with passion oozing out of every Warrior to hit the floor.
So while an 87-74 win in a game that doesn’t count towards the win loss total may not seem like much, this one felt good for the Golden Grizzlies.
Not only has Oakland struggled with this opponent recently, with two point wins in the last two meetings, but the blowout loss at the hands of Michigan earlier in the week was a hit to the team’s and fanbases confidence. To come away with a win where Oakland controlled the action all second half had to feel good.
One reason for a reinstallation of confidence has to be the play of Allen Mukeba. The big man transfer from Kansas City poured in 24 points and 10 rebounds, while looking like a force inside defensively as well. Anywhere he wanted to get too he got there, and he was efficient in doing so. There was a time early this offseason where it looked like a massive challenge to withstand the scoring hit the frontcourt took, but Mukeba is displaying he has a chance to be a real player in the Horizon League.
After an 0-8 exhibition debut from three for DQ Cole, he flipped the switch back to the DQ Cole Golden Grizzlies fans became accustomed too late last year. He made three of his seven threes in this one, while adding a few more buckets, good for 19 points. He also posted five boards and two assists in his 30 minutes.
Perhaps the most encouraging performance for Oakland fans was the one put on by Jaylen Jones. With freshman Nassim Mashhour getting the start, and Jones also coming off the bench last Sunday, it was a sign he had not done enough to earn the starting point guard spot. Combine that with a rough go against Michigan and point guard looked like real question again for Oakland early in the year. But Jones displayed the talent that saw him as one of the top performing freshman in the Ohio Valley Conference last year. In 26 minutes, he scored 13 points, shooting 4-5 from the floor and hitting two threes. With four assists, three steals and zero turnovers, it was the exact type of game Oakland would have wanted from Jones when he committed. He remains a work in progress, but him displaying this type of upside is huge for his role early in the year.
The other Golden Grizzly in double figures was Buru Naivalurua. His 13 points came in highlight fashion, with a highlight put back dunk, a late clock three, and a few other athletic displays around the rim. With Isaiah Jones out, Naivalurua is the only true returner not at the guard spot (DQ), so his presence on the floor is key in this early stage, maybe even more importantly on the defensive end.
Jayson Woodrich and Malcom Christie struggled from the outside. Woodrich made only two of his ten threes and Christie was 0-4 from beyond the arc. Woodrich scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds, while Christie grabbed three boards and hit two free throws. Their outside shooting will be needed as the year goes on, but the fact others showed up in different ways on a night they both struggled is a good sign for the Golden Grizzly offense.
Defensively, Oakland was up and down. Early in the game RCU was having their way on the offensive glass, something that Michigan also exploited. Oakland was able to rebound better as the game went on, but that is something to monitor as Oakland hits the meat of their non conference schedule. The other main issue against Michigan was Oakland’s three point defense, and this game was a mixed bag. RCU made ten threes, but Oakland seemed to be moving a step quicker in their second game action in the zone.
Putting themselves out there in two tough spots was more fun than seeing Oakland beat up on someone way weaker, or not seeing them at all, but in terms of the record that this team has, these two games meant nothing.
The real thing is next up, with Oakland taking on Defiance College, another NAIA opponent. That game will tip off Monday at 7pm ET, inside the O’rena. Defiance native Greg Kampe is sitting at 699 career wins, and will take on his hometown team to become to third active D1 head coach to reach 700 wins at his current school, joining Tom Izzo and Mark Few.
