This is the tale of a team that upset Kentucky in the NCAA tournament last season, struggled early this season, but has responded with two impressive back-to-back wins and then lost on the road to start conference play 1-1.
This team started the season 1-4, with their only win coming against a non-Division I opponent. They went into their sixth game and were not favored to win. This season had high expectations, as this team won the Horizon League regular season and league tournament last season, upset Kentucky in the round of 64, and took NC State to overtime in the next round. However, this off-season, this team lost most of its main contributors to graduation and the transfer portal.
The team is led by veteran head coach Greg Kampe, the longest-tenured college basketball coach, who has been the Oakland coach since 1984. He understands the new era of college basketball with the NIL era being in full swing, and he has tried to navigate it so that the Golden Grizzlies can compete to win the Horizon League tournament and go to the NCAA tournament for a second straight year. However, being a mid-major program without the NIL budgets of other schools from conferences like the Big Ten and Big 12 makes it difficult for schools like Oakland to stop its top players from transferring to power four schools.
Two examples are when Trey Townsend and Chris Conway, two of last season’s team starters, transferred this offseason. Townsend transferred to the University of Arizona, and Conway transferred to the University of Washington. Townsend averages just over 11 points and 28 minutes per game for the Wildcats. Conway is putting up 10 points and playing 27 minutes per game for the Huskies. Kampe also lost key players due to graduation and no longer has eligibility.
The Golden Grizzlies had players on their roster last season who, due to the COVID waiver, were able to play an extra year. Rocket Watts, Jack Gohlke, and Blake Lampman were all in their fifth season of college basketball last season and helped Oakland win both the conference’s regular-season and tournament titles. The Golden Grizzlies lost their top four scorers from last season.
Besides those five players who will not play this season for the Golden Grizzlies, Oakland only brought back five players who were on their roster last season, and only two of those five players averaged more than 18 minutes per game. However, Kampe and his coaching staff assembled a competitive team this season.
DQ Cole, Isaiah Jones, Buru Naivalurua, Zavier Banks, and Cooper Craggs are back from last season. Kampe also brought in players via transfer portal.
Allen Mukeba from Kansas City is currently Oakland’s leading scorer. Jayson Woodrich from Horizon League rival Cleveland State leads Oakland in steals per game. Jaylen Jones from Tennessee State leads the team in assists per game, and his brother Isiah plays on the team. At the beginning of the season, this newly assembled team struggled, especially on the offensive end, but the Golden Grizzlies have played well of late, and here is why.
Kampe and his team began this season with a home win over Defiance College, an NAIA school. That victory would be followed with four straight losses. All four losses were against quality opponents, and only one was not expected. As in seasons past, the Golden Grizzlies have played challenging and high-profile teams in non-conference play. This season, Oakland went on the road and played Boise State, Illinois, and Kansas. The game against the Broncos could have gone better. Still, the Golden Grizzlies played the Fighting Illini tough, held them to only 66 points, and were only down seven at the half. Against Kansas, Oakland outscored the Jayhawks 33-32 in the second half, but still lost by 21 points. The last loss of this four-game losing streak caused some pause, however.
Oakland hosted Eastern Michigan, and it was expected that the Golden Grizzlies would win this game and get their season back on track. The game looked like an Oakland victory, leading 36-28 at the half, but the Eagles outscored the Golden Grizzlies by a 40-28 margin in the second half. The loss was Oakland’s first loss of the season on their home court. Then Oakland responded and got their swagger back.
The Golden Grizzlies would play another team from the MAC in Toledo in their next game. The Rockets entered the game 5-2 with wins over Marshall on the road, two Horizon League teams in Wright State and Detroit Mercy, and a win over Conference USA opponent Jacksonville State. Oakland was expected to lose this game on the road, but the Golden Grizzlies played their best game of the season.
Oakland played an outstanding first half of basketball against the Rockets, especially on the defensive end, leading Toledo 34-23 at halftime. However, as good as the first-half play of the Golden Grizzlies was this game, the second-half play was near perfection. Oakland went full throttle in the second half and did not ease up on the gas. The Golden Grizzlies offense scored 51 second-half points and defeated the Rockets by a final score of 85-72 for only their second win. But the big question was, could Kampe and his team follow up that impressive performance in their first conference game of the season? The answer to the question would be yes.
The Golden Grizzlies would host Wright State in their first conference game. The Raiders entered the game with impressive wins against Miami (OH) on the road, Princeton in the Myrtle Beach Invitational, and Air Force from the Mountain West conference. Even in their losses, they were very competitive, losing to South Florida by one and Bradley by three on a neutral court.
Oakland may have had revenge on their mind for this game and for a good reason as well of an outstanding season they had in 2023-24; the last time Oakland hosted Wright State resulted in a 96-75 loss on their home court. The Golden Grizzlies went into halftime in this game with a 37-34 lead over the Raiders. The defense played solidly throughout the game, and in the second half, the Golden Grizzlies defense would come up with some clutch rebounds and steals to give Oakland a 66-64 victory.
Oakland and Kampe only have three wins this season, but it is only early December. It appears the Golden Grizzlies had their swagger back with two back-to-back impressive wins but then they went on the road to play Youngstown State for their second conference game of the season.
Youngstown State like Oakland has had a roller coaster of a season thus far. They lost by 25 to Presbyterian in Axe ‘Em Classic, took Syracuse to overtime on the road in a game they were leading the Orange by seven before losing, and won their first Horizon League of the season by 14 on the road against Robert Morris. The Penguins were ready to host Oakland and they were determine to go 2-0 in league play.
Oakland played well defensively in the first half and were only down nine at halftime on the road. However, the Golden Grizzlies only scored 23 first half points and did not do much better offensively in the second half, only producing 27 points and failing to Youngstown State by 16 to fall to 1-1 in Horizon League play.
The roller coaster of the season for the Golden Grizzlies is making it difficult to predict if they have a strong case of being back-to-back Horizon League champs. Oakland plays Michigan State on a neutral court, travels to play at Arkansas, and opens with Loyola Chicago in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic before resuming conference play.
When Oakland hosts both Milwaukee and Robert Morris the first week of January, they will look to resume their quest to defend their title as conference champions and go 3-1 in conference play. The hope and expectation are to play well in their remaining non-conference games and learn and grow as a team so that they will be ready to win their next two conference games and gain momentum moving forward in Horizon League play.
There will be no bold predictions that the Golden Grizzlies will win the Horizon League regular season and conference tournament again, go to the NCAA tournament, and upset another blue-blood program. Still, they have the potential and capability to win the majority of their conference games in January and climb the Horizon League conference standing. There also is a strong argument that Kampe and his team can repeat as conference champions again but they have work to do and they must continue to improve moving forward.
