Oakland_Golden_Grizzlies_men's_basketball
Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball
College men's basketball team representing Oakland University
The Oakland Golden Grizzlies are the men's basketball team that represents Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States. The school's team competes in the Horizon League and plays their home games at the Athletics Center O'rena. The Golden Grizzlies are coached by Greg Kampe. Kampe is the longest-tenured active Division I head coach.[2] Oakland last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2024.
| Oakland Golden Grizzlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Oakland University | ||
| Head coach | Greg Kampe (40th season) | ||
| Conference | Horizon League | ||
| Location | Auburn Hills, Michigan | ||
| Arena | Athletics Center O'rena (Capacity: 4,005) | ||
| Nickname | Golden Grizzlies | ||
| Colors | Black and gold[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| 1997* | |||
| NCAA tournament round of 32 | |||
| 1994*, 1997*, 2024 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 1994*, 1995*, 1996*, 1997*, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2024 *at Division II level | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| Summit League: 2005, 2010, 2011 Horizon League: 2024 | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1996, 1997 Summit League Horizon League 2017, 2024 | |||
Through the 2022–23 season, Oakland has made a three-point field goal in 1,093 consecutive games, the fourth-longest active NCAA Division I streak. They last finished a game without a three-pointer on January 30, 1988.[3]
The Oakland men's basketball program began competing in the 1967 season, 10 years after the university opened. Originally nicknamed the Pioneers, they won their first NCAA game 109–106 in overtime against Albion. The Pioneers were without a conference until 1974 when they joined the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
The first year as members of the GLIAC, Oakland hired Greg Kampe, who is still the head coach at the university. Kampe had the fifth-longest tenure of all active Division I coaches, as of 2012.[4] Oakland won two regular season GLIAC championships, in 1995–96 and 1996–97, their final two seasons in the league. In a 1993 game against Madonna, Oakland scored 91 points in the first half, on their way to a 189–107 victory.[5] That game set school records for most points in a half (98) and largest margin of victory (82). The next three seasons, OU scored more than 100 points 30 times, winning 29 of those games.[5]
Oakland played at the Division II level until 1997 when they changed their nickname to the Golden Grizzlies and began the transition to Division I. OU opened the Athletics Center O'rena in 1998 against Michigan State. When the O'rena was being built, home basketball games were played in the Sports Dome, an inflatable "bubble" used for practice by Oakland's athletic teams during the winter.[6] The original basketball stadium was in the Hollie L. Lepley Sports Center.[7]
The Golden Grizzlies completed the transition to Division I in 1999 and joined the Mid-Continent Conference (now known as The Summit League).
The Golden Grizzlies joined the Horizon League starting in the 2013–14 season.
In 2021, The Golden Grizzlies lose their 1,000 day streak of winning against Detroit Mercy.[8]
In 2022, Oakland looks to build upon this game to challenge for its first Horizon League trophy since 2017.[9]
In the 2023-24 season, the Golden Grizzlies won the Horizon League Tournament for the first time, securing an automatic bid to that season's NCAA Tournament. In the Round of 64, the 14th seeded Golden Grizzlies upset #3 Kentucky, 80-76, shocking the country and sending shockwaves throughout the tournament. Senior transfer Jack Gohlke caught the nation's eye with 10 three-pointers in the game, ending with 32 points. Kampe labelled it the "biggest win of (his) career" in post-game interviews.
Oakland competed in NCAA Division II since the inception of the basketball program in 1967 until they moved to NCAA Division I in 1997. The Golden Grizzlies reached the Division II postseason four times in their final four seasons at that level.
NCAA Division I Tournament results
The Golden Grizzlies have appeared in four Division I NCAA Tournaments. Their overall record is 2–4.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #16 | Opening Round First Round | #16 Alabama A&M #1 North Carolina | W 79–69 L 68–96 |
| 2010 | #14 | First Round | #3 Pittsburgh | L 66–89 |
| 2011 | #13 | First Round | #4 Texas | L 81–85 |
| 2024 | #14 | First Round Second Round | #3 Kentucky #11 NC State | W 80–76 L 73–79 OT |
NCAA Division II Tournament results
Oakland appeared in four Division II NCAA Tournaments. Their overall record was 3–5.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | First Round Regional Semifinals Regional Third Place | Quincy Wayne State Kentucky Wesleyan | W 105–98 L 97–99 L 91–118 |
| 1995 | First Round | Quincy | L 94–116 |
| 1996 | First Round | Northern State | L 92–98 |
| 1997 | First Round Regional Semifinals Regional Finals | Grand Valley State Indianapolis Northern Kentucky | W 79–74 W 75–72 L 87–101 |
NIT results
The Golden Grizzlies have appeared in one National Invitation Tournament. Their overall record is 1–1.
Vegas 16 results
The Golden Grizzlies participated in the first and only Vegas 16. Their record was 2–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals | Towson East Tennessee State Old Dominion | W 90–72 W 104–81 L 67–68 |
CIT results
The Golden Grizzlies have appeared in Four CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournaments (CIT). Their overall record is 4–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | First Round Quarterfinals | Kent State Bradley | W 80–74 L 75–76 |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Bowling Green Buffalo Rice Utah State | W 86–69 W 84–76 W 77–70 L 81–105 |
| 2013 | First Round | Youngstown State | L 87–99 |
| 2015 | First Round | Eastern Illinois | L 91–97 |
Through 2022–23 season
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dick Robinson (1967–1968) | |||||||||
| 1967–68 | Robinson | 6–15 | |||||||
| Dick Robinson: | 6–15 | ||||||||
| Gene Bolden (1968–1976) | |||||||||
| 1968–69 | Bolden | 11–10 | |||||||
| 1969–70 | Bolden | 9–14 | |||||||
| 1970–71 | Bolden | 14–12 | |||||||
| 1971–72 | Bolden | 14–12 | |||||||
| 1972–73 | Bolden | 15–11 | |||||||
| 1973–74 | Bolden | 17–11 | |||||||
| 1974–75 | Bolden | 4–22 | 2–9 | ||||||
| 1975–76 | Bolden | 5–22 | 3–13 | ||||||
| Gene Bolden: | 89–114 | 5–22 | |||||||
| Jim Mitchell (1976–1979) | |||||||||
| 1976–77 | Mitchell | 9–19 | 5–11 | ||||||
| 1977–78 | Mitchell | 6–22 | 3–11 | ||||||
| 1978–79 | Mitchell, Frederick | 12–15 | 5–9 | ||||||
| Jim Mitchell: | 27–56 | 13–31 | |||||||
| Lee Frederick (1979–1984) | |||||||||
| 1979–80 | Frederick | 13–14 | 3–11 | ||||||
| 1980–81 | Frederick | 8–19 | 3–13 | ||||||
| 1981–82 | Frederick | 18–9 | 8–8 | ||||||
| 1982–83 | Frederick | 11–16 | 4–12 | ||||||
| 1983–84 | Frederick | 13–14 | 7–9 | ||||||
| Lee Frederick: | 63–72 | 25–53 | |||||||
| Greg Kampe (1984–present) | |||||||||
| 1984–85 | Kampe | 13–15 | 5–11 | T-7th | |||||
| 1985–86 | Kampe | 13–15 | 5–11 | 8th | |||||
| 1986–87 | Kampe | 20–8 | 10–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1987–88 | Kampe | 19–9 | 11–5 | 3rd | |||||
| 1988–89 | Kampe | 20–8 | 10–6 | 3rd | |||||
| 1989–90 | Kampe | 19–9 | 10–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1990–91 | Kampe | 16–13 | 10–6 | 3rd | |||||
| 1991–92 | Kampe | 16–13 | 8–8 | T-4th | |||||
| 1992–93 | Kampe | 15–11 | 9–7 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1993–94 | Kampe | 21–10 | 11–7 | 4th | NCAA Regional Semi-Final | ||||
| 1994–95 | Kampe | 20–9 | 12–6 | 2nd | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1995–96 | Kampe | 21–8 | 13–5 | T-1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1996–97 | Kampe | 24–7 | 14–3 | 1st (South) | NCAA Regional Final | ||||
| 1997–98 | Kampe | 15–12 | |||||||
| 1998–99 | Kampe | 12–15 | 8–8 | N/A | |||||
| 1999–00 | Kampe | 13–17 | 11–5 | 1st | |||||
| 2000–01 | Kampe | 12–16 | 8–8 | 5th | |||||
| 2001–02 | Kampe | 17–13 | 10–4 | T-2nd | |||||
| 2002–03 | Kampe | 17–11 | 10–4 | T-2nd | |||||
| 2003–04 | Kampe | 13–17 | 6–10 | T-7th | |||||
| 2004–05 | Kampe | 13–19 | 7–9 | T-5th | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2005–06 | Kampe | 11–18 | 6–10 | 7th | |||||
| 2006–07 | Kampe | 19–14 | 10–4 | 2nd | |||||
| 2007–08 | Kampe | 17–14 | 11–7 | 3rd | |||||
| 2008–09 | Kampe | 23–13 | 13–5 | 3rd | CIT quarterfinals | ||||
| 2009–10 | Kampe | 26–9 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA first round | ||||
| 2010–11 | Kampe | 25–10 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA first round | ||||
| 2011–12 | Kampe | 20–16 | 11–7 | 3rd | CIT semifinals | ||||
| 2012–13 | Kampe | 16–17 | 10–6 | 4th | CIT first round | ||||
| 2013–14 | Kampe | 13–20 | 7–9 | T-5th | |||||
| 2014–15 | Kampe | 16–17 | 11–5 | T-3rd | CIT first round | ||||
| 2015–16 | Kampe | 23–12 | 13–5 | T-2nd | Vegas 16 finals | ||||
| 2016–17 | Kampe | 25–9 | 14–4 | T-1st | NIT second round | ||||
| 2017–18 | Kampe | 19–14 | 10–8 | 4th | |||||
| 2018–19 | Kampe | 16–17 | 11–7 | 3rd | |||||
| 2019–20 | Kampe | 14–19 | 8–10 | 6th | |||||
| 2020–21 | Kampe | 12–18 | 10–10 | 5th | |||||
| 2021–22 | Kampe | 20–12 | 12–7 | 5th | |||||
| 2022–23 | Kampe | 13–19 | 11–9 | 5th | |||||
| Greg Kampe: | 670–514 | 361–223 | |||||||
| Total: | 810–726 | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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Detroit Mercy Titans
The rivalry between the Detroit Mercy Titans and Oakland is known as the Metro Series. Oakland has historically dominated the series since its inception, with Detroit Mercy having only won three games against them since the Golden Grizzlies first joined the Horizon League and winning ten straight matchups from 2017 to 2021. Oakland leads the series against Detroit Mercy 20-10. Both schools first played against each other in 1985 with Detroit Mercy winning the first matchup against Oakland 77-62. Oakland won the last matchup in 2023 65-50.
OU men's basketball games are broadcast on WDFN (1130 AM). The play-by-play commentator is Neal Ruhl, with former Oakland and professional player, Dan Waterstradt.[10] Oakland home games are simulcast on ESPN3, WMYD and WDFN.
Mario Impemba, also the play-by-play commentator for the Detroit Tigers on Fox Sports Detroit, broadcast Oakland games from 2006–2013.[11]
- a The official Oakland record book lists Reggie Hamilton in third place with 548 career assists from 2010–2012. That includes the assists he accumulated while at UMKC from 2007–2009, which is inconsistent with how the rest of the record book handles transfer player statistics.
- b The official Oakland record book lists Marshall's total at 199,[5] but the addition of his individual season's statistics makes the total 198 (80 in 2002–03,[12] 59 in 2003–04,[13] 59 in 2004–05[14]).
- c There is a discrepancy between sources for Brock's 2016–17 season block total. The official Oakland record book lists 72, while other sources list the total as 69. This is due to a difference in total blocks for the December 10, 2016, game against Robert Morris. Both school box scores list 7 blocks[15][16] while ESPN and sports-reference.com list 5.[17][18]
- "Oakland University Athletics Branding Guidelines". March 14, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- "It's Gordon's night for Hoosiers in victory". Associated Press. December 10, 2013. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- "11:14 Game Notes BGSU" (PDF).
- "Player Bio: Greg Kampe". Ougrizzlies.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- "2011–12 Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Oakland University. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
- "Campus timeline". 1996 entry on timeline. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
- "Campus timeline". 1998 entry on timeline. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
- Willard, Maggie, et al. Basketball Teams Win the Weekend, The Oakland Post, Oakland University's Independent Student Newspaper, Volume 46 Issue 19. January 27, 2021.
- The Oakland Post 2022-02-02. Feb. 2022. our.oakland.edu, http://hdl.handle.net/10323/11850.
- Paul, Tony (October 13, 2016). "Matt Dery joins Oakland as basketball analyst". Detroit News. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- Kampe, Paul (October 30, 2013). "Oakland announces 2013-14 radio broadcasts, Mario Impemba's departure". Oakland Press. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
- "Oakland 2002–03 Season Statistics". Oakland University. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- "Oakland 2003–04 Season Statistics". Oakland University. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- "Oakland 2004–05 Season Statistics". Oakland University. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
