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LOCATION: Rochester, MI
CONFERENCE: Mid-Continent
LAST SEASON: 12-15 (.444)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 8-8 (N/A)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 0/5
NICKNAME: Golden Grizzlies
COLORS: Black, Gold & White
HOMECOURT: Athletics & Rec. Center (3,000)
COACH: Greg Kampe (Bowling Green '78)
record at school 264-162 (15 years)
career record 264-162 (15 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Eric Stephan (Carthage '86)
Harold Baber (Oakland '98)
Jennifer Johnston (Northern Michigan '98)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) N/A-12
RPI (last 5 years) N/A
1998-99 FINISH: Ineligible for league tournament.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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If the folks at Oakland University had realized that jumping to Division I would be this painless, they may have tried it years ago. Last season was kind of a test drive for the Golden Grizzlies. They played Division I opponents, competed in the Mid-Continent Conference and took a good long look at what the step up to the bigs really means. You have to think they liked what they saw. Oakland managed a respectable 12-15 record, including an encouraging 8-8 in conference games. Alas, because it was so new to Division I, none of those league games counted. In fact, the Grizzlies were ineligible for postseason play. This year, Mid-Continent games will be recorded, and Oakland can play in either the NCAA Tournament, as an at-large team, or the National Invitation Tournament. Like fellow Mid-Continent newcomer IUPUI, the conference tournament is again off limits, although players will be eligible for individual honors. All of which is something of a shame, for the Golden Grizzlies possess several weapons at their disposal. All their starters return, as does a sixth player with significant starting experience, and there are three double-figure scorers. One of them undoubtedly would have made the all-conference first team had he been eligible for postseason awards. Only two role players are gone, and 15-year coach Greg Kampe has won nearly 62 percent of his games at the Rochester, Mich., school. Kampe almost certainly will lift pages from last year's playbook; actually, he will probably just change the years on the cover. Two transfers should help things along, but with so many returning players, Oakland's three freshmen may have trouble finding time. The recruits, unfortunately, do not address the team's most pressing need, a big man to eat shots in the lane and accept dump-in passes for buckets down low.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH D+
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES C
Now the real fun begins. Now it all counts the games, the stats, everything. Now Oakland really gets to see what Division I is like. Last season's sneak preview was a good one. The Golden Grizzlies were competitive most nights, they were .500 in Mid-Continent Conference games, they got nice contributions out of a variety of players and they discovered that Dan Champagne performs just as well at this level as at the previous one. Surrounding Champagne is a talented group of scorers, led by guards Brad Buddenborg and Jason Rozycki. Oakland can let it fly, and it can score in bunches, from just about anywhere, including the three-point and free-throw lines. However, the Grizzlies have some legitimate problem areas. The notion of an interior presence here is a bad joke; just two players are as tall as 6-6, and Oakland was outrebounded by three a game last season. And there is still no legitimate point guard. At this level, a floor general by committee just won't cut it. Champagne is a star, and while he has a not-bad supporting cast around him, Oakland seems to be a few critical pieces short from a clear shot at the Mid-Con's upper division. It's time for Kampe to hit the recruiting trail. |
So look for the Grizzlies, again, to live outside the three-point line, where they made 280 three-point shots, which works out to more than 10 a game and is more than 70 than their opponents. And look for a glaring inability to stop the opposition from scoring. Last year Oakland gave up 77.7 points per game, worst among Mid-Continent teams, and was torched by opponents' .460 field-goal shooting, the second worst. That makes offense a priority, and here the Grizzlies have a keeper in the incomparable Dan Champagne (15.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg), a 6-6 junior forward and one of the Mid-Continent's top performers. The team leader in scoring and rebounding, Champagne would have been a first-team all-conference selection if eligible; look for him there this season. The guy is practically a scoring machine. He hit from the floor at an incredible .577 rate, and from the line at .699. On the few occasions when he ventured out on the long-range jumper, Champagne was still successful, making 14-of-34 three-point shots. The second part of Oakland's sterling inside-outside game is 6-5 sophomore swingman Brad Buddenborg (15.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who would have landed on the All-Newcomer team last season. Starting all but one game as a freshman, he connected on .409 of his shots and was second on the team in scoring and third in rebounding. Buddenborg's 77 three-pointers were tops in the Mid-Continent, and he also chipped in with 62 assists, 28 steals, and .729 free-throw shooting. It was a most impressive all-around debut season for the youngster. One of only two seniors this year, 6-5 swingman Mike Thom (9.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg) plays hard at both ends of the floor. In the somewhat unconventional Golden Grizzly lineup, he may be the closest thing Kampe has to a point guard. After all, Thom led the team in assists and steals, with 82 and 34, respectively, while also placing second in rebounding. He shot a solid .441 from the field and an impressive .410 from behind the arc. Only he and Champagne started every game, and despite averaging nearly 34 minutes a night, Thom turned the ball over a mere 46 times. While Champagne, Buddenborg and Thom are the automatic starters, a handful of other guys spent last season starting half of Oakland's games and coming off the bench the other half. Among them is 6-3 sophomore guard Jason Rozycki (12.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg), the Golden Grizzlies' third-leading scorer, who started 12 games as a freshman and played in all 27. He made 69 three-pointers and was an .863 free-throw shooter. Joining Champagne in the starting frontcourt for 16 games was his brother, 6-5 junior forward Jon Champagne (5.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg), who also saw action in all 27 games. He, too, shot well, making .587 of his field-goal attempts, although he was only 1-for-6 from the three-point line and knocked down just .529 percent of his free-throws. Champagne also had 32 assists. The Grizzlies' third part-time starter, 6-4 sophomore guard Mychal Covington (5.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg), provided a capable point-guard presence while allowing Thom to spend some time at forward exploiting his shooting abilities. Covington's 78 assists were second on team, though his 64 assists were a little on the high side. He started 14 games and played in all 27. Three other players return from last season. Two guards, 5-7 senior Steve Reynolds (2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg) and 6-1 sophomore Ryan Williams (1.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg), will provide backcourt depth, while 6-4 senior forward Jeff Mullett (0.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg), who appeared just nine times a season ago, plays up front. Two of the squad's five newcomers have Division I experience. If he can fill space in the middle, 6-6 junior center Sebastien Bellin (Marist/Brussels, Belgium) will be a very valuable addition. The Belgian native averaged 3.2 points as a Marist freshman, though that three years ago. Providing backcourt punch, meanwhile, will be 6-0 junior guard Steve Houston (Texas A&M/The Colony, Texas), a transfer who averaged 10.0 points per game at Texas A&M. Three freshmen guards round out the roster: 6-2 Tim Fradick (Troy, Mich.), 6-0 Charles Ford (Lansing, Mich.) and 6-4 Alax Miller.
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