Oakland

Poll: Who Will Win the Summit?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:43:26 -0400

Oakland Adds Former SWAC Freshman of the Year

Press Release — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:41:51 -0400

NORMAN, Okla. - Oklahoma men's basketball head coach Jeff Capel announced today that junior forward Barry Honoré has transferred to OU from Southern University. Honoré (pronounced ON-uh-ray) will sit out the 2009-10 season and have two seasons of eligibility remaining as a walk-on.

The 6-7 Honoré started 54 of 61 games during his two years at Southern and averaged 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per contest. He was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 2007-08 when he averaged 8.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and shot .361 from 3-point range (13-for-36). Last season as a sophomore, the Garland, Texas, product averaged 8.8 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting .413 from long range (19-for-46). He scored in double figures in 13 of the team's 31 contests.

Honoré, who attended South Garland High School, was born in Oklahoma City and has relatives in and close to Norman. He said family and the strength of the OU basketball program were the two reasons he decided to become a Sooner.

"I wanted to be closer to home and closer to my family," said Honoré. "I have a grandmother who's in a nursing home right down the street here in Norman. I also have an aunt and uncle who live in Norman, and another aunt and uncle who live in Noble.

"This is a great program. I've always loved OU since I was a kid. A lot of people from my family attended OU. It's a great school with great tradition in academics and sports. I want to be a part of that."

Honoré said he is a broadcasting major.

- OU -

Oakland Basketball Preview: #113

Joel Welser — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:06:35 -0400

Overall Rank: #113

Conference Rank: #1 Summit League

2008-09: 23-13, 13-5

2008-09 postseason: CIT

Coach: Greg Kampe (419-314 at Oakland, 419-314 overall)

Oakland had everything they needed to win the Summit League last year…a dynamic scoring point guard, one of the best shooters nobody has heard of and a dominating presence in the paint. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies fell short in the Summit League Conference Tournament at the hands of a more talented North Dakota State team. Instead, the team went to the CBI where they beat Kent State and then should have beaten Bradley, but were sent home due to bad luck or bad officiating, depending on your opinion, on a last second shot.

Key Losses: G Erik Kangas, C Dan Waterstradt

Key Newcomers:

The only departure of that trio is the shooter, Erik Kangas. Kangas knocked down nearly four three-pointers and averaged 18.9 points per game. Replacing that will not be easy, but fortunately Coach Greg Kampe will not have to rely on an unproven freshman to fill the void. Two years ago Anthony Wright started ten games for St. John’s and ranked third on the team in scoring with 9.1 per contest. He may not be the shooter that Kangas was, but he is a pure scorer who will fit in nicely. Among the group of incoming freshmen, it is small forward Drew Valentine that could make the biggest impact this year, especially on the defensive end.

Backcourt:

Wright will not be alone in attempting to replace Kangas’ scoring output. Drew Maynard started 20 games last year and Blake Cushingberry started 14. Maynard is the more consistent three-pointer shooter and scorer and, at 6-7, is a tough match-up for most guards in the Summit League. He was just a freshman last year and a year in the program, and an offseason in the weight room, could turn him into a dynamic scorer. Maynard spent most of his time hanging around the perimeter, but if he can start using his size to get to the basket, he could easily score ten points per game and help out more on the glass.

Frontcourt:

The starting frontcourt is in good hands with the return of Keith Benson and Will Hudson. Benson is the dominating big man in the paint and averaged 14.3 points and a team high 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, and all of that was as an underclassman. If Benson keeps improving, Oakland could dominate the conference. Will Hudson will not put up big numbers day in and day out like Benson, but at 6-9 and 225 pounds, he is a nice complimentary player. The key for the frontcourt will be finding somebody who can replace center Dan Waterstradt. Ilija Milutinovic barely played at all as a freshman last year and Jay Thames redshirted and somebody has to play some quality minutes off the bench

Who to Watch:

It was difficult to tell who the leader of the team was during the 2008-2009 campaign. Kangas was grabbing a lot of headlines, but Johnathon Jones was the most dynamic player on the team. The 5-11 point guard not only dished out an amazing 8.1 assists per game, but he only turned the ball over 3.4 times. He is a solid defender too, but he even averaged 13.3 points per game. His ability to get to the basket and either finish or find his teammates is a joy to watch and his senior season should be his best yet.

Final Projection:

If Derick Nelson can play like he did two years ago, Oakland will be nearly unstoppable. The 6-5 senior was fifth in scoring and third in rebounding in the entire conference back then, but missed out on the 2008-2009 campaign. The fact that the Grizzlies did so well without who they thought would be their superstar is quite impressive and if Nelson can put up numbers like he did in 2007-2008, the 6-5 forward will be an all-conference player and Coach Kampe will be dancing again.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Johnathon Jones, Senior, Guard, 13.3 points per game

Larry Wright, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Derick Nelson, Senior, Guard, DNP last season

Will Hudson, Junior, Forward, 7.4 points per game

Keith Benson, Junior, Center, 14.3 points per game

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Summit League Tournament: Preview & Odds

Evan Dorey — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:58:19 -0500

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Summit League

The Summit League Tournament is a pretty simple 8-team affair, with all games in Sioux Falls, SD.

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	North Dakota St.	92.48%	83.64%	52.90%
2	Oral Roberts	88.37%	61.87%	31.48%
3	Oakland	81.52%	32.35%	12.02%
4	IUPUI	54.58%	7.58%	1.39%
5	Southern Utah	45.42%	5.50%	0.87%
6	IUPU Fort Wayne	18.48%	2.75%	0.41%
7	South Dakota St.	11.63%	3.04%	0.48%
8	Centenary	7.52%	3.28%	0.46%

North Dakota St. will be a team to watch for an upset in the NCAA tournament, but only if they can get by tough challenges from the winner of an ORU-Oakland semifinal.

#1 – North Dakota St. Bison (23-6, 16-2) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.172

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

North Dakota St. is one of the best stories of the season, poised to make its NCAA Tournament debut in its first year of post-season eligibility, after redshirting a whole class of players to ensure they could play in this important season. The Bison have lost just once in their last 14, and took the conference title by a full two games. They’re the only team in the league that is highly ranked in both offense and defense, second in each category. North Dakota St. shoots the ball well, and has one of the country’s best turnover rates. It also plays an effective defensive style, as opponents take most of their shots inside, where the Bison have been best defensively. They’ve also been excellent rebounders and rarely commit fouls.

Players to watch:

5-11 SR Ben Woodside, 23.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.4 APG, 53.5 eFG% - Woodside had one of the biggest scoring games of the season when he put up 60 in a triple overtime loss to Stephen F. Austin, but don’t think he’s a one game wonder; Woodside has been one of the best scorers in the country over the course of the season. He’s an excellent shooter, 44% from behind the arc and 84% on the free throw line, and has put up one of the nation’s best assist rates, while rarely turning it over. He can potentially score 30 points in any game he plays, and should the Bison win the tourney, is the kind of player who could cause havoc for a higher-seeded NCAA opponent.

6-6 SR Brett Winkelman, 18.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 55.7 eFG% - While Woodside is a great scoring guard, Winkleman is just as good inside, though he doesn’t take quite as many shots. Still, he’s a great shooter who can hit threes, while shooting well over 50% overall, and is the team’s leading rebounder. Like Woodside, he rarely turns the ball over, and there’s very few ways for the Bison to go wrong with these two players.

#2 – Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (16-14, 14-4) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.142

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

Oral Roberts has been the conference’s name program, claiming the last three tournament titles and the last four league championships, and will have a serious chance to earn the auto-bid, and while they should be favored make the final, they lost both regular season games against the Bison. The Eagles have had the conference’s best defense, holding opponents under 44% from inside the arc, and being strong rebounders. They’ve had a lot more problems with their own attack, struggling to make shots, especially from three-point range.

Players to watch:

5-11 JR Robert Jarvis, 17.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 48.6 eFG% - Jarvis takes a lot of shots and while his percentage hasn’t been great inside the arc, he’s made up for it with pretty solid outside shooting. He’s not too effective overall, and doesn’t do much besides score, but his role is large enough that he leads the team in scoring.

6-8 SR Marcus Lewis, 13.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 58.9 eFG% - Lewis is a good inside compliment to Jarvis, one of the conference’s best rebounders and a high percentage shooter. His free throw shooting is regrettable, however, just 50% from the stripe.

#3 – Oakland Golden Grizzlies (20-11, 13-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.100

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2005 (1^st Round)

Oakland made the NCAA Tournament four years ago by winning the Mid-Continent tournament as a long-shot, and while its odds are better in this year’s event, it will still be an upset if it could claim the bid. The Grizzlies enter the tournament on a seven game winning streak, and have had the Summit’s best offense by a fairly wide margin. Their 58% on two-pointers is a spectacular number, and they are also solid three-point shooters who rarely turn the ball over. Of course, with such a good offense, they would be closer to the leading pair of teams if they weren’t one of the conference’s worst defensive teams. Oakland forces very few turnovers, and is really vulnerable to the three-point shot, allowing opponents to shoot a lot of them and make a high percentage of those they shoot.

Players to watch:

6-11 SO Keith Benson, 14.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 62.6 eFG% - Benson is one of the country’s most efficient players, an excellent big man who does a lot of things well: he’s a high percentage player inside, gets to the line a lot, and hits 69% once there, is an excellent rebounder and shot-blocker, and has committed just 30 turnovers all year. The Grizzlies should try and get the ball to him more often, since it rarely results in something negative.

6-3 SR Erik Kangas, 18.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 57.1 eFG% - Kangas takes most of his shots from three, and hits 42% of them, and he puts up enough to be the team’s leading scorer.

#4 – IUPUI Jaguars (16-13, 9-8) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.021

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2003 (1^st Round)

With three teams dominating the conference, there’s a serious drop-off as we begin to delve into the teams at and around the .500 mark. IUPUI has been right on the conference average in both offense and defense, and so a 9-9 record seems a perfect fit. The Jaguars have been the conference’s worst team at defending the three-point shot, allowing opponents to make over 41% of attempts, but have made up for that by rarely fouling and forcing a lot of turnovers. They’ve also been good at scoring inside, but are the conference’s worst free throw shooters.

Players to watch:

6-7 JR Robert Glenn, 14.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 61.7 eFG% - Glenn is one of the best forwards in the conference, an excellent percentage scorer inside who also asserts himself well on the boards and with shot-blocks.

6-7 JR Jon Avery, 9.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 67.7 eFG% - On most teams, Glenn would be the best field goal shooter, but Avery blows him away, at 68% from the floor. He doesn’t take as many shots as Glenn, but he’s a great second interior option.

#5 – Southern Utah Thunderbirds (10-19, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.037

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2001 (1^st Round)

The Thunderbirds are the only team to beat the champions in North Dakota this season, and will get a chance to sweep them in the Dakotas if they win a tough opening round game with IUPUI. They’ve had an above-average defense despite letting opponents hit 54% on two-pointers, as they’ve done well on the defensive glass and caused a lot of trouble for opponents on the perimeter. They play a fairly slow, heavily inside-oriented offense, but are excellent shooters who are good behind the arc and absolutely brilliant from the free throw line, leading the nation by hitting more than 80% of their attempts.

Players to watch:

6-4 JR Davis Baker, 17.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 52.3 eFG% - Baker leads Southern Utah in scoring; he takes a lot of shots, and does a pretty good job of hitting them, making just enough to justify the high volume.

6-10 SR John Clifford, 9.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 62.6 eFG% - Clifford leads the Summit in rebounding, and while he’s not a really big scorer, he’s very effective inside when he does get chances.

#6 – IUPU Fort Wayne Mastodons (13-16, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.041

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Fort Wayne had a solid finish to its second season in the Summit League, getting from a 3-8 conference record up to where it needed to make the tournament with a strong finish. It has been one of the country’s best teams at hitting three-pointers, over 40%, but most of its shots come from inside, where its percentage isn’t great and it struggles to get back its misses. The Mastodons have seen a similar pattern on the defensive end, stopping the outside shot well, but performing rather poorly inside.

Players to watch:

6-7 SR David Carson, 14.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 44.7 eFG% - Carson is Fort Wayne’s leading scorer, but hasn’t been a very efficient shooter. He does an good job at the free throw line, shooting just under 80%.

6-6 SO Deilvez Yearby, 8.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 49.3 eFG% - Yearby leads the team in rebounding, and is a good inside shooter who has found his scoring form of late, averaging 12 points a game over the month of February.

#7 – South Dakota St. Jackrabbits (12-19, 7-11) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.033

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2006 (2^nd Round)

The Jackrabbits haven’t made quite the splash of their northern counterparts, but they will make their Summit League tourney debut despite losing their last four games. South Dakota St. has actually had one of the conference’s better offenses, but its defense has been the worst of the tournament teams. It attempts a lot of threes, and makes a decent percentage, but does better from inside the arc. Defensively, though, the Jackrabbits are really vulnerable on two-pointers, and they force so few turnovers that opponents get a lot of chances at high-percentage shots.

Players to watch:

6-1 JR Garrett Callahan, 15.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 56.1 eFG% - The Jackrabbits’ leading scorer is the best three-point shooter on a team full of such shooters.

6-6 JR Kai Williams, 9.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 45.4 eFG% - Williams is a very good rebounder who shouldn’t be too much of an offensive focus, especially given his sub-30% three-point shooting. When he’s hot, he can be quite dangerous, but consistency has been a problem.

#8 – Centenary Gentlemen (8-22, 6-12) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.049

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

The Gentlemen seemed to be on course for a solid season on the last day of January, as they sat just above .500 in the league. They would not win again until the end of February, racking up an eight-game losing streak, and just managing to sneak into the tournament. Centenary actually has one of the better defenses in the conference, leading the league in forcing turnovers and holding opponents under wraps from behind the arc. It just hasn’t been good enough offensively, having a lot problems with its shooting from all areas of the floor.

Players to watch:

6-1 SR Nick Stallings, 15.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 49.0 eFG% - Stallings leads the Gents in both scoring and rebounding, and is a excellent three-point shooter, at nearly 40%. He’s faced some foul trouble in recent games, fouling out of two of his last three.

5-10 JR Chase Adams, 14.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.7 SPG, 53.0 eFG% - Adams is a great ball-handling guard, putting up a very good assist rate, leading the league in steals and rarely turning the ball over. Like Stallings, he’s also had some recent foul trouble, fouling out of his last two.

My statistical all-Summit League team:

North Dakota St. SR G Ben Woodside, 23.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.4 APG, 53.5 eFG%

Oakland SR G Erik Kangas, 18.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 57.1 eFG%

Centenary JR G Chase Adams, 14.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.7 SPG, 53.0 eFG%

North Dakota St. SR F Brett Winkelman, 18.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 55.7 eFG%

Oakland SO C Keith Benson, 14.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 62.6 eFG%

Summit League Tournament: Seeds Announced

Press Release — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 02:24:52 -0500

The Summit League tournament seeds are as follows:

1. North Dakota State (16-2)
2. Oral Roberts (14-4)
3. Oakland (13-5)
4. IUPUI (9-9)
5. Southern Utah (8-10) - got tiebreak over IPFW because of 1-1 record vs. NDSU while IPFW went 0-2)
6. IPFW (8-10)
7. South Dakota State (7-11)
8. Centenary (6-12) - got tiebreak over WIU because of 1-1 record vs. Oakland while WIU went 0-2

Note: SUU/IPFW and CC/WIU tiebreakers were determined based on records against highest seeded team in descending order.

Oakland Knocks Off Oregon in OT

Press Release — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:33:13 -0500

EUGENE, Ore. - On a night where it looked like Oakland was letting the game slip away, junior Johnathon Jones refused to let that happen, especially when he committed a foul with six seconds left in regulation to send Oregon's Tajuan Porter to the line for three shots, which he made to tie the game at 68-68. All Jones did is score 10 of his career-high 32 points in overtime to lead the Golden Grizzlies (1-1) past the Ducks (1-1) 82-79 (OT) on Monday night in McArthur Court.

"He can play anywhere in the country," said head coach Greg Kampe about Jones. "He proved it on a Pac-10 floor, and one of the hardest places to play in the country. JJ was the best player on the court tonight."

Senior Erik Kangas scored 18 points, 10 in the first half, and drilled three free throws in the final minute to give OU a 66-65 lead with just 33 seconds on the clock. After a miss by the Ducks, freshman Blake Cushingberry grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He then made both free throws to push the lead to three.

After the Ducks' Porter made his free throws to tie the game, Cushingberry had one last shot to end the game from the top of the key, a couple of feet behind the three-point line, but his shot sailed wide and the game went in to overtime.

Jones then took over once again. After Kangas made an old fashioned three-point play, Jones scored 10 of the next 11 points, including a fade-away from the corner with two seconds left to extend the lead to three points and give the Grizzlies their second straight win over Oregon.

With the win, the Golden Grizzlies snap a 16-game non-conference home winning streak for the Ducks.

"We had to learn how to win," said Kampe. "When Derick (Nelson) got hurt, we became a young team. We had two freshmen, three freshmen, four freshmen on the floor at one time, and they have to learn how to win. This is going to go a long way to make us a good team."

Redshirt sophomore Keith Benson fouled out of the game with 10 points and eight rebounds, coming close to his second straight double-double. Cushingberry ended the game with nine points and five rebounds.

Oregon's LeKendric Longmire poured in 18 points in the first half, but the Grizzlies kept him scoreless in the second half and overtime. Joevan Catron had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, along with Michael Dunigan's 15 points and 10 boards.

The Golden Grizzlies will return home for a couple of days before beginning a 13-day road trip. Oakland will face Syracuse on Friday night in the Carrier Dome. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. ET and can be heard on OU's flagship station WDTW (1310 AM) with Mario Impemba on the call.

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Summit?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:51:42 -0500

Summit League Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:04:44 -0500

Conference Rank: 25th

10 year average: 26th

Summit Conference Page

All-Summit Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Robert Jarvis	Oral Roberts	Sr
G	Ben Woodside	North Dakota St	Sr
G	Johnathon Jones	Oakland	Jr
F	Derick Nelson	Oakland	Sr
F	Brett Winkelman	North Dakota St	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Robert Jarvis Ben Woodside		Points: Ben Woodside 20.7 Rebounds: Ben Winkelman 8.3 Assists: Johnathon Jones (Oak) 6.0

Summit Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

118	North Dakota St	Summit	1	NCAA
136	Oakland	Summit	2
152	Oral Roberts**	Summit	3
207	IUPUI	Summit	4
224	Southern Utah	Summit	5
255	IPFW	Summit	6
271	UMKC	Summit	7
287	Centenary	Summit	8
314	South Dakota St	Summit	9
316	Western Illinois	Summit	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Summit?

Other Summit Content

Head Coach Q&A's

Ron Hunter: IUPUI

Other

Rise & Fall: Summit

State of '08: Michigan

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:07:19 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

MICHIGAN

MICHIGAN STATE - Since Tom Izzo took over in 1995, Michigan State has never finished below .500 in Big East play, and has made the postseason for thirteen straight seasons. This year's squad has the look of Izzo's seventh team that advances to the Sweet Sixteen or beyond.

MICHIGAN - Its amazing how little success Michigan has had in the last decade under Brian Ellerbe and Tommy Amaker. One of the country's top programs from the 80's into the 90's hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament in 10 years, a streak which will certainly continue in 2009. John Beilein's rebuilding project will take some time.

WESTERN MICHIGAN - The best of Michigan's directional MAC programs, WMU has finished above .500 in conference play for the last seven seasons. This seven-year run includes four 20-win seasons, three postseason trips, and wins over quality programs such as Davidson & SIU last year, and Virginia Tech and San Diego State the previous season. We project the Broncos to make another run at the postseason in 08-09.

OAKLAND - Longtime coach Greg Kampe continues to do a great job at Oakland. He oversaw the move up from DII to D1 a decade ago, a transition that was surprisingly smooth. The Grizzlies made their first NCAA Tourney in 2005.. and were just a few baskets away from a return trip in 2007. OU will once again be a serious Summit League contender in 2009.

DETROIT - For much of the 90's, and up to as recently as 2005, Detroit was a consistent Horizon League power under long-time coach Perry Watson. But in part due to health problems, Watson has now been replaced by Ray McCallum, who hopes to return the Titans to that high level of play. It will take some time though as Detroit is coming off one of the worst season's in the programs history (just 6-23 against D1 opponents).

6. CENTRAL MICHIGAN - Outside of an amazing 2003 season, CMU hasn't had much to cheer about over the last twenty seasons. But third year coach Ernie Ziegler has brought an air of respectability to the program, as the past two seasons have seen improved play. 2009 could be the Chippewas best season since 2003's freak 2nd round NCAA Tourney run.

7. EASTERN MICHIGAN - The Eagles were one of the MAC's better teams in the 90's, but the last decade has been dismal. EMU hasn't finished above 200th in the RPI since 2000, and CHN projects another such season in 08-09.

Last: Maryland - Next: Mississippi

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

2008-09 Oakland Basketball Preview: #136

Joel Welser — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:08:28 -0400

Oakland Grizzlies

Overall Rank: #136

Conference Rank: #2 Summit League

2007-08: 17-14, 11-7, 3^rd

2007-08 postseason: none

Oakland has slowly been putting together a quality program in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Coach Greg Kampe is now in his 25^th year leading the team and it is time for the Grizzlies to start consistently competing for championships in the Summit League. Possibly even more important than the influx of talent at Oakland is the fact that perennial Summit powerhouses Oral Roberts and IUPUI are expected to have down years.

Who's Out:

Seven of the top eight scorers from last year's 11-7 team are back. The depth up front will take a hit with the departures of Patrick McCloskey and Shane Lawal, both of whom started a handful of games. Seldom used B-Jay Walker and Peter Bunn will also not be returning, but the biggest loss is guard Brandon Cassise. The guard spent most the year coming off the bench where he was a dangerous scoring threat, mostly from beyond the arc.

Who's In:

Oakland's recruiting class is superb, led by Drew Maynard. The 6-7 shooting guard is a great athlete and is a joy to watch in transition. He can also knock down the outside shot with consistency and will never be accused of lacking aggressiveness or toughness. For now Maynard will be a dynamic playmaker and scorer off the bench. Since Maynard will spend most of his time at the three spot, fellow incoming freshman shooting guard Blake Cushingberry could squeeze in a few minutes off the bench this season. He does not lack in talent, but there are some quality players ahead of him on the depth chart for now. Point guard Matt Samuels will be asked to be a backup right away and could end up being the most important of the newcomers. However, Johnny Thames and Ilija Milutinovic step into a frontcourt that could use another weapon or two. Thames is pretty polished for a 6-9, 220 pound freshman and should at least add another defensive presence to the team. Speaking of presence, Milutinovic is 7-0 and 255 pounds. The Serbian is a little rough around the edges, but the potential is enormous.

Who to Watch:

Even if Thames is ready to make a contribution, does the frontcourt have enough weapons to propel the Golden Grizzlies to the top of the conference? The backcourt is going to do a ton of scoring, but the big guys have to improve. Dan Waterstradt started 22 games last season and center Keith Benson earned 20 as a freshman. At 6-10 and 6-11, respectively, those two will be an intimidating duo under the basket against most conference opponents, but neither are prolific scorers. Will Hudson, like Benson, is just a sophomore and that year of experience can do nothing but help.

Final Projection:

If the frontcourt struggles, Oakland has proven that the backcourt trio can carry this team to success. Johnathon Jones is a great scoring point guard and tallied 14.9 points and 6.0 assists per game as a sophomore. Erik Kangas is the shooter. He averaged 14.6 points per game in 2007-2008, but Kangas could be even more effective if he drove to the basket a little more. Derick Nelson does it all. He is not a great shooter, but he can hit the outside shot, yet most of his 17.3 points per game came by getting to the rim. The 6-5 Lansing, Michigan product is a great athlete and will get above the rim on the other side of the court as well and led the team with 7.4 rebounds per contest. Add sophomore Tim Williams to the mix and nobody in the Summit League can compete with this backcourt.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Johnathon Jones, Junior, Guard, 14.9 points per game

Erik Kangas, Senior, Guard, 14.6 points per game

Derick Nelson, Senior, Forward, 17.3 points per game

Keith Benson, Sophomore, Center, 5.2 points per game

Dan Waterstradt, Senior, Center, 5.7 points per game