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You are here: Home » Colleges / Other » Campus Clips » New-look Grizzlies hope
for third straight Summit League crown
NEW-LOOK GRIZZLIES HOPE FOR THIRD STRAIGHT SUMMIT LEAGUE CROWN
Dan Stickradt | October 14, 2011 | Comments (0)
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — One look around at Oakland University’s men’s basketball team
and veteran Greg Kampe can see one sizable difference.
The Golden Grizzlies are not as big and built as they have been in the past.
Gone is 6-foot-11 center Keith Benson, the two-time Summit League Player of the
Year who was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
Also gone is 6-9 blue-collar workhorse Will Hudson, a second-team all-league
pick last season now playing professionally in Australia.
That’s the major difference to this team, where seven returnees are back along
with a pair of redshirt freshmen and three true freshmen.
Oakland has been nothing short of dominant in the Summit League the past two
years, going a combined 34-2 in the regular season in conference play. Both of
those losses came on the road at IUPUI. The Grizzlies were 17-1 in both 2009-10
and 2010-11.
Including conference tournaments the past two years, where Oakland was a
combined 6-0 to reach the NCAA tournament, Oakland is 40-2 against league
competition.
Oakland reached the NCAA field the past two years, losing to Pittsburgh and
Texas, respectively. Last season Oakland made a late comeback before succumbing
85-81 to the Longhorns in the second-round.
There’s still several holdovers from that team driven on adding to that success.
“I think this is a team that I think has a lot to prove,” offered Kampe. “I
think this is a team that people are not thinking to highly of (right now).”
Kampe, in his 28th season at Oakland, has his deepest backcourt in school
history. In contrast, the frontcourt is young and unproven.
“We’ll have to play freshmen (in the frontcourt),” offered Kampe.
The two redshirt freshmen that will log a lot of minutes in the paint are 6-10
Corey Petros (Utica Eisenhower) and 7-0 Kyle Sikora (Key Largo, Fla.). Both
benefited from practicing against Benson and Hudson last season but are awaiting
college experience against others their size.
True freshman 6-10 center Korab Imani (Peje, Kosovo) could also see minutes if
he develops. Imani was a late signee after would-be 7-foot senior Ilija
Milultinovic opted to forgo his final season and return to Serbia. Milultinovic
was expected to be the go-to player in the post before leaving OU in June.
The backcourt is loaded with two-year guard Larry Wright the only player to
graduate who saw significant minutes. Senior Drew Maynard (6-7) transferred out
midway through last season and is now at Division II Valdosta State.
Senior Reggie Hamilton (Chicago Thornwood) played point most of last season
after sitting out the previous season. The former UMKC transfer was chosen as a
first-team all-league selection and is the unquestioned leader of this group. He
is on the radar of some NBA scouts.
Redshirt sophomore Travis Bader (Okemos) turned heads by canning 44 percent of
his three-point attempts last winter. He canned a league-best 94 triples,
ninth-best in the nation out of competitors from over 340 Division I schools.
“The kid made 94 three-pointers last season as a freshman. How many others did
that?” asked Kampe, puzzled as to why Bader did not receive any preseason
recognition.
Redshirt 6-3 junior Blake Cushingberry (Romeo), who missed last season with a
knee injury, and 6-2 senior Laval Lucas-Perry (Flint Powers Catholic), who sat
out last season after transferring from Michigan, are both fine perimeter
shooters who are not bashful to go after the ball. Both will add immediate depth
in the backcourt as experienced D-I players.
Ryan Bass, a 5-11 sophomore from Dunbar, Ohio, is a lightning-quick guard who
will likely see an increased role with the departure of Wright. He will back up
Hamilton at the point.
Junior Drew Valentine (Lansing Sexton), a 6-5 swingman, could be the wild card
if he continues to develop. Kampe feels he is one of the most well-rounded
players in the entire Summit League, which remains at 10 schools with the
departure of Centenary but the arrival of South Dakota.
Still, with all of the seasoned veterans in the backcourt, Kampe is surprised
that his team must play the respect card this season, as the Grizzlies have not
been considered a favorite despite the most dominant two-year run in league
history.
“I think with us going 34-2 the past two years, I’m surprised that more people
didn’t pick us to win,” offered Kampe. “I think we have a great backcourt with
6-8 guys that can play. I still think we’re going to be good.”
Even with two thirds of its roster back, Oakland was tabbed as a runner-up
finisher in the Summit League to Oral Roberts, the school OU knocked out in the
conference championship game last season.
Part of the optimism for Oakland is the arrival of many new faces.
A pair of true freshmen could work their way into the lineup, including 6-6
forward Dante Williams (Ann Arbor Huron), who was a state runner-up as a junior
in high school. Forward Matt Poches (6-5), a rugged-type player in the mild of
Hudson, could also bring in depth.
Still, outside of Valentine, no frontcourt player received any type of minutes a
year ago.
Sophomore guard Jordan Howenstine (Lansing Sexton) and 6-7 sophomore forward
Joey Asbury (Warren Mott) both return but are not expected to figure into the
main rotation. Duke Mondy, a 6-3 junior guard, will sit out the season after
transferring over from Providence.
“We have another tough schedule and then were anxious to get into conference
play to see where we stack up,” said Kampe. “This team is different. We’re young
in the post. But we still have a lot of talent.”
To submit information to www.northoaklandsports.com, e-mail
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com. To advertise, e-mail
advertising@northoaklandsports.com . Follow us on Twitter @LocalSportsFans and
more than a dozen other social media networks.
……
Tags: College Men'sBasketball, Men's Basketball, NCAA College Men's Basketball,
oakland university, Oakland University Men's Basketball Preview
Category: Campus Clips, Colleges / Other, Oakland University
About Dan Stickradt: DAN STICKRADT | SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com View author profile.
Related posts:
1. Walking wounded: Adversity-tested Golden Grizzlies hope to find remedy at
Summit League Tournament
2. Repeat Offender: Oakland wins second straight Summit League tournament title
to earn NCAA bid
3. Reaching for The Summit: Oakland aiming for second straight NCAA berth
4. Oakland’s late surge sends Grizzlies into Summit League soccer finals
5. Repeat Offender: Oakland claims second straight regular season Summit League
title
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