The 2010 Oakland University Golden Grizzlies walked off the court Tuesday night as not only CHAMPIONS but as the best the team the conference has ever seen.Oakland held on to beat IUPUI 76-64 and the best team in Summit League History walked off the court Tuesday night as CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS and NCAA Tournament bound! A sea of Gold & Black filled the court as the OU fans, band, cheer and dance poured to the center to celebrate in pure joy the feeling of winning it all. This 2010 Oakland team had this moment in their minds for 365 days after their heartbreaking loose in last year’s final. This year it was Oakland who came in the #1 team and ended the season where they started.
The championship game itself was one that most Grizzlies fans won’t forget. The game began with Oakland shooting ICE cold and going 0-8 and not scoring their first field goal till past the 1st media time out. The team struggled to get the ball down low to Kito Benson their player of the year, while the 3-point threats were missing their long shots from the perimeter. IUPUI came out strong offensively, but it was the Jaguars defense that created problems for Oakland. With the weight of the world on Oakland’s two seniors, they knew what they needed to get back into the game. Forward Derick Nelson became the hero of the game and started lighting up the scoreboard with baskets from all over the court.
Nelson drove the net when there was a lane, and shot lights out from 3-point range. He ended the game with a Career High 36 points in the win and that earned him the tournament MVP. I can take a little credit in that; I had the great opportunity to be on the voting panel on press row alongside my associate Ben Fielder.Nelson proved what a true senior lead is all about as he helped the Grizzlies gain a strong lead at halftime and continue the dominate play well into the 2nd half.
The other key to tonight’s historic win was the defensive switch that Head Coach Great Kampe implemented late in the 1st half. Oakland all year has played man-to-man defense, but once the team had trouble defending IUPUI, Kampe switched it to a 3-2 zone defense. The team had never even practiced this type of defensive strategy coming into the championship but they adapted quite well as they shut down their opponent and never let them climb back into the game. When the final buzzer sounded Oakland ended a season that was one for the record books. Oakland Not only won the conference tournament, but also the regular season championship and they set many school and conference records with their record. Oakland also has been ranked as a top 25 mid-major team in the nation for most of the season, something that Oakland had never previously been considered in before.
The feelings now for me personally are a bit numbing. Throughout this short yet memorable tournament, I have shared a few of the many things that a traveling fan gets to experience following their university during postseason basketball. But I would like to end this championship blog with a bit of my own personal feelings on the amazing night..,
I have had a long standing role with Oakland University Athletics from my days traveling to these tournaments in the pep band, to the days of establishing the student section and being an intern for the Athletic Director. Now as a volunteer at all home games and still active in the organization I have had the pleasure of utilizing my time here on this trip to give our 97.1 The Ticket listeners the chance to get a feeling for how incredible a mid-major schools journey really is making it to the NCAA Tournament. Running out onto the court to cover the celebration on our podcast, I have to admit I had great tears of joy and strong pride to be an Oakland Golden Grizzly! For years we have had great success in Division 1 but still didn’t have the respect that is needed to get the press, the coverage, or the support that many other teams in Michigan receive. Tonight, I feel Oakland has proved it-self worthy of being an elite program in the state of Michigan. I can also say I look forward to returning back to Detroit and to CBS Radio Detroit where by the way I do work in sales as my day job, and brag to all the other college basketball fans who work with me, that yes OAKLAND will be in the NCAA Tournament, and beware because they are not done with their winning ways just yet!
Check out our final podcast below of the Championship Call I had on the court as well as the post game press conference and an exclusive interview with the tournament MVP Derick Nelson. I will keep this blog posted on the latest information and stories about Oakland’s next road which is through the NCAA Tournament. I would like to thank my associate Ben Fielder who was our eyes this tournament with his great photos. Ben as I mentioned before works with me during the games at OU and he and I have become best friends throughout the years being so involved in Oakland Athletics. Ben works at Oakland University in the Admissions Department and was awesome enough to work with me on this blog page to post to all of you. That’s all here from the early hours of the morning driving through fog in South Dakota, this is Anthony Gallina thanking you for following me along this road to March Madness. GO GRIZZLIES!!!!
The teams are set and ready to do battle tonight here in Sioux Falls, SD for the 2010 Summit League Championship Game. Oakland comes in the #1 seed while IUPUI is just behind as the #2 Seed. For a full preview about tonight’s keys to an Oakland victory, click on the podcasts below to hear our thoughts on the championship. We hope you all have enjoyed our journey thus far, but stay tuned tonight to our podcast as well as your local listings for the game which is on TV. For now, reporting in the hotel lobby, we will see you at the Sioux Falls Arena later Tonight!! This is CHAMPIONSHIP TUESDAY!!!
Stay Tuned tonight after the game for the most in-depth coverage of the post game. (Pictures/Blogs/Podcast).
In a game of runs Oakland showed why it was the Summit League regular season champion by keying a late run to pull away for good.It was by no standards your typical Oakland basketball game.Oakland struggled offensively throughout the game and was dominated by IPFW’s bench 22-2.Oakland used a perfect night from the line shooting 19-19 and also a buckled down second half defense to hold off IPFW.The player of the game for the Golden Grizzlies was #22 Blake Cushingberry who flew past his season average 4pts/game and finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.With an injured Drew Maynard sitting on the bench Blake Cushingberry has been perfect filling in and dominating with his usual strong defense and adding a much needed offensive spark.
Now Oakland will prepare for their ultimate goal of earning the Summit League Tournament Championship.Oakland will square off against the #2 seed IUPUI Jaguars with a shot at the NCAA tournament on the line.Oakland has split the season between the two schools with both teams winning their home game against the other.Oakland struggled during the regular season against the Jaguars with a 54-78 loss on January 28th in Indianapolis.Oakland took care of business earlier in the season when they won a close battle against the Jaguars 85-82.When Ron Hunter and Greg Kampe meet at half court tomorrow night a trip to the NCAA’s will be up for grabs and the long regular season will be all but forgotten.
The most important game for the Grizzlies will be live tomorrow on ESPN2 at 9pm est.The nation will be watching as the Jaguars and your Grizzlies fight for the ticket they have been looking for all season.Check in later today for a podcast preview of the championship game.Both of us will be giving you the inside preview of the championship game and we hope you will tune into our podcast and also join us this evening as we cheer on the Golden Grizzlies to the NCAA tournament and the 2010 Summit League Tournament Champions!!
The Final four teams are set for Monday’s (3/8) Semi-Final round of the 2010 Summit League Championship. Oakland University who advanced to the semi-finals yesterday will host 5th Seeded IPFW who beat the home favorite South Dakota State 71-66. #2 IUPUI who advanced yesterday will play #3 Oral Roberts who beat defending Summit League Champions North Dakota State 65-64 in overtime in the late game Sunday night.
A few of us Oakland faithful decided we wanted to get our charter bus to take us over to the arena on this day off to catch the other 2 games of the 1st round. It was nice not only for Oakland’s basketball players and coaches to have a day of rest and preparations, but us fans and support groups took advantage with sleeping in and going to lunch around town.
When we arrived at the arena this afternoon we found our block of OU tickets lost in the sea of Blue and Yellow fans cheering for their local South Dakota State University. The BEST part of hosting the Conference Tournament as you can imagine is having the HOME COURT advantage to whomever you play. South Dakota State was the #4 seed and faced a closely ranked team, #5 IPFW. Being the host city, SDSU fans filed into the Sioux Falls Arena and packed 90% of its seats. With obnoxious fans screaming at the refs and the crowd chanting S-D-S-U, IPFW had to climb a mere impossible wall. As an Oakland fan, it was obvious we wanted the home team to lose so that we wouldn’t have to be the target of such a hostile environment tomorrow in the Semi-Finals. The intense game went back and forth for most of the game, but in the last 90 seconds IPFW held on to win 71-66.
Although Oakland did quite well against IPFW during the season, the smart college basketball fan knows, don’t get to excited because…well it is March. Oakland opened conference play this regular season traveling to IPFW and pulled off their first league win of season on the road beating the Mastodons 84-76. Oakland also closed out the regular season against IPFW at the O’Rena in Rochester with an 86-83 win. Though the game was close at the end, Oakland led the game considerably for parts but IPFW hung around and challenged OU and their seniors last game. Expect a game with high energy, passion, and defensive emphasis from both squads.
Stay tuned Monday for a new set of updates from the game..including blogs, pictures, and post game press conference interviews under the PODCAST section. Not to worry, our coverage of Oakland University Basketball is kicking into overdrive over the next few days…much like Oakland this postseason!
The players stepped off the bus early afternoon at the Sioux Falls Arena with the weight of Grizzly Country on their shoulders. The team made an appearance this morning in a banquet that all of us participants were invited to. The Oakland Grizzlies Pep Band, cheer and dance team all performed and joined the other Oakland fans for a gourmet lunch.
The Oakland Women’s team played their quarterfinal game just before the Oakland Men did, and lost a heartbreaking game to Western Illinois 68-57. The mood was grim with the Oakland faithful, but we found a way to shake it off and look towards the men’s big game.
Oakland and UMKC tipped off just after 6pm (CST)/7pm (EST) and Oakland jumped out to a quick lead shooting 83% and 3-3 from behind the arc. Oakland stayed dominant throughout the game and UMKC trailed Oakland 45-35 at halftime. During the 1st half, Senior Derick Nelson suffered a blow to the head as his nose began to bleed out. His nosebleed seemed to never end, and all of us watched in dismay as he held ice on his nose for the remainder of the 1st half. Head Coach Greg Kampe told reporters at halftime that they believed his nose was broken.
Confident with the halftime score, the Oakland fans here still seemed cautious with the loss of Derick Nelson. As the players ran onto the court after halftime, Derick was back in the warm-up. His return helped spark the Grizzlies to continue to pour it on as Oakland lead by as much as 21 points in the second half. Each of Oakland’s players contributed in a big way. Junior Larry Wright led the team with 16 points, as Keith Benson and Derick Nelson tied for second most with 14. Keith Benson’s 13 rebounds also helped Oakland stay well in command of this quarterfinal game.
When the final buzzer sounded, Oakland finished with a shooting percentage of 55.5, and hit eight 3-pointers. Oakland has proved as they did all year that they are deep with talent and this first game showed us the importance. The post game press conference was upbeat and often filled with laughing and smiles. To hear the full Post-Game comments by Oakland University’s Head Coach Greg Kampe, as well 3 of the games key players, click on the POD-CAST section on the right side of the blog page. Our great photographer Ben Fielder has many great snap shots of today’s eventful opening round. Hope you enjoy the update, and stay connected to our latest posts as they happen!
The great thing about these long March Madness bus rides is the constant change in scenery as the bus rolls through each state. From the skyscrapers of downtown Chicago, to the rolling hills of Minnesota along the frozen Mississippi River. As for the Oakland Basketball team, they have been enjoying the day of rest and preparation, with a 1pm practice to regain focus for their 1st game tomorrow against UMKC. Although Oakland is the favorite of this tournament, history has proven that in postseason March College Basketball, no team, no lead, no ranking matters. Each team walks onto the court with everything to lose, and everything to gain. Some teams embrace the pressure while others buckle under the lights.
Oakland’s focus this year is far beyond what it usually would be, considering the heart breaking loss in the final second of last year’s championship game. This year, Coach Greg Kampe and its returning players are looking to re-write history and claim the title that they rightfully deserve.
Oakland comes into this game having beat UMKC both times during regular season play. In the 1st game this year between the two Oakland cruised to an 87-73 home victory. Oakland also took the 2nd game at UMKC with an 83-71 win. The large win margin can be most contributed to the size advantage that Oakland has over UMKC. Look for center Kito Benson to have a strong game.
Saturday’s games begin for at 3:30(EST) as the Oakland University Women’s Team plays their 1st Quarterfinal game against Western Illinois. Oakland’s Women’s team is the 2nd seeded team in their bracket. Immediately following that game at 7pm(EST) Oakland jumps with UMKC.
Following the game we will have post-game interviews, blog, and pictures from the day. Pictures during the tournament will be posted by my close friend Ben Fielder. Ben and I have worked together for many years with Oakland Athletics and are proud to say this is our 5th Summit League Championship trip together. So be sure to stay tuned and enjoy our eyes and ears during these next few days. GO GRIZZLIES!
If you followed Oakland Basketball this year, you would have noticed the DOMINANT 6-foot 11 Center at both ends of the court. Whether rejecting opposing shots on defense, or slamming down points in the paint for OU, Junior Keith (Kito) Benson has proven to be the elite player of the Summit League this year. #34 in your programs…Benson was named The Summit League Player of the Year on Thursday. Benson exceeded expectations during the season and is one key reasons Oakland enters the Summit League Tournament tomorrow as the #1 seed for the first time in school history!
Benson ended the season leading the league in rebounds(311), blocks(102), and double-doubles(16). Beyond all of those great stats, he also lead the team in points per game averaging 17.4 per game. Joining Benson on the all-league first team was senior Johnathon Jones. Senior Derick Nelson earned all-league second team. Junior Larry Wright was named to the All-Newcomer Team.
Among all of these great player achievements this year, the League also announced that head coach Greg Kampe was the 2010 Summit League Coach of the Year. Oakland won the regular-season championship with a new league record in wins (17-1) and winning percentage (.944).
The announcement of these awards on Thursday, adds another chapter to Oakland University’s historic year.
On another note….
The players took off Thursday for Sioux Falls, SouthDakota, the host city for the tournament. The team will spend much of Friday preparing for their opening round game as they take on the 8th seeded UMKC Kangaroos. The rest of us however are using Friday as a travel day. It’s currently 1am, and in 4 short hours, our 2 bus motorcade will depart for our 900 mile trip that will last roughly 14 hours. Over the years traveling to these tournaments, I have found that staying up the night before helps your body to sleep off the long road ahead. Much like Grizzlies hibernating.
All of the planning, packing, and traveling becomes well worth it when tomorrow, the buses will pull up to the arena entrance and we step off the bus take a deep breath, and get that ultimate feeling that “It’s March Madness Time!”
The buses are fueled up and we are about to hit the road. See you in Sioux Falls tomorrow night!!
I invite you to join me tomorrow as we preview #1 Oakland/#8 UMKC Quarterfinal Game 1.
The final buzzer of the 2010 regular season echoed across the O’Rena Last Saturday Night, as the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies walked off their home court and into the record books with the best Conference standings in Summit League HISTORY. 17-1 against conference foes this season, (23-8 overall). Oakland ends their season Nationally Ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll as they earn the #8 ranking (BEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY). 2010 has proven to be a magical season for the Grizzlies, but if you ask the players, cutting down their home nets was just one minor accomplishment as they look forward to their biggest challenge yet. Saturday Evening (March 6th) in Sioux Falls South Dakota, Oakland will enter the 2010 Summit League Championship the #1 seed and look to continue on their winning ways and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The Road to March Madness begins later this week, as the players,coaches and basketball staff fly out to Sioux Falls, SD to prepare for their 1st game on Saturday. As for the other support groups (band, dance team, cheerleaders, and other key members of Oakland (including myself)) are traveling by bus, 989 miles.
As a proud Alum of Oakland University and active participant of Oakland Athletics, I embark on this 5 day journey to bring you, the fan, the inside look on what it takes to reach the ultimate goal! This page will not only offer you insight through the blog, but also great pictures along the way! Don’t miss the PODCAST where we will bring you interviews from the key players and coaches. Whether you’re a loyal Oakland fan or a passionate basketball fan, this blog will satisfy all who hunger for post season College Basketball!
Every once in a while we hear a story about a team that “runs up a score” on another team, which in turns hurts the feelings, or angers the losing team to speak to the media about it. Well low and behold after yesterdays thumping of Dallas by Minnesota, Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking and Head Coach Wade Phillips are crying that very same tune, because they thought Minnesota shouldn’t have tried to score on their final drive in the 34-3 win.
I can’t stand when people claim that another team runs up the score. Last time I checked, the point of any sport is to outscore your opponent. The rules do not dictate that once you have the game in hand, you must back off and coast to the win. I don’t care if it’s basketball, football, baseball, hockey, or any other sport. You play till the end of the game. If you want to pull your starters like most coaches or managers do- fine! But you don’t have to. If you feel it necessary to let your starters stay in the game, then that is the risk you take. But lets say a coach or manager pulls his starters in favor of his back ups. Are they not suppose to try and score? Are they not supposed to play the way the game is meant to be played? Of course not! You play every play like you practice! You play to score on offense!
To give some background as to what happened yesterday; Minnesota got the ball back in the 4th quarter with about 5:30 to go (already up 27-3) after Dallas had just went for it on 4th down and failed. Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress then sent his starters back into the game, and they marched 37 yards to the end zone for another touchdown to make it the 34-3 final.
I don’t see a problem with what they did. It is the offenses job in football to produce points. Whether that is getting the ball into the end zone yourself, or getting into field goal range for your kicker. It is your job to move up and down the field. As for the defense and Keith Brooking, it is your job to STOP them! If you can’t, don’t go whining to the media about it. Take it like a man and admit you just got dominated by the better team.
Brooking even went as far as to taunt Brad Childress on the sideline after the score, saying it was a very “classless” move. Classless? Really? I think what is classless is the fact that a 34 year old man is crying like a school girl that just got hit in the face with a dodgeball in gym class. It’s a game Keith. It’s a game that you and your defensive teammates were dominated in. Deal with it and get over it. Like Vikings Nose Tackle Pat Williams said; “Did you hear Philadelphia complaining after Dallas rolled them in two straight weeks?” (24-0 in Week 17, and 34-14 in the Wild Card rematch) No. They took it stride and realized they were just outmatched and out played. Same with you here Keith. Your team was not up to snuff against Minnesota and the Vikings sent you home.
Brad Childress meanwhile was quoted afterward saying; “We were just staying aggressive with it, if you will. We put our defense back on the field and we talked to all the coordinators — offense, defense, special-teams guys– that we weren’t going to put the field goal group on the field.” Why you may ask? Who knows. Maybe it is because Minnesota struggled heading into the playoffs, and they wanted to make sure Favre and company had enough time to feel comfortable moving forward. But truthfully, it doesn’t matter his reasoning. He is the head coach of the team and he can do what he wants.
I think if anybody should be upset though, it should be Viking fans. Was it a smart move to put your starters in when the game was well in hand? I don’t think so. You have a 40 year old quarterback and a dominating running back, and one cheap shot by Dallas could have knocked them out of the playoffs completely. But, nothing happened. They gained more confidence and maybe it helps them heading into New Orleans next week, so really it doesn’t matter they went back out there.
The point in all of this, is a football game is 60 minutes long and the object is to score more points then the opposing team. It doesn’t matter how many more, just more. If the defensive players have a problem with what the offensive players are doing, then stop them. That is what you’re paid to do. Don’t talk a big game in the locker room, or storm the sideline trying to start a fight. Play the full 60 minutes. Minnesota did. They played the game the right way. As for Dallas? Sounds like Keith Brooking, Wade Phillips and Cowboy Nation need to all go out and buy a blanket and pacifier to comfort them for the next seven months.
I can remember when Boxing was relevant. I could remember a time when friends would plan a fight night around Pay-Per-Views, and match-ups were common water cooler conversations. But, all of that has gone the way of the Dodo.
Instead people are tuning into cable TV, UFC and Dana White. This self-created brand has pretty much made Boxing Tap-Out (excuse the pun) rather quickly in its choke hold of the market. Instead of talking about De la Hoya, Holyfield, Sugar Ray and Tyson, people now flock to Liddell, Ortiz, Lesnar, Rampage Jackson, and Randy Couture (the list is MUCH longer…trust me). Instead of dropping $54.95 for a De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao bout, people can drop $44.99 (which is the same price as a WWE PPV) for a card that holds about 11 bouts instead of one. With numbers like that, Boxing had to make itself want-able again. Plug in the rumors that a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout will take place.
That definitely created a lot buzz. Finally Boxing produces a marquee worth the price of admission. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see that? I know I did. I salivated at the sound of that fight bell, and so did many others. You couldn’t turn the channel and not hear about this fight. You had two of your best fighters standing toe to toe ready to dance on March 13th. But, of course, Boxing fails to deliver.
This monumental clash was halted by drug testing protocol. In a time of impurity in sports, Mayweather’s camp proposed both fighters be subjected to an Olympic style blood test (all in the best interest of competitiveness and fairness). Apparently that’s a major no no. Instead of proving something, Pacquiao’s camp came out and said that a blood test proves nothing more than a urine test. Pacquiao and Mayweather did what they did best, fought. Not with fists, but with words which got us nowhere.
If these two really wanted to make history, then how a drug test is administered shouldn’t matter. If anything, you should use it as motivation to, I don’t know, beat the other guy’s head in. Instead this fight doesn’t take place.
This is why Boxing owns a black-eye. Dana White would have used this as a marketing tool. He would have made sure this fight would have happened no matter what. With a gate of roughly $50 million dollars at stake, how could it not? Boxing could have made a statement instead of tucking its tail and bailing on its fans. Here’s to a Pacquiao-Clottey flop on the 13th and an aggravated Mayweather and a very disappointed fan base in its wake.
Boxing here’s to you giving yourself the chance to get up from a standing 10 count but falling to a classic one-two combo.
-Anthony Gallina 3/2/10
