OU's Kampe to naysayers: 'We had a tremendous year'

detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/2017/03/08/ous-kampe-naysayers-we-had-tremendous-year/98924550/

Tony Paul 3/8/2017

(Photo: Daniel Mears / Detroit News)

Heavily favored to win the tournament — especially with Valparaiso missing star — and make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, Oakland, instead, suffered yet another early exit.

It was Oakland's third consecutive loss in its opening game of the Horizon League tournament, despite seeds of 3, 2 and, this year, 1.

Still, for anyone calling the Golden Grizzlies' season a failure, coach has some choice words for you.

"Any one of our fans that believes that this was a wasted year or a disappointing year, I would disagree with 100 percent," Kampe said Wednesday, a day after the Horizon Legaue tournament wrapped at Joe Louis Arena.

"We had a tremendous year. Not a good year, a tremendous year.

"We are in a time and age, now, where fan bases only care about the NCAA Tournament, and as much as I care about that also — it's been too long since we've been in — we had a tremendous season, and I'm very disappointed that people are calling this a lost season."

In its fourth year in the Horizon League, Oakland won it for the first time, having beat co-champ Valparaiso twice in the regular season.

Oakland also posted 24 wins, third-most in school history, with more games to play in the National Invitation Tournament. It'll be Oakland's first trip to the NIT, and it'll learn its opponent and game site Sunday night, after the NCAA Tournament unveils its bracket.

There's also this: Oakland lost its best player from a year ago, , to the NBA draft, and had to scramble to replace him. The Golden Grizzlies signed JUCO transfer Stevie Clark, added U.S. Army veteran Isaiah Brock, and gave freshman guard Brailen Neely from Detroit Western substantial minutes.

There was one senior, Sherron-Dorsey Walker, to go with returning talent in Martez Walker, Jalen Hayes and Nick Daniels.

Still, Felder's departure was a surprise, and a blow.

"I can't say we overachieved. I can't say that, that's not right. But when Kay Felder left on May 1 of last year, there wasn't anybody that thought Oakland was going to win a Horizon League championship.

"Heck, in the middle of January, nobody thought Oakland was gonna win a championship, and those are what you play for," said Kampe, 61, who's in his 33rd year as head coach. "We won a conference championship, our kids will getting rings."

After a midseason hiccup in which it lost four of five — including a home game to rival Detroit Mercy — Oakland finished the regular season with nine consecutive wins.

1/2 It then lost on a buzzer-beating layup to No. 9 seed Youngstown State in the opening round of the Horizon League tournament. Oakland is 1-4 in four Horizon League tournaments.

Last year, the first of the Horizon League tournament at The Joe, the bracket featured a double-bye for the top 2 seeds, including Oakland. Both Oakland and Valpo lost the opening games, in the semifinals.

The bracket was changed this year, after Oakland and Valpo officials suggested the extended layoff hurt, and a single-bye was given to the top two seeds. Again, the same result — Oakland and Valpo were upset, though Valpo had the better excuse with Peters, the league's player-of-the-year, lost for the season.

Horizon League commissioner Jonathan LeCrone said he will urge coaches and ADs to stick with the current bracket for a few years, rather than make changes every time the results don't go as planned. Kampe seems to agree.

"Whatever the format is, we know going in," said Kampe, whose Golden Grizzlies were 8-0 in the regular season against the four eventual Horizon League semifinalists. "I'm not really a complainer about those type of things.

"I need to worry about winning a game next year, not about the format.

"My job is to go there and win, and I haven't done that."

Oakland's expectations next season will exceed the preseason hopes this season, because, again, it loses only one senior, and Illinois transfer Kendrick Nunn will be eligible to play. [email protected] twitter.com/tonypaul1984

2/2