Latest news with #Kampe
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
College Basketball's Most Loyal Coach Faces Limits of His Success
This time last year, Oakland men's basketball coach Greg Kampe had just experienced what he called 'the greatest win I've ever been a part of' in his four-decade tenure leading the program. His No. 14-seeded Golden Grizzlies shocked the basketball world, pulling off an upset over John Calipari's No. 3-seeded Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The game was highlighted by a spectacular performance from Oakland transfer guard Jack Gohlke, who knocked down 10 3-pointers, propelling the team's sixth man into the national spotlight with NIL deals and newfound fame. Advertisement More from 'We're not a Cinderella,' Gohlke boldly declared in a post-game interview with CBS, his arm around Kampe, who has coached Oakland since Ronald Reagan's first term. If this were a Hollywood movie, the story might have ended there, but reality had other plans. In the second round of the tournament, Oakland fell short against NC State in a six-point defeat. Gohlke went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, and Kampe signed a contract extension with Oakland, which might well be his last. Sportico will be publishing daily stories about March Madness throughout the men's and women's tournaments. To receive them in your inbox daily, sign up here via Club Sportico. Kampe reflected on his post-Cinderella experience in recent interviews with Sportico, recalling that 'not one person, no [other] university called to offer me a job.' Advertisement A year after experiencing his greatest victory, he was hitting the recruiting trail to refill the roster of a program that, more or less, was in much the same position as before it beat Kentucky. Since Syracuse's Jim Boeheim retired in March 2023, Kampe became the longest-tenured head men's basketball coach in Division I, and by a considerable margin. As such, his experience is both unique and relevant to the many non-power conference coaches who have looked to the NCAA tournament as a potential springboard to elevate their programs or careers. The lasting benefits of March success have become increasingly fleeting in recent years—especially for those who choose to stay put. For Kampe, there was no choice. By the time he finally found the glass slipper, there were no suitors. 'Probably, because they think I'm old,' the 69-year-old said. 'Maybe they see I have been here for 40 years and think I won't leave and don't ask.' Advertisement So, he signed a two-year contract extension last June that carries through the end of the 2028-29 academic year and reportedly pays about $400,000 annually, including bonuses. While other programs may not have been knocking down Kampe's door, a number of college basketball players certainly were for a time. However, most of those conversations ultimately went nowhere. 'Every 6-foot-5 white guy in the country called us after they saw Jack Gohlke,' Kampe said. 'But when I told them the number I could pay them, it was, 'Coach, thanks, but I can get more elsewhere.' What that game did was shine a light on Oakland, or how we played, but in essence, it didn't help. I had a kid who called me and wanted $200,000, and he was a really good player, but we don't have that type of payroll for our players.' Oakland has agreed to participate in next year's athlete revenue-sharing provisions, part of the House v. NCAA settlement, though the school has yet to decide how much it will distribute. Kampe said he was able to raise a 'significant amount of [NIL] money' by Oakland's standards, but even that spike feels short-lived. Advertisement 'Will I be able to do it again next year?' Kampe said. 'Probably not, because we didn't beat Kentucky this year.' As this past season unfolded, the 16-18 Golden Grizzlies were again on the cusp of another March Madness appearance. But those dreams were dashed with an overtime loss to Robert Morris in the Horizon League tournament semifinals. 'If you had the greatest banana pudding you've ever eaten and now you see other people eating it,' he said last week, reflecting on what it was like to watch this year's NCAA tournament from the (dis)comfort of home. On Thursday night, Kampe's former four-year starter Trey Townsend, the 2024 Horizon League Player of the Year, will suit up for Arizona in its Sweet 16 game against Duke. Two other one-time Oakland transfers, Chris Conway (Washington) and Micah Parrish (Ohio State), were key contributors to power-conference programs this year. According to Kampe, the trio of ex-Grizzlies earned a combined $1.2 million in NIL compensation this year. Advertisement 'I have three guys playing in the Power 5 this year who would have been on my team if the [transfer] portal didn't happen—imagine what we could have done in the old days,' Kampe said. 'Think about what this team could have been. Now, I am sounding bitter, which I don't mean to, but we would have been preseason top-30 and picked to win our league.' The current NCAA tournament has been a paean to impermanence, for players and coaches, as the month-long college basketball transfer portal opened earlier this week—just a day after the Round of 32 wrapped up. For this year's biggest Cinderella story, No. 12 seed McNeese State, head coach Will Wade led his team into their second-round matchup against No. 4 Purdue while having already secured his next job at N.C. State. Meanwhile, Maryland's $4-million-per-year coach Kevin Willard has proven even power conference programs are not immune from the industry-wide rest, bitterly signaling his intentions of leaving the Terrapins at every stage along his team's current Sweet 16 run. The closest he says he ever came to leaving Oakland was in the early 1990s, when Jack McCloskey, the former Detroit Pistons general manager, left to take over as GM of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He and McCloskey had become close friends and tennis buddies during their shared time in greater Detroit, and Kampe said McCloskey had made him the intriguing offer of becoming an assistant coach with the Timberwolves. He ultimately decided to pass on it, wary of the position's long-term stability. The only other time he nearly left was about three decades later, in 2011, following Oakland's back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. A school he declined to name made an intriguing financial offer that got his attention. 'It was a lot more money, but I didn't think it was more prestigious,' he said. Advertisement He said he hasn't received an inquiry from another program in about three years. 'I am just lucky my key works at Oakland,' Kampe said. 'One of these days it might not.' He recalls a conversation with Mike Leach, the late college football coach, who shared this piece of wisdom: For every year you coach at a school, half the people don't want you there. 'I told him, 'Mike, at this point, it would be one and a half people left,'' Kampe joked. His tenure has spanned those of 10 university presidents and seven athletic directors—including the two separate stints as AD he served while simultaneously coaching. Advertisement 'My interest, if I ever left Oakland, would be to go to a school with a legitimate shot at a Final Four,' he said. 'It's not about money. I've got enough to walk off into the sunset. I'm not chasing a payday.' Still, several days earlier, Kampe admitted that his loyalty, while deep, wasn't absolute. 'If UCLA called and offered me $3 million,' he said, 'I'd be there tomorrow.' Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness: Is NIL the death of Cinderella?
Oakland men's basketball coach Greg Kampe recalls exactly when he realized that mid-majors had become a farm system for power-conference programs. It was when Kampe lost a standout player who grew up minutes from campus, who attended dozens of Oakland games as a kid and who always hoped to play for the Golden Grizzlies just like both his mom and dad once did. Trey Towsend blossomed from unwanted recruit to Horizon League player of the year during his time at Oakland. The 6-foot-6 forward saved his best for the NCAA tournament stage, piling up 47 points and 25 rebounds in two games last March as the 14th-seeded Golden Grizzlies waylaid talent-laden Kentucky and took NC State to overtime. On the eve of that run, Towsend described playing for Oakland as 'a dream come true.' Two weeks later, he put his name in the transfer portal. The temptation was too strong with no penalty for transferring and with heavyweight programs offering hundreds of thousands in NIL money if he spent his final college season playing for them. 'He's making 20 times what I could give him this season,' Kampe told Yahoo Sports of Townsend, who has started 29 games this season for Arizona — a Sweet 16 team. 'What do you do? You wish him well. Many of these guys are being told you're not going to be in the NBA, so get your money now and you've got a chance to start your life with a little bit of a bankroll. That's a hard thing to argue against. I can't argue against that with my players.' Stories like that exemplify why there's concern in college basketball circles that the absence of upsets in this year's NCAA tournament may be the start of a trend rather than just an anomaly. The modern landscape of college basketball has made it more challenging than ever for the likes of Oakland to compete against deep-pocketed power-conference programs. Three players who Kampe recruited and developed played for Arizona, Washington and Ohio State this season — and the 41-year Oakland coach is far from alone. Lesser-known college programs from traditional one-bid leagues served as springboards for many of the stars of this week's Sweet 16. Auburn forward Johni Broome, the co-favorite to be named college basketball's national player of the year, began his college career at Morehead State. Fellow all-SEC standouts Mark Sears (Alabama), Chaz Lanier (Tennessee) and Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida) started out at Ohio, North Florida and Iona, respectively. Three pillars of Florida Atlantic's 2023 Final Four team now start for Arkansas, Florida and Michigan. Three former Belmont Bruins are now key players at Maryland, Ole Miss and Florida. Those player retention issues have eaten away at the biggest advantage that small-conference programs used to have in March. The Loyola Chicagos, Wichita States and Butlers of the past overcame the talent gap with older players who developed superior cohesiveness through years of playing together. That would be harder to pull off today with wealthier programs poaching players by sliding into their DMs or making offers through back channels. While the transfer portal does work both ways, mid-major coaches say that it's tougher now than it was five years ago to find power-conference players seeking to drop down a level in search of more playing time. The NIL money available to a SEC or Big Ten benchwarmer often surpasses the market for a SoCon or Horizon League starter. As Kampe puts it, 'The money has changed the dynamic completely. They're not going to come down as often anymore.' The supposed concentration of talent at the power-conference level did not draw much national attention the first few years of the NIL era because it didn't detract from the magic of March. The NCAA tournament retained its egalitarian appeal. Underdogs still turned into giant slayers. No-names still became legends. It was only three years ago that 15th-seeded St. Peters shocked Kentucky and Purdue on its way to the Elite Eight. It was only two years ago that Fairleigh Dickinson became the second No. 16 seed to win an NCAA tournament game, that 15th-seeded Princeton advanced to the Sweet 16 and that Florida Atlantic came within a Lamont Butler buzzer beater of playing UConn for the national title. While no one emerged from small-conference obscurity to make last year's Sweet 16, five double-digit-seeded mid-majors pulled first-round upsets. Oakland ambushed Kentucky. Yale toppled Auburn. James Madison waylaid Wisconsin. Grand Canyon took down Saint Mary's. And Duquesne edged BYU. Then came the discourse-shifting opening weekend of this year's NCAA tournament. For the first time since the NCAA tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1975, every team that advanced to the round of 16 hails from a power conference. Seven are from the SEC, a Sweet 16 record. Four are from the Big Ten. Four are from the Big 12. One is from the ACC. The rest of college basketball's 31 conferences were shut out. Even the vaunted Big East failed to advance a team beyond the round of 32. There was one plucky, double-digit seed that managed to crash the party. Yes, the Cinderella of this NCAA tournament is an Arkansas team coached by John Calipari and assembled thanks to one of the sports largest NIL war chests. The lack of small-conference charm in this year's Sweet 16 has inspired widespread national attention and debate. On Monday's episode of 'Get Up,' former Duke star and current ESPN analyst Jay Williams argued that 'NIL is the death of mid-major Cinderella runs.' He clarified that they'll still happen, but 'it's gonna be more of a rarity.' That was measured and reasonable compared to Stephen A. Smith's scorching hot take. 'If this continues, it will be the death of college basketball,' the ESPN provocateur warned on 'First Take.' To take such a strong stance based on a single NCAA tournament seems a little premature. It's like arguing that only schools that start with the letter 'N' are viable title contenders in the future if Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and North Carolina all made the Final Four one year. Those comments also ignore the many ways that the loosening of NIL rules is benefiting college basketball. Fringe NBA prospects are staying in college longer rather than chasing money in the G-league or overseas. Some of this season's most recognizable veteran stars would have been long gone in previous eras. And yet there is real concern in college basketball circles about the widening of the chasm between the sport's haves and have-nots. Michigan coach Dusty May recently told The Field of 68's John Fanta that he doesn't think Cinderella is dead but that the sport's changing landscape has 'taken all the best players from the lower leagues and spread them throughout the power-five level.' 'Now 1 through 18 in our league, 1 through 16 in [other leagues], everyone at the bottom is much better than the bottom used to be,' May said. When asked if it's harder now than it was five years ago for a mid-major to make a deep NCAA tournament run, Kampe told Yahoo Sports, 'That's a simple answer. Yes. Yes, it is.' But when asked if he worried about the future of the NCAA tournament, Kampe took a more cautious, wait-and-see stance. 'I don't think enough time has gone by to definitively say this is going to change the tournament forever,' he said. To Kampe, there's no use whining and complaining about how college basketball is changing. You do that, the 69-year-old Oakland coach says, and 'you're going to fall to the wayside. Nobody's ever going to hear from you again.' 'It's our job to figure out how to win this way, how to get to the NCAA tournament and win in the tournament,' Kampe added. What does that look like? Maybe two of this year's top mid-majors provided a blueprint. Drake and UC San Diego built experienced rosters by mining the D-II ranks. Ben McCollum brought four key players with him from North Missouri State to Drake. UCSD's Eric Olen found talent anywhere from Hawaii-Hilo, to Southern Nazarene University, to Azusa Pacific. Kampe has gone the Division II route in the past. This past season, he recruited a transfer from a Canadian program with modest success. 'We're going to keep turning over every stone,' Kampe said. 'This NCAA tournament has been a wakeup call, a slap in the face. OK, what do we do? How do we win this way? We're going to find a counter, maybe not Greg Kampe but someone smarter than Greg Kampe at this level will figure it out.'
Fox Sports
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Horizon League gives Oakland basketball coach Greg Kampe 1-game suspension for exchange with a ref
Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Horizon League suspended Oakland basketball coach Greg Kampe for one game due to engaging with an official in an unacceptable way that violated league regulations after a loss to Robert Morris. Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach made the announcement Tuesday, adding an official that made a significant error late in the game will not work for the league again. Kampe's confrontation came after Kam Woods made 2 of 3 free throws with a second left to lift Robert Morris to a 73-71 victory over the Kampe-led Golden Grizzlies on Saturday in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. The 69-year-old Kampe will miss Thursday night's home game against Green Bay. Kampe is in his 41st season at the school in suburban Detroit, making him the longest-serving men's basketball coach at a Division I program. The Golden Grizzlies are 9-13 overall and 6-5 in the Horizon League, following their upset of Kentucky in last year's NCAA Tournament. ___ AP college basketball: and recommended
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Horizon League gives Oakland basketball coach Greg Kampe 1-game suspension for exchange with a ref
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Horizon League suspended Oakland basketball coach Greg Kampe for one game due to engaging with an official in an unacceptable way that violated league regulations after a loss to Robert Morris. Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach made the announcement Tuesday, adding an official that made a significant error late in the game will not work for the league again. Kampe's confrontation came after Kam Woods made 2 of 3 free throws with a second left to lift Robert Morris to a 73-71 victory over the Kampe-led Golden Grizzlies on Saturday in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. The 69-year-old Kampe will miss Thursday night's home game against Green Bay. Kampe is in his 41st season at the school in suburban Detroit, making him the longest-serving men's basketball coach at a Division I program. The Golden Grizzlies are 9-13 overall and 6-5 in the Horizon League, following their upset of Kentucky in last year's NCAA Tournament. ___ AP college basketball: and The Associated Press
Associated Press
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Horizon League gives Oakland basketball coach Greg Kampe 1-game suspension for exchange with a ref
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Horizon League suspended Oakland basketball coach Greg Kampe for one game due to engaging with an official in an unacceptable way that violated league regulations after a loss to Robert Morris. Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach made the announcement Tuesday, adding an official that made a significant error late in the game will not work for the league again. Kampe's confrontation came after Kam Woods made 2 of 3 free throws with a second left to lift Robert Morris to a 73-71 victory over the Kampe-led Golden Grizzlies on Saturday in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. The 69-year-old Kampe will miss Thursday night's home game against Green Bay. Kampe is in his 41st season at the school in suburban Detroit, making him the longest-serving men's basketball coach at a Division I program. upset of Kentucky in last year's NCAA Tournament.
