Last season, Oakland University’s men’s basketball team had a record of 20-12. The team was 12-7 within conference play, 10-3 at home, 3-1 on neutral courts and 7-8 on the road. The season would end in the Horizon League Tournament quarterfinal with a loss against Wright State, 75-63. 

The leading scorers on the team throughout the season included forward Jamal Cain [20 points per game], point guard Jalen Moore [15 points per game], forward Trey Townsend [13 points per game], forward Micah Parrish [12 points per game] and forward Blake Lampman [7 points per game]. 

Between some athletes graduating and others entering the transfer portal, vast amounts of teams experience changes to their rosters. The Oakland men’s basketball team is no different, as there will be some new faces on campus and a few departures from last year’s group. 

This upcoming season, the team additions include Lorne Bowman Ⅱ, Keaton Hervey, Chuol Deng and Rocket Watts.

Bowman Ⅱ is a 6-foot-2 guard from Detroit, Michigan who played for the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a freshman last season — appearing in 22 games, averaging three points per game while shooting 40% from three-point range. 

Hervey is a 6-foot-7 guard out of Cedar Park, Texas. He played for the University Of The Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas and Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. Throughout Hervey’s career, he averaged nearly seven points per game and three rebounds while shooting nearly 42% from the field. 

Deng is a 6-foot-8 forward who played for Colorado Northwestern in Rangely, Colorado and Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas. In his career, he averaged 11 points per game while grabbing six defensive rebounds per game. 

The final transfer is Watts, another 6-foot-2 guard out of Detroit, Michigan. Watts, a four-star recruit and top-40 prospect out of high school, spent the first two years of his career playing for Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan before transferring to Mississippi State where he played one season. In Watts’ career, he averaged seven points per game while shooting nearly 37% from the field. 

While the incoming transfers will undoubtedly make an impact, the team’s additions this offseason also come with some losses. Horizon League Player of the Year Jamal Cain played his last season of college eligibility this past season. 

Along with this loss, sophomore Micah Parrish transferred to San Diego State University in California. Parrish averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in his two seasons with the Golden Grizzlies. His production is not something that head coach Greg Kampe will be able to easily replace.

The guard position for this Grizzlies team in the upcoming season will be a strength, along with the returning athletes at the forward position. College basketball veterans Moore and Watts will anchor the backcourt, while Townsend will lead the frontcourt.