The Oakland University men’s basketball team held an open practice and press conference for their annual media day on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

There will be a couple new pieces rounding out the lineup this year for OU, which means they’ll be looking for leadership from there veterans.

Senior guard Bader returns as the team’s leading point scorer from a year ago, and is rated the top 3-point shooter and eighth-best scorer in the nation according to Bleacher Report.

Bader thinks highly of their new freshman point guard.

“If you talk to Travis Bader, he was the most ecstatic veteran there ever was,” OU head coach Greg Kampe said. “When Kahlil Fielder showed up and played in open gym, he (Bader) texted me on the phone and said, ‘this kid’s the real deal.”’

“Ever since he’s came here it’s been a great gel,” Bader said. “He’s somebody who wants to learn, and somebody who picks up on the game really quick. He wants to be a pass-first point guard, but I think he’s as good a scorer as we have on this team.”

Bader finished as a finalist for the Lou Henson award last year, which is given to the top mid-major player of the year. He’s primed to make another run for it this year as well.

He’ll have to do it in a new conference this year however, as OU makes the transition from the Summit League to the Horizon League this season.

At the end of the day though, all that matters is the team’s performance, regardless of the competition.

“We worry about Oakland,” Kampe said. “We don’t worry about any of those other schools, I don’t care what they do, what they run, we just strap it up, go out and play. That’s been our philosophy for years.”

Another addition to this year’s line-up is forward Tommie McCune.

“To get Tommie on the floor, that’s a top-100 recruit, and we’ve never had that before. He’s had a really good fall, and the players understand the level of talent he has,” Kampe said. “The players and the coaches are excited about it.”

Another returning starter is senior center Corey Petros, who was an honorable mention to last year’s All-Summit League team. He finished last season with 8.2 rebounds per game, which was second among all Summit League players.

The coaches and players also expect a big year out of Duke Mondy. Mondy led the nation with 3.02 steals per game last year, and the year before led the Big East in steals before transferring from Providence.

“We’re excited,” Kampe said. “We get to go to some great venues, play against some great teams, and get great exposure for Oakland University. And we go feeling pretty good about ourselves.”