When fighting a battle, one must rely on the community to have their back.
Giovanni Moceri, the Sports Media Director at WXOU, is also a Golden Grizzlies basketball super fan.
This March, Moceri traveled to Indiana to watch the Golden Grizzlies play against Cleveland State in the semifinals of the Horizon League men’s basketball tournament.
“I was incredibly nervous at the start of the semifinal game since OU started very slow, but I think deep down, I knew that the team was good enough to win if they kept it close enough. The same goes for the championship game,” Moceri said.
Moceri felt that the crowd’s enthusiasm was an integral part of the team’s success.
“Just like the players on the court, I could not give up on the cheering and had to constantly keep pushing the energy to motivate the team to do the same,” Moceri said, “I didn’t want anything Milwaukee did in the game to take our crown out of it, especially with the game so close.”
As a sports broadcaster, Moceri said that the Oakland University men’s basketball team is very important to him. Moceri joined WXOU because he wanted to show others his passion for the team.
“Part of my success is directly related to their success because if more people are talking about Oakland basketball, the more likely they are to find me,” Moceri said. “Part of why I have been working so hard to promote Oakland sports and why I am so passionate about it is because I want others to feel the same way. I want the campus to be bussing when it’s gameday, I want people to experience Oakland sports and to love and be fans of their school.”
When the OU men’s basketball team booked its ticket to the Horizon League championship, the Golden Grizzly community went on a road trip to Indiana.
Moceri promoted the travel bus to Indiana. He wanted all students to have the opportunity to cheer on the basketball team.
“I felt so happy not only for the players and the team, but I was happy that the country was going to learn all about our Golden Grizzlies,” Moceri said. “People will learn the legend of ‘Mr. Oakland’ Trey Townsend, about Greg Kampe’s history and dedication to the university, about Jack Gohlke and Blake Lampman’s volume 3PT shooting and how that’s traditional Oakland basketball.”
With Oakland taking home the championship, Moceri was happy to see all the recognition the Golden Grizzlies were getting.
“OU is relevant again, which is something I have been working towards with what I do at WXOU and Oakland Athletics. I was just scrolling through Twitter the whole ride home, seeing love being poured out to Oakland,” Moceri said.
From Oakland University’s biggest fan to the Oakland basketball team, Moceri encourages the team to head into their next game with confidence.
“It’s time to kick the door down, show everyone who Oakland is, and tell the whole country, “We’re the Golden frickin’ Grizzlies!”” Moceri said.
