March Madness is where legends are made.
Of course, players on the nation’s best teams have the opportunity to cement their legacies and grow their personal brands by leading their team on a deep tournament run. But for players from mid-major programs like Oakland, this tournament may be the only chance they ever get to make a name for themselves.
Senior guard Blake Lampman said as much on Wednesday afternoon.
“Doug Edert on St. Peters. It was crazy to see how he exploded,” Lampman said. “His name was everywhere. So as far as individually. And then you gotta think back to Davidson and Steph Curry and how they went on their run. That’s been all over my social media lately, and I remember kind of watching it when I was in high school, just watching highlights and stuff like that. So I would say those two.”
Edert’s meteoric rise came from a 20-point performance against, ironically, Kentucky in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Shortly after St. Peter’s’ upset of the Wildcats, Edert signed an NIL deal with Buffalo Wild Wings after blowing up on social media.
With the rise of social media and the recent legalization of NIL deals across college sports, becoming a one-hit wonder overnight has become much easier for players of mid-majors, and Oakland head coach Greg Kampe realizes the opportunity his players have on Thursday night against Kentucky.
An NIL deal and an exponential rise in social media followers for a Golden Grizzly player might be far-fetched, but a win over one of the most storied programs in college basketball history would be a moment the players will remember forever.
“Now, we also have a chance to go do something special, right? We have a chance to change my players’ lives. If we win tomorrow night, it will change my players’ lives,” Kampe said.
“In 2016 or ’17, we’re playing Michigan State. They’re number one in the country. We’ve got the ball, down two with five seconds to go, and a pro that I had, Kay Felder, shoots a shot, gets fouled. It rolls around the rim, and if it goes in, we beat the number one team in the country. Would have changed Oakland, would have changed our lives. Would have changed those players’ lives. This group has another chance to do that for Oakland University and for themselves.”
The past can’t be changed, of course, but Oakland now has another opportunity to make a name for the university and provide the players with one of the best moments of their lives.
“So, yeah, it’s hard to get here, but when you do, look at the opportunities that you have,” Kampe said. “This is the Holy Grail for mid-majors, right? It is. And I’ve said this many times over the last week. The NCAA Basketball Tournament, and please don’t change it, please don’t change it, but it is one of the three greatest sporting events in the world… You argue the World Cup, and you’re probably right. The Super Bowl and this tournament are the three greatest sporting events in the world. And Oakland and my players are a part of it, and they get to cherish that for the rest of their lives.”
“That’s what I’m stressing to my guys this week,” Kampe said. “You’ve earned it, and you’ve got the chance to change your lives — to do something special.”
