It’s hard to believe, but it’s October, and the start of the Oakland University men’s basketball season is already around the corner.
After advancing to the second round in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament for the first time in school history, the Golden Grizzlies are poised to make some noise in the Horizon League once again.
Team Overview and Key Players
One of the glaring differences between the Golden Grizzlies last season and this season is how different the roster looks.
Between Blake Lampman, Rocket Watts and Jack Gohlke, who are out of eligibility to suit up for another season, and Trey Townsend and Chris Conway hitting the transfer portal, there are a lot of new names on this roster.
Still, there are players on this roster that provide a foundation for a solid team.
Starting with DQ Cole, the dynamic guard emerged as a key player last season and will be an important player this season for Oakland. Last season, Cole averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 47% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc.
As Cole steps into a more prominent role this season, it will be interesting to see if he can continue the running trend of Oakland players being named to the Horizon League All-League First Team. Townsend did it last season, Jalen Moore did it in the 2022-23 season and Jamal Cain did it in the 2021-22 season.
Jayson Woodrich is also set to be a key player for the Golden Grizzlies this upcoming season. Notably, Woodrich shot the second-highest three-point percentage last season for the Cleveland State Vikings, knocking down 37% of his tries from deep.
“I think in our system, because of his age and because of his experience, he’s somebody I’m going to count on to score a lot of points for us,” head coach Greg Kampe said in a YouTube video posted to the Golden Grizzlies channel.
“He averaged nine a game at Cleveland State last year. I believe if he stays healthy and if he does the things we want him to do I think he could score a lot more points than that for us.”
Another player to watch this season is Jaylen Jones. The transfer from Tennessee State fills a void that Oakland had last season as a team, as the Golden Grizzlies did not have a true lead point guard.
Jones led his team in assists last year with 2.7 per game, and he can potentially be the Golden Grizzlies’ leading ball distributor and starting point guard this season.
Season Prediction
If there were a term to describe the Horizon League, it would be the Wild West. Projecting how teams will do in the Horizon League is truly difficult.
For instance, last season, in the Horizon League preseason poll, voted on by head coaches, sports information directors and media members apart of the Horizon League, the Golden Grizzlies were ranked in the middle of the road as the sixth-best team out of eleven teams.
That same team won the regular season outright and upset the Kentucky Wildcats in March Madness.
With all that in mind, the Golden Grizzlies will comfortably have a season above the .500 mark in conference play. Given the state of other teams in the Horizon League, a fifth-place finish in the regular season standings for Oakland seems to be within reach.
This team has the ceiling to win the Horizon League tournament and make another appearance in March Madness again. However, their floor is a second-round exit from the Horizon League tournament.
With the mix of returning talent and an overhaul of new additions, the Golden Grizzlies are set to start their 2024-25 campaign in an exhibition against the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday, Oct. 20, at Little Caesars Arena.
