Oakland has plenty on the line Friday night.
The Golden Grizzlies can clinch the No. 2 seed and a double bye in the Horizon League tournament with a win, the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU, it?s senior night and it comes against arch rival Detroit in front of a sold out O?Rena.
For Oakland senior Max Hooper, it?s a perfect setting for his final home game.
?I feel like sometimes senior day, the standings are already established and there?s not much on the line,? Hooper said. ?I feel it?s pretty cool, No. 1 there is so much on the line, No. 2 it?s Detroit and everyone knows what Detroit means for Oakland and No. 3 it?s my senior day. That?s a lot of factors going into that and it will be sold out. Every game we play against Detroit here is sold out. I think it?s pretty cool that will be my last home game at Oakland, not only a celebration in the sense it?s my senior day but there?s so much on the line. I think that?s cool and I?m excited to play.?
Oakland?s other senior Percy Gibson feels similar to Hooper. He?s excited to face an opponent that demands he play at his best.
?I feel like because it?s a rivalry it?s going to push me even more,? Gibson said. ?I feel like that?s the way to go out, especially on senior night, someone who?s going to demand my best effort. I want to just take it as a challenge. We?re leading 4-1 in the Metro Series, we just want to make that 5-1. I?m undefeated against (Detroit) so I want to keep it that way.?
For Oakland coach Greg Kampe, Friday night?s game is exactly what he envisioned when the Grizzlies joined the Horizon League, playing a meaningful game in front of a packed house against a rival on national television.
?I think it?s absolutely what we envisioned, it was our dream,? Kampe said. ?This is why we pushed and fought so hard to get into the Horizon League. This is the third time we?ve been on national TV in (12) days. ... Playing a rivalry game, standing room only and meaningful, huge connotations.
?For all intents and purposes this is a tournament game,? Kampe added. ?If we lose we?re playing four times in four days (at the conference tournament). If we win we?re playing twice. We?re 80 minutes away from (the NCAA tournament). This in itself becomes a tournament game. We?ve played all year to get that double bye, it?s in our hands. Unfortunately, it?s against Detroit. I wish it wasn?t. I wish it was just another game instead of putting all that on it too. But that?s why we did this and that?s why we wanted in this league so bad.?
Detroit (15-13, 9-8 Horizon League) currently sits in sixth place, but has lost some close games. Six of the Titans? eight conference losses have come by single digits, including two by one, one by three, one by four and another in overtime.
?They?ve won six out of eight, they are peaking at the right time,? Kampe said of Detroit. ?They?re very talented. They got star power. They lost some really, frustrating close games earlier in the year that could have put them in a different position than they?re in. Don?t be fooled by their playing for fifth or sixth place. They?re not a fifth or sixth place team, it?s just that?s happened. For them they can prove it. They?ve got the avenue to prove because for all the teams it?s about March and this game leads us into March.?
Oakland also seems to be peaking at the right time. The Golden Grizzlies (20-10, 12-5) have won nine of their last 11 to move into second place in the Horizon League and have a chance at the coveted double bye.
?We?ve won 11 of (14),? Kampe said. ?I think I think you gotta feel pretty good about 11 of (14), especially when you were 3-3 after six games and five of the six had been at home. I think we were left for dead by a lot of people and now we?re playing for the double bye. I think from our standpoint, you have to feel real good about our team.?
Oakland won the first meeting at Calihan Hall 86-82 on January 16. Kay Felder had 22 points and nine assists and Oakland?s big men Jalen Hayes (19 points and 11 rebounds) and Gibson (17 points) played well.
Gibson feels that will have to be the case again Friday.
?Honestly, I feel like it?s going to start with the big men,? Gibson said. ?We gotta establish that presence and then from there we can move on because we got the shooters, we got Hooper, of course Kay?s going to do what he does. But at the same time we establish that post presence on offense and defense and I feel like the game will just come naturally to us, we can have fun.?
--The Oakland Press
The Golden Grizzlies can clinch the No. 2 seed and a double bye in the Horizon League tournament with a win, the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU, it?s senior night and it comes against arch rival Detroit in front of a sold out O?Rena.
For Oakland senior Max Hooper, it?s a perfect setting for his final home game.
?I feel like sometimes senior day, the standings are already established and there?s not much on the line,? Hooper said. ?I feel it?s pretty cool, No. 1 there is so much on the line, No. 2 it?s Detroit and everyone knows what Detroit means for Oakland and No. 3 it?s my senior day. That?s a lot of factors going into that and it will be sold out. Every game we play against Detroit here is sold out. I think it?s pretty cool that will be my last home game at Oakland, not only a celebration in the sense it?s my senior day but there?s so much on the line. I think that?s cool and I?m excited to play.?
Oakland?s other senior Percy Gibson feels similar to Hooper. He?s excited to face an opponent that demands he play at his best.
?I feel like because it?s a rivalry it?s going to push me even more,? Gibson said. ?I feel like that?s the way to go out, especially on senior night, someone who?s going to demand my best effort. I want to just take it as a challenge. We?re leading 4-1 in the Metro Series, we just want to make that 5-1. I?m undefeated against (Detroit) so I want to keep it that way.?
For Oakland coach Greg Kampe, Friday night?s game is exactly what he envisioned when the Grizzlies joined the Horizon League, playing a meaningful game in front of a packed house against a rival on national television.
?I think it?s absolutely what we envisioned, it was our dream,? Kampe said. ?This is why we pushed and fought so hard to get into the Horizon League. This is the third time we?ve been on national TV in (12) days. ... Playing a rivalry game, standing room only and meaningful, huge connotations.
?For all intents and purposes this is a tournament game,? Kampe added. ?If we lose we?re playing four times in four days (at the conference tournament). If we win we?re playing twice. We?re 80 minutes away from (the NCAA tournament). This in itself becomes a tournament game. We?ve played all year to get that double bye, it?s in our hands. Unfortunately, it?s against Detroit. I wish it wasn?t. I wish it was just another game instead of putting all that on it too. But that?s why we did this and that?s why we wanted in this league so bad.?
Detroit (15-13, 9-8 Horizon League) currently sits in sixth place, but has lost some close games. Six of the Titans? eight conference losses have come by single digits, including two by one, one by three, one by four and another in overtime.
?They?ve won six out of eight, they are peaking at the right time,? Kampe said of Detroit. ?They?re very talented. They got star power. They lost some really, frustrating close games earlier in the year that could have put them in a different position than they?re in. Don?t be fooled by their playing for fifth or sixth place. They?re not a fifth or sixth place team, it?s just that?s happened. For them they can prove it. They?ve got the avenue to prove because for all the teams it?s about March and this game leads us into March.?
Oakland also seems to be peaking at the right time. The Golden Grizzlies (20-10, 12-5) have won nine of their last 11 to move into second place in the Horizon League and have a chance at the coveted double bye.
?We?ve won 11 of (14),? Kampe said. ?I think I think you gotta feel pretty good about 11 of (14), especially when you were 3-3 after six games and five of the six had been at home. I think we were left for dead by a lot of people and now we?re playing for the double bye. I think from our standpoint, you have to feel real good about our team.?
Oakland won the first meeting at Calihan Hall 86-82 on January 16. Kay Felder had 22 points and nine assists and Oakland?s big men Jalen Hayes (19 points and 11 rebounds) and Gibson (17 points) played well.
Gibson feels that will have to be the case again Friday.
?Honestly, I feel like it?s going to start with the big men,? Gibson said. ?We gotta establish that presence and then from there we can move on because we got the shooters, we got Hooper, of course Kay?s going to do what he does. But at the same time we establish that post presence on offense and defense and I feel like the game will just come naturally to us, we can have fun.?
--The Oakland Press
