THE KAMPE FILE (For season-by-season and career records)
Greg Kampe enters his 42nd season at the helm of Oakland's men's basketball program.
Greg Kampe’s 40th season was one of his most successful yet. In the 2023-24 campaign, he secured the team’s 13th Power Six win against the Xavier Musketeers and led Oakland to a dominant regular season, earning the first outright Horizon League regular season title in program history. In the Horizon League Tournament, Kampe guided the Golden Grizzlies to victories against Purdue Fort Wayne, Cleveland State and Milwaukee to capture the team’s first Horizon League Tournament Title. This tournament victory granted Oakland an automatic bid to the NCAA Divison I men’s basketball tournament, marking the fourth time Kampe has taken the program to the “big dance.” The No. 14 ranked Golden Grizzlies matched up against the No. 3 ranked Wildcats from Kentucky, as Kampe won his 699th game, 80-76, in the program’s first-ever Round of 64 win
In a historic season, Kampe coached two All-League players, three All-Academic honorees, the Horizon League’s Sixth-Man of the Year, two players on the Horizon League All-Tournament Team, an NABC All-District honoree, the Horizon League Player of the Year, the Horizon League Tournament MVP and the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year in Trey Townsend. Kampe helped lead Townsend to pace the Golden Grizzlies in minutes (36.4 per game), field goals made (220), free throws made (169), scoring (17.3), rebounds (8.1), assists (111) and steals (48), while also recording 10 double-doubles on the year.
Notably, this marks the 18th consecutive year Kampe has coached a player to first-team league honors. Since 2009, he has mentored 13 players who earned All-District recognition. In the last 15 years, Kampe has coached five NBA players, while most recently, Jack Gohlke signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Summer League team this offseason.
Jalen Moore picked up the 2022-23 squad's 17th-straight First Team All-League selection during Kampe's leadership as the 40th-year veteran spearheaded Oakland's competitive efforts to one of the most challenging non-conference slates in the league with games against Oklahoma State in the O'rena, Michigan State, Boise State, Syracuse, and Toledo. The Golden Grizzlies were also featured on national television three times between ESPN2, the Big Ten Network, and ESPNU. Following the conclusion of the nationwide regular season campaign, Kampe became the longest-tenured NCAA Division I Head Coach following the retirement of Syracuse's Jim Boeheim.
Kampe's 2021-22 Golden Grizzlies knocked off its 12th Power Five opponent in program history with a gritty 56-55 win over the Cowboys of Oklahoma State in Stillwater on November 12. The team featured #HLMBB Co-Player of the Year in Jamal Cain, who finished the season as the only conference player to average a double-double with 19.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game as the Pontiac native was picked up post-NBA draft by the Miami Heat as the fourth Oakland student-athlete to make the league. Point guard Jalen Moore finished second in NCAA Division I in assists per game at 7.7 Moore received All-Horizon League Second Team honors with Micah Parrish receiving All-Defensive Team accolades.
In the 2020-21 season, Kampe led the Golden Grizzlies to the No. 3 seed in the Horizon League tournament and their first-ever trip to the championship game since joining the conference in 2014. Kampe's squad featured four All-League selections, including a first team honoree for the 15th-straight season. Under Kampe's tutelage, junior point guard Jalen Moore became the seventh Golden Grizzly since 2009 to lead the nation in a statistical category with 8.4 assists per game. Oakland came away with 10 League victories in an unprecedented year of collegiate sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which marked the 13th time in the last 15 seasons with double-digit wins in conference play, the best among Michigan Division I schools.
The 2019-20 campaign featured three Power-5 opponents in (then) No. 7 Maryland, No. 16 Michigan State and Syracuse, with four of Oakland’s games highlighted on national television. Kampe’s young squad featured 10 newcomers and was led by redshirt seniors Brad Brechting and Xavier Hill-Mais, a two-time Horizon League first team selection.
In the 2018-19 season, Kampe took an Oakland team that returned just eight percent of its minutes played and four percent of its scoring and finished third in the Horizon League. With its 11 league wins, the Golden Grizzlies have won 10 or more league games in 12 of the last 13 seasons going back to 2006-07, the best among Michigan Division I schools.
It was a milestone year for Kampe in 2017-18 as he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 15, 2017. Among the 2017 class included Jalen Rose, Jim Leyland, Dennis Rodman and Andre Rison. He also earned his 600th career win, becoming the 15th active Division I coach at the time to reach the milestone.
In his 33rd season as head coach of the Golden Grizzlies in 2016-17, Kampe had led Oakland to six championships in 14 seasons inside The Summit League, including three NCAA tournaments (2005, '10, '11). He became the fifth active Division I coach to win 500 games at one school, finished third all-time in The Summit League with 147 league victories, and earned a league-best five Coach of the Year accolades.
Coach Kampe led Oakland to its first-ever Horizon League regular season championship in its fourth season in the conference in 2016-17, winning the final nine regular season games to earn the No. 1 seed in the Horizon League Championship. The Golden Grizzlies won 25 games, second-most in program history, and earned an opening round NIT victory over Clemson in the Golden Grizzlies first-ever NIT appearance.
The longtime Oakland coach was named to the 2017 Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Class on May 31, 2017, joining Mitch Albom, Jon Jansen, Jim Leyland, Dean Look, Andre Rison, Dennis Rodman and Jalen Rose. The induction ceremony will happen on Friday, Sept. 15 at Max M. Fisher Music Center in downtown Detroit.
In January 2012, Kampe became part of the 25th Oakland University Athletics Hall of Honor Class as he was inducted into the Hollie L. Lepley Hall of Honor. He was selected as one of the top 20 Mid-Major coaches in the country by Athlon Sports in the summer 2012 and was named National Coach of the Year in 2000 by CollegeInsider.com.
The Golden Grizzlies have won 66 percent of their games inside the Horizon League (45-23) and have finished in the top three in the league standings in three consecutive seasons, finishing third, second and first during that time.
Kampe guided Kay Felder to one of the greatest individual seasons in program history in 2015-16. Felder led the nation in assists (9.3) and also ranked fourth in scoring (24.4) en route to being named an AP All-American third team selection. Kampe also guided NCAA record holder Travis Bader (2010-14) to one of the finest seasons in school history in 2013-14. Bader made a school record 147 3-pointers and finished with an NCAA-best 504 threes made. Felder and Bader are two of eight Golden Grizzlies to lead the country in a statistical category over the last nine seasons:
Johnathon Jones, 8.1 assists per game (2010)
Reggie Hamilton, 26.2 points per game (2012)
Bader, 4.2 3-pointers made per game (2013)
Duke Mondy, 3.03 steals per game (2013)
Kay Felder, 9.3 assists per game (2016)
Kendrick Nunn, 4.47 three-point field goals per game (2018)
Jalen Moore, 8.4 assists per game (2021)
Jack Gohlke, 364 3-point attempts, 3.81 3-pointers made per game, 137 total 3-pointers made (2023-24)
"We have a quality program that turns out talented student-athletes," Kampe said. "We try to do things the right way with good people who receive a good education and then go out into the world and have success after basketball. That's what our mission is."
THE COACH
One of Coach Kampe's favorite quotes is "Consistency is the hallmark of success." Something that he strongly believes and a motto that his programs have been following for years. The Golden Grizzlies won a Summit League-best 68 league games in their final five seasons in the conference, 13 more than the next closest school.
During a stretch from 2009-11, Oakland boasted the nation's best conference record at 34-2. The Golden Grizzlies finished 70-18 over their last 88 games versus Summit League opponents and hold the record for consecutive league victories at 20.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Coach Kampe has dedicated a lot of his free time to charity and non-profit organizations throughout the community. He has helped the American Cancer Society raise over $500,000, spent time as a volunteer coach for eight days at Camp Arifjan-Kuwait leading a military team, helped with Boys and Girls Club of America, raised awareness for the Oakland County Shelter for Women in Need, and spends countless hours with Beyond Basics, education of inner city kids.
For his efforts in the local community, Coach Kampe was named the 2016 Sparky Anderson Community Excellence Award by the CATCH organization. This award, named after the late CATCH Founder Sparky Anderson, is presented to an individual who has excelled in their professional field, while making a significant impact with charities throughout the community.
DIVISION I SUCCESS
Eight 20-win seasons (2008-12, '16-17, '21-22, '23-24), eight postseason berths in nine seasons (2009-13, '15-17), four D1 NCAA tournaments (2005, `10, '11, '24), a 2017 NIT berth, and six Summit League championships in 14 seasons is not too bad for a coach that was hesitant when Oakland made the decision to move to Division I. Not too surprising from a coach who was coming off his best season and looked to be a national title contender in Division II that next season.
Instead, the Pioneers changed to the Golden Grizzlies and Oakland spent the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons in transition. Then the unexpected happened, Coach Kampe led the newly created Golden Grizzlies to the Mid-Continent Conference regular-season title in their first year of competition at 11-5. Oakland was not eligible for the Mid-Con tournament that season.
OAKLAND MAKES NOISE IN D1 LANDSCAPE
Nothing was expected of the Golden Grizzlies as they entered the 2005 Mid-Con tournament with a sub-par record of 9-19 and 7-9 in league play, finishing in seventh place. Then the unthinkable happened, Oakland upset top-seeded Oral Roberts (25-7) on a Pierre Dukes 3-pointer in the final seconds to lift the Golden Grizzlies past the Golden Eagles and earn their first-ever NCAA tournament berth. Oakland went on to defeat Alabama A&M (79-69) in the play-in game of the NCAA tournament in Dayton, Ohio, and then fell to eventual national champion North Carolina in Charlotte, N.C.
The conference may have changed its name to The Summit League in 2007, but some things remained the same. The Golden Grizzlies appeared in the league championship game in 4 of 6 seasons, capturing back-to-back titles in 2010 and '11 in dominating fashion with six double-digit wins at the tournament and posted a 34-2 regular season league record.
His teams posted back-to-back league record 17-1 marks to set records in wins and winning percentage (.944) from 2009-11. Oakland won a program-best 26 games in 2009-10 and followed that up with a 25-10 mark in 2010-11. The Golden Grizzlies picked up their first-ever top 10 win at No. 7 Tennessee (89-82) on Dec. 14, 2010, catching headlines across the country.
Oakland suffered heartbreak in two games in 2008-09. After player of the year Ben Woodside lifted the Bison over Oakland (66-64) on a last-second 20-foot jumper with three seconds left in The Summit League championship game, the Golden Grizzlies were invited to the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Oakland defeated Kent State (80-74) at home in the opening round, but tasted defeat at the hands of another buzzer beater, this time from 75 feet as Bradley escaped with a 76-75 win in Peoria, Ill. The Golden Grizzlies finished the year 23-13.
The Golden Grizzlies posted a 19-14 record in 2006-07 and once again suffered heartbreak in the league tournament title game. ORU exacted some revenge as the top two seeds battled in the championship game, this time with Oakland's Erik Kangas missing an attempt at winning the game with seconds remaining from three, eventually falling 71-67.
After a 17-14 regular season where the Golden Grizzlies finished third in the standings, Oakland surrendered an 11-point lead with just over 1 minute remaining in the quarterfinals of the league tournament and fell to Southern Utah. The Golden Grizzlies accepted a bid to compete in the CIT tournament and made a nice run to the semifinals. Oakland broke The Summit League record with three postseason wins and eventually fell to Utah State on the road. Reggie Hamilton became the first scoring champion in The Summit League, finishing at 26.2 points per game.
PRODUCING TOP PLAYERS
Under Kampe's direction, over 32 players have went on to play professionally in the NBA and overseas. Rawle Marshall became the first Oakland player to compete in the NBA, playing with the Dallas Mavericks (2005-06) and Indiana Pacers (2006-07). A 2011 graduate, Keith Benson became the first-ever Golden Grizzly to be drafted as he was selected 48th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2011 NBA Draft. He went on to play with the Golden State Warriors in 2012 and later became one of the more dominant players in the NBA G-League. Benson finished as a two-time Summit League Player of the Year and multiple Associated Press All-American honorable mention selection.
Most recently, Jack Gohlke (2023-24), who was named Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year and to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team, while also tallying 32 points against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament with 10 threes (t-2nd in NCAA Tournament Tournament history for most threes made in a game), signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gohlke played four game with the Thunder before signing a professional contract overseas in Montenegro with KK Podgorica of the Prva A Liga.
Jamal Cain finished his time as a Golden Grizzly with a Horizon League Co-Player of the Year honor as the only conference student-athlete to average a double-double with 19.9 points and 10.2 rebounds. The Miami Heat picked up Cain following the NBA draft on a two-way contract with South Beach's G-League affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Kay Felder left the Golden Grizzlies after his junior season, leading the country with 9.3 assists per game, and was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the 54th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for cash considerations. He played in 42 games for the Cavs, averaging 4.0 points and 1.4 assists per game in 9.2 minutes per game. Felder also spent time with the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors before continuing his career overseas.
Kendrick Nunn spent his rookie season with the Santa Cruz Warriors in 2018-19, the G-League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors. Nunn appeared in 49 games and averaged 19.3 points per game before being signed by the Miami Heat. After his first week in the NBA, his three-game average of 22.3 points earned him an NBA player of the week nomination. Through his first five games, Nunn posted 112 points to break the record for the most points scored in as many games by an undrafted player. The previous record was set by Connie Hawkins with 105 points in 1969. The 112-point tally was also the most recorded by a rookie in his first five games since Kevin Durant scored 113 in 2007. On December 3, Nunn was named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month after he averaged 16.4 points, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. On December 10, Nunn scored a career-high 36 points in a 135–121 overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks. After scoring 504 points in his 31st career game, Nunn became the fastest rookie to reach 500 points in franchise history. On January 2, Nunn became the first undrafted player in NBA history to win multiple Rookie of the Month awards and joined Caron Butler (4) as the only Heat players with multiple awards.Nunn was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers before being sent to the east coast to join the Washington Wizards on January 23, 2023, in exchange for a forward and three second-round picks.
Brian Gregory (1987-90) continues to hold the all-time school record in assists for a career, season and single-game, and has now moved on to be a very successful coach at the collegiate ranks. Gregory worked under Tom Izzo at Michigan State before becoming the head coach at Dayton where he led the Flyers to an NIT title and three NCAA tournaments. In 2011, Gregory became the head coach at Georgia Tech. After returning to MSU for a season as a special advisor, Gregory became the head coach of South Florida in 2017.
A TRADITION IS BORN
Kampe joined the Oakland University team in 1984 after spending six seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Toledo. Oakland had only six winning seasons in 16 years of competition before his arrival.
After two seasons where Coach Kampe was trying to build a winner, the Pioneers busted on to the national scene in 1986-87 where Oakland went 20-8. Winning seasons continued to ensue for the final 11 of Div. II and Oakland appeared in four consecutive NCAA Regionals, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 1997, ending with a then school record 24-7 mark. Oakland captured Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) titles in the final two seasons (1995-96, '96-97) and Kampe led the Pioneers to six 20-win seasons during the Div. II campaign.
FAMILY
A true believer in Oakland's mission that states 'produces graduates and champions', Kampe's oldest son Keith transferred to Oakland after two seasons on the Cincinnati baseball team. He played two seasons on the Golden Grizzlies' baseball team (2008-09) and graduated in May 2011 with a degree in integrative studies.
His son Branch played on the LSU football team, while his youngest son Press played varsity basketball at Clarkston High School before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston.
His late father, Kurt, was an offensive guard on the University of Michigan's 1947 Rose Bowl and national championship football team, which went 10-0. Brother Kurt Kampe III was a two-year letterwinner for the Wolverines in 1974 and `75 as a defensive back.
UNDERGRADUATE WORK
Kampe is a 1978 graduate of Bowling Green State University with a bachelor's degree in business and journalism. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Toledo before accepting the full-time assistant coach's position in 1979.
He earned a Master of Arts degree in physical education while at Toledo. Kampe personally combined excellence as an athlete and in the classroom in college. He is the only athlete in MAC history to earn first team all-Academic honors in both football and basketball. He earned dean's list honors with a 3.40 grade point average at BGSU, and received the President's Award as an outstanding senior student.
