ROCHESTER, Mich. – Check out this inside look at the latest news about the Oakland women's basketball team, staff and alumni on and off the court.
TWEETS OF THE WEEK:
THE NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE IS HERE:
HORIZON LEAGUE SPOTLIGHTS:
RETURN TO PRACTICE:
Head Coach
Jeff Tungate checks in with
Neal Ruhl to discuss the team returning to practice after a 14-day quarantine leading into the upcoming non-conference season.
ALUMNI CHECK IN: ANN SERRA-LOWNEY (90')
Hometown: Fenton, Mich.
- Inducted into the Hollie L. Lepley Hall of Honor in 2011
- 1990 All-American
- 1989 GLIAC All-Defensive Team selection
- Holds program's all-time career assist record (483) tied with Elena Popkey (2012-16)
- Ranks second in single-season assists with 204 in 1988-90
- Helped Oakland win two GLIAC titles, two NCAA Tournament births (1989, 1990) including 1990 NCAA Final Four
Ann is in her 16th year as the Athletic Director at Everest Collegiate High School in Clarkston, Mich. She also is entering her seventh season as the head coach of the boy's varsity basketball team at Everest. Prior to working at Everest, she coached at the collegiate level for five years and taught and coached the girl's varsity basketball team at Clarkston High School for seven years.
Her triplet children, Serra, Mitch and Grace, each attended Everest and are 20 years old. Serra is currently attending Miami of Ohio and Grace and Mitch are attending Trine University.
How Oakland University has impacted her life…
"Having been born and raised in Oakland County, Oakland University was part of my life at a very young age. My sister and I use to attend basketball camp at Oakland every summer. As a young basketball player, I always dreamed of playing for the University. Though, I didn't start my college career at Oakland, I was fortunate to have the chance to play and study at Oakland after attending the University of Dayton as a freshman. I will never forget the first week on campus meeting my future teammates. We were a young team with a new coach, Bob Taylor. If you would have told me then that my fellow classmates in the Class of 1990 would have accomplished what we did in four years, I would never have believed it. The four-year journey that ended with my team playing in the NCAA Final Four wasn't always smooth, we had our adversity, but it was the adversity that helped shape me into the person I am today."
"There were two moments at Oakland that I always turn to when I think about why I am how I am today. The first moment was after my sophomore season. We ended the year at 24-4, which we thought was good enough to make the NCAA National Tournament. I vividly remember staying up all night waiting for coach Taylor to call and tell us when our next game was. The phone call never came. That season my teammates and I learned that you can never take anything for granted. You have to make sure you take care of business so there is no question that your good enough and you belong."
"The second lesson came during the 20th game of my senior season when I tore my ACL and my college career was over. To be honest, watching my team continue to have success and not only win our second straight GLIAC title, but advance to the Final Four, wasn't easy. However, I learned so much from having gone through that experience, I still use it daily when I am coaching and working with young kids. That lesson taught me the true meaning of being a member of a team. Though I wasn't actively involved in the games, I was still a part of that team. After my surgery, I was on the bench cheering on my teammates and offering advice when asked. It has been 30 years since my final season and when people asked about my college basketball career, I tell them my team played in the Final Four my senior year. They never ask how many minutes I played, they are just impressed I was on the team. That's the lesson I learned while at OU, "There is no "I" in TEAM."
What being a member of the Oakland basketball family means to her…
"The key word in that question is FAMILY. That's is what it means to be a former Oakland University women's basketball player. As I mentioned above, it has been 30 years since I attended Oakland and I am still close to my teammates, coaches and the famous Tom Ford. If anyone wants to know what it means to be a part of the Oakland Family, all they need to do is follow T. Ford on social media. The way the Oakland family has been there to support him is what a family does. I have been able to help out the Fords a few times, I wish I could do more, but they know I am a phone call away and the same thing can be said for EVERY former student-athlete or coach that had the pleasure of working with T. Ford.
What it means being an All-American…
"There is one reason and only one reason I can say I am an NCAA All American, and that one reason is my teammates. My senior year, I had the privilege to play with a group of ladies who had amazing careers themselves. Our team had four of the 10 All-Americans in program history on it. As a point guard, it is easy to look good when the question wasn't "will this pass lead to an assist", the question was "which player should I pass it to, to get the assist". I was leading the nation in assists at the time of my career ending injury and there was only one reason I was atop that leader board… MY TEAMMATES."
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