Oakland Women's Basketball Notebook: Sept. 23, 2020
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 entire squad is registered to VOTE!! Are You??
The team would like to extend a special thank you to the Mayor of Rochester Hills, Bryan Barnett, who visited the O'rena on Monday to speak with the team about leadership and how to affect social change.
COACH TUNGATE RETURNS:
Head Coach
Jeff Tungate led Oakland to a 2-2 mark to open the 2019-20 season before taking a medical leave of absence to care for a recurring back issue in which he missed seven games during the 2018-19 season due to the same condition.
"It is great to be back and healthy again. Our staff did an outstanding job in my absence last year, but it feels good to be back on the court," said Tungate. "There is no greater feeling than being a part of a team and being around that team on a daily basis. This is a special group and I really missed them last year. I look forward to what's ahead for this team, and I'm thankful to have all my health issues behind me."
WORKOUTS MOVE INSIDE THE O'RENA
With the State of Michigan COVID-19 workout facility restrictions being lifted, the team was able to return to the Blacktop
"Covid-19 has presented many challenges for everyone. For a student-athlete, it's very difficult to stay focused when you spend your summer not even knowing if you're going to have a season," said Tungate. "Average people wait for something to happen, champions make things happen. I'm really proud of what our team did on their own, but Kayla, Autumn, and Brianna took it to a whole new level. Alona and Teneea also put in a great amount of work this summer. They are all ready for breakout seasons."
VERSATILITY IS KEY:
Senior guard
Chloe Guingrich usually makes her home in the paint as she led the team in field goal percentage (54.8), rebounds (6.4 -10th HL)and steals (38) and steals per while ranking second on team in blocks (14) scoring in double figures nine times with three double-doubles last season. This season, Coach Tungate is looking for the Hudsonville, Mich. native to play a more versatile role in the offense making the transition to a stretch forward playing both down low and along the perimeter.
FAMILIAR FACE JOINS THE STAFF:
After playing two seasons with the women's basketball team (2018-20),
Victoria Oglesby transitioned into a Student Assistant role. Oglesby earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications and is currently pursuing a Master in Business Administration Degree.
ALUMNI CHECK IN: TAYLOR GLEASON ('18)
Taylor Gleason, a former three-year starter at point guard and two-time Horizon League All-Academic Team selection, is following her dream taking her extraordinary basketball IQ and passing it to future generations across the pond. As a senior in 2018, Gleason was selected as a member of the 16th annual Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) "So You Want To Be A Coach" program class in partnership with the Alliance of Women Coaches. She was one of just 62 student-athletes from all three NCAA Divisions to be chosen and only the second student-athlete in program history to receive this honor following Victoria Lipscomb who was the first in 2014.
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Club: Falcon Basketball Club
Position: Head Coach of U13 Boys and Head Coach of U17 and U19 Girls
She also leads strength and conditioning classes for 7th, 8th and 9th graders at a middle school that has a large focus on sports. All the students at the school are athletes of some kind.
What Oakland means to Taylor…
"Oakland is more than just a university, it is a community. The second I stepped onto campus for the first time, I felt that family atmosphere. I still feel it whenever I return to campus to visit. When you attend Oakland University, you meet people who genuinely want you to succeed and wish to help you in any way that they can; whether that be in the present or the future. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for Oakland. When I am wearing the bear around Copenhagen, and people ask me about it, I love getting to explain to them what it means and where I come from."
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