ROCHESTER, Mich. — Head coach
Greg Kampe, entering his 38th season with the Oakland University men's program, answers questions about the youth of his roster, upperclassmen leadership, the anticipated non-conference schedule, and the highs and lows of his golf skills.
1. The team has been back in action for over a month now. Even though it is just the summer, how confident do you feel in the makeup of this roster?
We will have a couple of walk-ons arriving in the fall that we really like. They are long and can shoot the ball. Once they get here, we will have an impressive roster. What I like most about this roster is our length. This roster will be one of the longest and most athletic teams that we have ever had. Some of the great championship teams we had possessed size. Guys like Keith Benson and Will Hudson were 6-9 and 6-11 across the front, but more traditional bigs. The bigs nowadays are more perimeter-oriented because that is how the game is going. You have length, spread the floor, open driving lanes, and hit threes. I believe we check those boxes.
2. With a young roster that includes eight freshmen, some COVID-freshmen, I imagine that building team chemistry is an essential aspect during the summer. A month in, how has the team gelled so far?
That is why
Jamal Cain and
Jalen Moore are so important. Ten of our 15 guys are going to be freshmen. While three of them are COVID-freshmen or redshirt freshmen, however you like to call it, they need leadership. Bringing in a graduate student like Jamal, who has been there and averaged 10 points and six rebounds in the BIG EAST will benefit the young guys. I need leadership from him. He should be a player to help the freshmen know the right way to do things. With Jalen at point guard, he can do that as well. Having multiple upperclassmen to lead the young guys is very important. I like the team's makeup and am not too worried about how young we are because of our athleticism.
3. Speaking of Jamal and Jalen, how have they looked on the court together?
I think Jalen really likes to play with Jamal because he knows that he can get a lot more assists with him in the lineup. We will be able to throw the alley-oop pass, which has not been the case for a few years. We are also going to be able to run sets where we lob the ball to the rim. In transition, you will see Jalen make some passes that will get finished at a higher rate. Both guys are excited about the team's potential when they are on the court together. Jamal is just one of the most incredible kids I have ever been around. I have known him since he was little, so to get him back here has been a good thing for us. Jamal made a few significant errors in practice the other day, but he owned them, which is what we need. He owned his mistakes, so I did not even have to yell at him. That is what you want to see out of a graduate senior.
4. Many fans have been wanting to know about the non-conference schedule. Can you give the fans an idea of why it is not out yet and when to expect it?
I am in the negotiation stage for the last game. Once we get the last game locked in and all of the contracts signed, it will release. The fans are going to like the schedule. It is not home-friendly, so we will probably only have one regular-season game at home during non-conference play. We will also host a couple of exhibition games along with a possible charity game. However, we will need a waiver for that. We held a charity exhibition against Central Michigan a few years ago, and it was a great game. The rest of the games will be on the road, some places where people can get to, others where they can watch on television.
5. To wrap things up, what happened at Pebble Beach? As we all saw in your tweet, the tee shot was fantastic, but where was the video of the putt?
I had a 10-foot birdie putt. I had it right in the jar but left it short. I did not want to 3-putt, and it was downhill, so I babied it. I am still mad at myself about it.
