ROCHESTER, Mich. – Head coach Greg Kampe and the Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team is set to open up its preseason against Grand Valley State on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. ET, on the Blacktop inside the OU Credit Union O'rena. The Voice of the Golden Grizzlies Neal Ruhl and Darryl Jacobs will have the call on ESPN+.
The Black and Gold finished the 2025-26 season in fourth place with a 12-8 record (16-16 overall) in league play. Two players who hit the court last season return again for OU, juniors Nassim Mashhour and Warren Marshall IV, returning just 7.3% of scoring from last season as Mashhour's season ended early due to injury in December and Marshall IV averaged 12.5 minutes/game. Kampe sees the addition of 10 newcomers including three freshmen.
Oakland brought in a plethora of talent through both the transfer portal and freshmen, as the 10 new faces consist of three freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors, and three seniors.
Notable additions for the Golden Grizzlies include seniors Belal El Shakery from New Hampshire (averaged 11.4 points/game, 8.2 rebounds/game, leading program and America East Conference, America East All-Conference Third Team), Chris Fields Jr. from Campbell (averaged 9.7 points/game, 6.9 rebounds/game, ranked ninth in the CAA in rebounds, recorded first triple-double in program history), RJ Taylor from Northern Iowa (shot 46.2% from the floor, 37.5% from three, totaled 78 points last season), and sophomore Brady Swartz from Western Michigan (averaged 7.7 points/game, 4.6 rebounds/game, shot 40.8% from the floor).
Three players from the 2025-26 roster who did not see the court also return for the Black and Gold. Sophomore Hamoudy Mashhour "redshirted" last season, while sophomore Camden Thompson and senior William Kassi were mid-year transfers.
Coach Kampe, the longest-tenured head coach at one school in Division I, will lead the Golden Grizzlies for his 43rd season. Kampe, who currently sits at 731 wins, ranks in the top-10 for most wins by active Division I head coaches.
SCOUTING THE LAKERS
Cornell Mann leads Grand Valley in his fifth season at the helm, owning a 76-47 record. The Lakers produced 26 wins last season, 4th most in program history, as GVSU made their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance with their 8th GLIAC Tournament title in 2026. Grand Valley lost 84% of their scoring from last season, adding the addition of seven transfers and two freshmen to Allendale.
Oakland last defeated GVSU, 92-76, back in 2022 when the two programs faced off in exhibition. The Lakers lead the head-to-head series with the Golden Grizzlies, 28-24, as the pair were GLIAC rivals when Oakland was in Division II.
How to Follow Oakland Men's Basketball: For complete information on Oakland Men's Basketball follow the team on X at @OaklandMBB and head coach Greg Kampe at @KampeOU. The team is also on Instagram and Facebook.
