ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team is set to wrap up the preseason on the road at Cincinnati for a match up with the Bearcats on Tuesday, Oct. 27 inside Fifth Third Arena. Action is slated to take place at 7 p.m. ET and will not be broadcasted digitally.
Oakland battled Tennessee State throughout much of Saturday's exhibition at Wayne State Fieldhouse before the Tigers pulled away late for an 89-75 victory. The Golden Grizzlies held a 36-35 lead with under a minute remaining in the first half before Tennessee State took a 40-39 advantage into the break, and Oakland remained within striking distance through much of the second half. Tennessee State eventually created separation with an 81-67 lead with just over four minutes to play, using a strong finish to secure the win. Sophomore Ryder Bradley led Oakland with 16 points, four three-pointers, four assists and two steals, while juniors Nassim Mashhour and Warren Marshall IV each added 12 points. Seniors RJ Taylor contributed 10 points and four assists, and Chris Fields Jr. finished with eight points and eight rebounds. Oakland shot 48% from the field and made 13 three-pointers while recording 17 assists and 10 offensive rebounds off the glass.
The Golden Grizzlies brought in a plethora of talent through both the transfer portal and freshman, as the 10 new faces consist of three freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors, and three seniors.
Notable additions for the Black and Gold 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 BEARCATS
Cincinnati enters the 2026-27 season under first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, who takes over a veteran roster featuring 14 newcomers and just one returning player from last season. Calhoun, a two-time conference Coach of the Year at the Horizon League and Mountain West levels, brings a 297-159 career record and nine 20-win seasons to the Bearcats. Cincinnati has split its first two exhibition contests, defeating Ohio State 79-68 before falling to preseason No. 3 Illinois 105-96. The Bearcats have demonstrated offensive potential, particularly from senior guard Tylen Riley, who is averaging 27 points and eight assists through two exhibitions, and senior forward Tyler Tejada, who is averaging 15 points per game.
The Golden Grizzlies are 0-4 in the head-to-head series with Cincinnati in the regular season, last seeing them on the road in 2006.
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.
