Oakland Selected Third in Summit League Preseason Poll
ELMHURST, Ill. –Oakland University was picked to finish third in The Summit League Preseason Men’s Basketball Poll with 10 first-place votes, selected by the league’s 10 head coaches and media, announced by the league office on Thursday. Senior Derick Nelson (6-5, 235) and junior Johnathon Jones (5-11, 165) were selected to the preseason all-league first team, while senior Erik Kangas (6-3, 205) was named to the second team.
“My opinion of it is that it’s a nice thing for the media to be involved in this, but it means nothing,” said 25th-year head coach Greg Kampe. “Every year there is a team picked fifth or sixth and they are in the hunt.”
The Golden Grizzlies return five starters off last year’s 17-14, 11-7 (t-3rd) squad, and three letterwinners (Ricky Bieszki, Will Hudson and John Kast). Nelson (17.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Jones (14.9 ppg, 6.0 apg) and Kangas (14.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg) are joined by redshirt senior Dan Waterstradt (5.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and redshirt sophomore Keith Benson (5.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) as returning starters for the Grizzlies. Hudson (3.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg) also made a pair of starts for OU last season.
Oakland also welcomes one of the most highly-touted recruiting classes ever seen in program history. Joining the mix will be junior transfer Larry Wright (6-2, 172), and freshmen Blake Cushingberry (6-4, 225), Drew Maynard (6-7, 220), Ilija Milutinovic (7-0, 255), Matt Samuels (6-0, 215) and Jay Thames (6-9, 220).
The Golden Grizzlies will be road warriors to start the season, playing their first nine games away from the Athletics Center O’Rena, opening the 2008-09 season at Cleveland State on Nov. 15 for a 7 p.m. start. OU will then travel to Oregon (Nov. 17), Syracuse (Nov. 21), Iowa (Nov. 23), Kansas State (Nov. 25) and head to Las Vegas, Nev. from Nov. 28-29, before entering league play at Southern Utah (Dec. 2) and UMKC (Dec. 4). The home schedule will begin on Dec. 7 against Toledo at 1 p.m. in the O’Rena.
MEN’S BASKETBALL POLL
1. Oral Roberts (13) 399
2. North Dakota State (6) 394
3. Oakland (10) 391
4. IUPUI (1) 315
5. IPFW 225
6. UMKC 199
7. Southern Utah 194
8. South Dakota State 154
9. Western Illinois 115
10. Centenary 64
(first-place votes in parenthesis)
FIRST TEAM
Ben Woodside, NDSU, G, Sr.
Brett Winkelman, NDSU, F, Sr.
Derick Nelson, Oakland, F, Sr.
Robert Jarvis, Oral Roberts, G, Sr.
Dane Brumagin, UMKC, G, Sr.
Johnathon Jones, Oakland, G, Jr.
SECOND TEAM
Gary Patterson, IUPUI, G, Sr.
Erik Kangas, Oakland, G, Sr.
Kai Williams, SDSU, F, Jr.
Mike Nelson, NDSU, G, Sr.
Marcus Lewis, Oral Roberts, F, Sr.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ben Woodside, NDSU, G, Sr.
“My opinion of it is that it’s a nice thing for the media to be involved in this, but it means nothing,” said 25th-year head coach Greg Kampe. “Every year there is a team picked fifth or sixth and they are in the hunt.”
The Golden Grizzlies return five starters off last year’s 17-14, 11-7 (t-3rd) squad, and three letterwinners (Ricky Bieszki, Will Hudson and John Kast). Nelson (17.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Jones (14.9 ppg, 6.0 apg) and Kangas (14.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg) are joined by redshirt senior Dan Waterstradt (5.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and redshirt sophomore Keith Benson (5.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) as returning starters for the Grizzlies. Hudson (3.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg) also made a pair of starts for OU last season.
Oakland also welcomes one of the most highly-touted recruiting classes ever seen in program history. Joining the mix will be junior transfer Larry Wright (6-2, 172), and freshmen Blake Cushingberry (6-4, 225), Drew Maynard (6-7, 220), Ilija Milutinovic (7-0, 255), Matt Samuels (6-0, 215) and Jay Thames (6-9, 220).
The Golden Grizzlies will be road warriors to start the season, playing their first nine games away from the Athletics Center O’Rena, opening the 2008-09 season at Cleveland State on Nov. 15 for a 7 p.m. start. OU will then travel to Oregon (Nov. 17), Syracuse (Nov. 21), Iowa (Nov. 23), Kansas State (Nov. 25) and head to Las Vegas, Nev. from Nov. 28-29, before entering league play at Southern Utah (Dec. 2) and UMKC (Dec. 4). The home schedule will begin on Dec. 7 against Toledo at 1 p.m. in the O’Rena.
MEN’S BASKETBALL POLL
1. Oral Roberts (13) 399
2. North Dakota State (6) 394
3. Oakland (10) 391
4. IUPUI (1) 315
5. IPFW 225
6. UMKC 199
7. Southern Utah 194
8. South Dakota State 154
9. Western Illinois 115
10. Centenary 64
(first-place votes in parenthesis)
FIRST TEAM
Ben Woodside, NDSU, G, Sr.
Brett Winkelman, NDSU, F, Sr.
Derick Nelson, Oakland, F, Sr.
Robert Jarvis, Oral Roberts, G, Sr.
Dane Brumagin, UMKC, G, Sr.
Johnathon Jones, Oakland, G, Jr.
SECOND TEAM
Gary Patterson, IUPUI, G, Sr.
Erik Kangas, Oakland, G, Sr.
Kai Williams, SDSU, F, Jr.
Mike Nelson, NDSU, G, Sr.
Marcus Lewis, Oral Roberts, F, Sr.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ben Woodside, NDSU, G, Sr.
posted by WXOU Sports at 12:36 PM
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