Oakland University basketball head coach reflects on team landing spot in NCAA: "It's a dream come true for them"
ROCHESTER, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies won big Tuesday night. The men's basketball team landed a spot in the NCAA tournament that is kicking off the week of March 18.
"It was chaotic. It's a dream come true for them," said head coach Greg Kampe.
A dream for Kampe as well to watch his players, the Oakland University men's basketball team, score a slam dunk in the NCAA tournament.
"To be able to cut down your nets, be able to get up on that ladder, have the confetti fly from the ceiling, to just rejoice in accomplishing a goal that they collectively as a team wanted to do and hugging each other and crying and all those things, for me I just stood back and watched. It was really cool to see kids that you love have success like that," Kampe said.
With nearly 40 years as head coach under his belt and close to 700 wins, Kampe's accomplishments as the Golden Grizzlies head coach do not go unnoticed. Kampe says he owes it to the team's determination on and off the court.
"I've been very fortunate that this year, this young group of men, they understand in a time where the world is changing and a time where the respect for authority and being on a team aren't as important as they used to be, they've embraced the team, they've embraced winning for each other, they've embraced caring about each other and I think that's why they've been so successful," said Kampe.
It's Kampe's approach as head coach and the bond with his team that truly set him apart.
"Parents drop their sons off to me, leave them here for four years or five years and they expect me to take them from boys to men, and that's really what we're trying to accomplish here. Yeah, basketball is important, and playing and winning the games are important but there's a bigger picture to it, and by doing that, you become very close with them, and you want them to achieve all their goals," Kampe stated.
He's even known players, including Trey Townsend when Townsend was a child.
"His father played for me and he stayed in the area, worked for General Motors, and his children grew up coming to my basketball camp. I knew Trey from the time he and his brother were little. Trey just wanted to go to Oakland, became a great player, and now celebrating with the best gift he could give his parents," said Kampe.
It's been 12 years in the making since the Grizzlies made it to the NCAA. Kampe says he and his team are ready for the challenge.
"We're going to enjoy this for a few days, take some time off and then once the selection comes out, then I'll get to work. We'll find out who we're playing, where we're going, and we'll have three or four days to prep for the team and go there and try to make the dream last," Kampe stated.