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Horizon League Basketball Preview: #7 Oakland Golden Grizzlies

By John Parker

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Oakland’s first season in the Horizon League didn’t go as planned. After being picked to finish fourth in the conference, the Golden Grizzlies needed to beat Youngstown State on the last day of the regular season to keep from falling into a seventh place tie. What’s worse for Oakland fans is that the team’s disappointing year was also the final season for Travis Bader, who broke J.J. Redick’s record for career three-pointers made in February.

Dec 14, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Oakland Golden Grizzlies guard Travis Bader (3) shoots over Michigan State Spartans guard

Travis Trice

(20) during the second half at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Spartans won 67-63. Mandatory Credit:

Tim Fuller

-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to losing Bader, the team will need to replace Duke Mondy. Mondy had a knack for forcing turnovers, leading three different conferences in steals per game throughout his career. He led the Big East as a sophomore while playing for the Providence Friars, the Summit League as a junior after transferring to Oakland and the Horizon League as a senior after the Golden Grizzlies made the jump to a tougher league.

During the team’s days in the Summit League, Oakland made a habit of challenging itself during the non-conference portion of its schedule. This season is no different. Oakland will visit Iowa State, Michigan State, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Clemson and Maryland in non-conference play. The team will also take on three mid-major conference champions: Georgia State, Toledo and Western Michigan. Georgia State went 17-1 in Sun Belt play before being knocked off by Louisiana-Lafayette in a thrilling conference tournament championship. Western Michigan and Toledo tied for the MAC regular season title and faced off in the conference championship, where Western Michigan earned the right to face off with Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.

Horizon League officials didn’t do Oakland any favors with the league schedule, either. The Golden Grizzlies jump straight from five non-conference road games against Michigan State, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Clemson and Maryland into three key conference matchups. Valparaiso and Cleveland State are widely regarded as two of the three favorites in the Horizon League, and Detroit is expected by many to finish in the top five.

If the schedule itself doesn’t present enough problems for Oakland, the fact it will have to navigate that schedule with a roster featuring a huge crop of newcomers that have never played together could derail the team’s season.

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St. John’s transfer Max Hooper figures to be the biggest impact newcomer. Hooper spent his freshman season at Harvard before transferring to St. John’s. He is eligible to join Oakland’s starting lineup early after earning his undergraduate degree last year. Hooper is a sharpshooter that should be a solid replacement for Travis Bader. Because he graduated in just three years, he will have two years of eligibility remaining at Oakland.

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While none of the other newcomers are likely to be inserted into the starting lineup right away, several will see time in the rotation. Tommy McCune and Jalen Hayes are the only bench players that have seen action for Oakland, and even Hayes is effectively a newcomer after mononucleosis limited him to just three games last season.

Artis Cleveland and Nick Daniels also spent last season on the Oakland bench. Cleveland initially signed with Mississippi Valley State, but transferred to Oakland after Mississippi Valley State’s head coach Sean Woods left for Morehead State. He sat out last year due to NCAA transfer rules. Daniels, who initially figured to see minutes last season, redshirted after a broken foot sidelined him for 8 weeks.

Guards Collin Weaver and Alek Frascone are a pair that hope to follow in the footsteps of lightly recruited predecessors Bader and Eric Kangas. Weaver is a sharpshooter who spent last season at Westwood Prep Academy after setting scoring records at North Pointe. Frascone is a local product who was initially reported to be a preferred walkon, but who has since been announced as a scholarship player. Weaver is the more likely of the two to see minutes early on, and Oakland’s forward-heavy roster may present him with a great opportunity.

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Oakland’s starting lineup figures to be pretty straightforward this season. Corey Petros returns to the Golden Grizzlies after leading the Horizon League in rebounding as a junior. Khalil Felder earned the Horizon League freshman of the year award after the surprising departure of starter Ryan Bass thrust him into the starting lineup. Felder set a Horizon League freshman record with 212 assists. Hooper figures to be a natural fit to slide into Travis Bader’s spot in the lineup. While he contributed very little besides shooting for St. John’s last season, he was pretty prolific beyond the arc. At 6-foot-6, he presents a matchup problem for opposing guards. Dante Williams is in the top 3 for virtually every statistical category among Oakland’s returning players and figures to start in his final season. The last spot will likely come down to Tommy McCune and Ralph Hill. Given that Hill was inserted into the starting lineup down the stretch last season as McCune saw his minutes dwindle, it’s difficult to imagine that he won’t return to the lineup to start this season.

Oakland’s ambitious schedule could send its season in one of two directions. The team could make it into conference play incredibly well-prepared and exceed the expectations of a fifth place team that lost its two stars, or it could wind up exhausted and deflated. Given that Oakland will be introducing so many new players this season, it seems more likely that the challenging schedule will cause the team to fall into an early hole from which it will be difficult to recover.

Projected Finish: 7th Place