700 wins — only 38 other head coaches have done it in the NCAA, and only 70 head coaches have done it across all college athletic conferences.
On Monday, Nov. 4, from inside the OU Credit Union O’Rena, Oakland men’s basketball head coach Greg Kampe became coach No. 71 to earn 700 wins. The win came against Kampe’s hometown college, the Defiance Yellow Jackets, with a final score of 75-52.
While Defiance put up a strong fight in the first half, trailing the Golden Grizzlies by just 10 points, Oakland made quick work of the Yellow Jackets in the second half, quickly expanding their lead to leave Defiance out of reach.
DQ Cole led all scorers for the Golden Grizzlies with 15 points, and Buru Naivalurua came up big in Allen Mukeba’s absence, notching a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Off the bench, Cooper Craggs flourished as well, notching 14 points and five rebounds.
It was a night filled with celebration for Kampe, who reflected much more on his 41-year-long journey as head coach of the Golden Grizzlies than on the win itself.
“I came here at 28 years old thinking that I was the greatest coach in the history of coaches and that I would win 50 national championships and be the next John Wooden,” Kampe said. “It didn’t take that long to figure out I didn’t know very much.”
At the end of the game, a commemorative video was shown to Kampe and the remaining fans who stayed. It featured past players who were some of the most instrumental in leading Kampe to the milestone, including Scott Bittinger, Eric Taylor, Dan Buza, Dan Champagne, Erik Kangas, Travis Bader and Nick Daniels.
“That video is what makes it for me,” Kampe said. “It has nothing to do with 700 wins. It’s those kids and what they said.”
For Kampe, reaching 700 wins was also a moment to celebrate the lives of those he’s coached and those he’s coached with. Evidently, the careers his former players have built resonate most deeply with him, not the statistics or the accolades.
“I’ve got a guy that’s a jailer, I’ve got policemen, I’ve got firefighters, I’ve got teachers, I’ve got coaches, I’ve got NBA coaches, Mike Malone is the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, Travis Bader is now on the bench for the Nets, Max Hooper is the head coach of the G-League team for Dallas,” Kampe said.
Maintaining his demeanor, Kampe picked up a 700-win poster signed by all the players on this year’s Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team.
“This means so much more that they would do that — unless I find out in an hour that somebody made them do it,” Kampe said. “This is why you stay in the business; this is why you continue to do it, and it has nothing to do with winning. You’re happy that they won.”
Up next, Kampe will look to earn his 701st career win against the Boise State Broncos on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The game marks a stretch of road trips for the Golden Grizzlies against non-conference opponents, and tip-off is slated for 9 p.m.