Oakland's Greg Kampe Gives High Praise for MSU Following Loss
In this story:
Oakland's Greg Kampe has been doing this for a long time.
He became the head coach of the Golden Grizzlies in 1984 and has remained at that post ever since. That predates Tom Izzo's promotion to head coach at Michigan State by 11 years. Kampe, who never shies away from scheduling top-tier major programs, knows what elite teams look like. He thinks MSU can be one of the nation's best.
"They can win the national championship," Kampe said after his 79-70 loss to the Spartans.
Michigan State is 11-1 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play so far, and is ranked ninth in the country entering its Christmas break. As of Sunday, MSU is one of only six teams to have four Quad 1 victories, a key statistic in building an NCAA Tournament resume.
Oakland has a chance to become a very solid team, as well. Its record is an uninspiring 6-7, but five losses have been against major opponents, with four being teams ranked in the top 10.
The Golden Grizzlies are also 2-0 in Horizon League play and were picked second in the conference's preseason poll.
'Winning the Season'
A reason that Kampe may think so is that he and Izzo are aligned on the idea that it's never just about winning a game. Both MSU and Oakland have more important goals down the stretch that are more important than just winning this game in late December.
"'Would you rather win and reach the NCAA Tournament or win this game?'" Kampe told his team after the game. "And what we learned from this game will help us in our conference, 'cause there's no guys like [Izzo's] guys there."
Izzo concurred.
"I benched two guys during that game because I said I'd lose the game, but I don't wanna lose the season," he said.
The goals these teams have for their seasons are not "Beat Oakland," or "Beat Michigan State," even though OU would certainly like to take one someday with an all-time 0-24 record against MSU. For the Golden Grizzlies, it is that Horizon League title and the NCAA Tournament berth.
One thing that's a little refreshing about Kampe is that he's perfectly comfortable where his team is as a mid-major. The way to succeed in the Horizon League is to get into "The Dance," and then try to steal a game against a big boy, as he did against Kentucky in 2024. He was joking that he hopes one of his best players, Isaac Garrett, doesn't get poached by a bigger school in the transfer portal.
"There was a handshake line a couple times this year at some of these power places," Kampe said. "We seemed to slow down when he was going down."
Izzo likes to schedule mid-majors who are more of the difficult side, with Oakland challenging his team Saturday with its zone defense. The Golden Grizzlies may be a team to watch moving forward. Who knows, a 2-vs-15 seed matchup in the NCAA Tournament isn't the most unrealistic scenario.
Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on Kampe's praise for MSU when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Spartans when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
Follow jacobcotsonika