Tag: Oakland

Potential Michigan State basketball transfer target Trey Townsend of Oakland commits to Arizona

Trey Townsend, who many fans connected to MSU, will join Arizona

In all the transfer portal craziness of this college basketball offseason, one name has been linked to Michigan State basketball the entire time, for obvious reasons: Trey Townsend.

The Oakland star who was named Horizon League Player of the Year seemed like a classic Izzo guy, and everyone knows the affection Izzo has for Oakland and Greg Kampe. However, it never felt like a great fit with the current MSU roster, as Townsend plays power forward, like MSU star Xavier Booker.

While fans were desperate to see Townsend come to East Lansing, he committed to Arizona on Wednesday, closing that possibility for the Spartans.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Jack Gohlke set an NCAA tournament record for 3-pointers two games into March Madness

Jack Gohlke made March Madness history in just two games

The Jack Gohlke Experience will no longer just be remembered as a fun March Madness subplot. It will now officially go into the NCAA record books.

After his breakout performance with 10 3-pointers in No. 14 Oakland’s first-round upset of No. 3 Kentucky on Thursday — which earned the guard an NIL deal with TurboTax — Gohlke poured in another six 3-pointers on Saturday against in a 79-73 overtime loss to No. 11 NC State.

That gave Gohlke the most 3-pointers through two games in NCAA history with 16 — and some of them were just absolutely ridiculous. Even those who were betting on an Gohlke to hit an extremely unlikely 2-pointer had to be impressed.

The Oakland Golden Grizzlies run may be over, but we’ll remember them as another reason March is the best month in sports.

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Oakland’s upset win over Kentucky helped Wisconsin’s Final Four path

Reaction to Oakland’s incredible win over Kentucky?

No. 14 seed Oakland’s 80-76 upset win over No. 3 Kentucky electrified the nation on Thursday night.

Fifth-year senior Jack Gohlke became an overnight sensation, scoring 32 points on 10 of 20 shooting — all from 3-point range — and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers vs. James Madison Dukes: Preview and prediction for NCAA Tournament round of 64

The loss is yet another disappointment for John Calipari’s program. The Wildcats’ Sweet 16 drought has grown to five years, and the program has  won only one NCAA Tournament game in that span.

The story of the night was Gohlke and the fun of a classic March Madness upset. But one sub-plot: Wisconsin’s potential Final Four path just grew a bit easier.

The Badgers start play Friday night against No. 12 James Madison. The winner advances to play No. 4 Duke. The potential Sweet 16 opponent, in all likelihood, is going to be No. 1 Houston.

That brings us to the other side of the South Region, where No. 2 Marquette is the highest-ranked team. The next-highest was Kentucky, which is eliminated.

This upset doesn’t have the impact a Houston loss would have. But with the No. 3 seed in the Badgers region is now eliminated, Greg Gard’s team now just has to navigate No. 12, No. 4, No. 2 and No. 1.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Shirtless Oakland hoops fans take free throw distraction to a new level with chest waxing and hair shaving

This is some serious free-throw distraction.

We may get to see the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the men’s March Madness tournament later this month if they win the Horizon League, and if so, that could mean their wild fans could travel and distract opposing free throw shooters.

That wouldn’t be a big deal, but it’s their mad methods that have turned heads. Their shirtless crew has shaved the head of one of their own … and then we’ve seen chest waxing. I mean, literally: they waxed their chests right as a Purdue Ft. Wayne player shot a freebie … and IT WORKED!

This is seriously the best and I want to see more:

Robert Trent Jones Jr. to renovate and complete North Course at municipal Corica Park in California

The architect’s firm will adjust the front nine and build a back nine for the municipal layout in California.

Robert Trent Jones Jr. has signed on to renovate and complete the North Course at Corica Park in Alameda, California. The layout – just south of Oakland and across the bay from San Francisco – is scheduled to open in December of 2024.

The front nine of the North Course, most recently renovated by Marc Logan with input from Golf Digest architecture editor emeritus Rob Whitten in 2021, will remain open for play during the Jones Jr. renovation. Logan’s plans to build a back nine were halted during a legal battle between himself, the course operators and the city of Alameda, and the course was never completed. Those legal issues were resolved in January 2023.

Jones’ firm, Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects, will make adjustments to the existing front nine while constructing the new back nine. Work is scheduled to begin in June. The original 18-hole North Course was designed by William Park Bell and opened in 1927.

Corica Park is home to AmateurGolf.com, a partner of Golfweek. AmateurGolf.com also covered the announcement.

The municipal Corica Park also is home to the South Course, originally designed by William Francis Bell Jr. (son of William Park Bell) and opened in 1957. That 18-hole layout was renovated by Rees Jones, brother of Robert Trent Jones Jr., in 2018.

The project was initiated by Greenway Golf, the long-term lessee, developer and manager of the 333-acre golf complex. Greenway Golf is owned by Avani and Umesh Patel.

“The Patels and Greenway have a remarkable vision for municipal golf courses, one that evolves the role municipal golf can play in mitigating climate change and creating green spaces for everyone to enjoy,” Jones Jr. said in a media release announcing the news. “Our goal is to deliver on their vision of a memorable, challenging golf experience for all players, while taking a holistic approach to design and sustainability of the natural environment.”

Greenway Golf said in its media release that it has worked for 10 years to upgrade the facility, which also includes the Mif Albright Par-3 Course, the Lucius Bateman Driving Range and an extensive practice facility.

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From DeFremery Park to the Garden: The Oakland roots of Boston Celtics greatness

A school, a park, and a home in Oakland California helped create a hotbed for Black excellence central to the Celtics’ success.

Under the light of an incandescent lightbulb illuminating the inky sky of Oakland, Califonia, a young Paul Silas played basketball with fellow future Celtics great Bill Russell, his brother Charlie, and his cousins Fritz and Aaron Pointer in the sweet heat of a late summer evening. On the sidelines, the Pointer sisters — still a decade away from being The Pointer Sisters — were enjoying the show.

Basketball played at 18th and Adeline’s DeFremery Park in the early 1960s was the axis their world revolved around. It was a quiet but poignant testimony of what the families who had migrated to Oakland in the 1940s built for themselves as they fled the brutal, institutionalized repression of Jim Crow in the southern United States.

From the bitter legacy of Jim Crow, the Silas, Russell, and Pointer families (and many others) created a community where greatness was more than a dream, and a space to simply enjoy the heat of a sultry summer evening with friends became possible.

Best quotes from Tom Izzo following Michigan State basketball’s win over Oakland

Best quotes from Tom Izzo following Michigan State’s win over Oakland

Michigan State basketball wasn’t perfect on Wednesday night, but they still managed to take down a struggling Oakland basketball team 67-54.

After the game, MSU head coach Tom Izzo, donning a very ugly sweater, took to the podium to speak to the media about the game and where his team currently stands heading into the holidays. Jaden Akins also gave a quick update on his overall health and endurance, and Oakland coach Greg Kampe also joked about Izzo’s sweater.

You can find the notable quotes from that presser below.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Gallery: Best pictures from Michigan State basketball’s win over Oakland

Best pictures from Michigan State basketball’s win over Oakland

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Former Michigan State basketball guard Rocket Watts commits to Oakland via transfer portal

Rocket Watts is set to transfer to Oakland

Rocket Watts is coming home. After a disappointing, injury-riddled season with Mississippi State, former Michigan State basketball guard Rocket Watts is returning to his home state and committing to Oakland via the NCAA transfer portal.

There was a time where Rocket Watts looked like the heir apparent for the Spartans before he was asked to adapt to a point guard role out of necessity. After a disappointing season trying to play point guard, Watts looked for a fresh start with Mississippi State but was saddled with a hip injury throughout the season and only averaged 4.4 points per game, a career-low for him.

I think Oakland is a great fit for Watts to come in and try to be the aggressive, speedy guard he was in his first year with MSU.

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Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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