One of the most fun artifacts of March Madness is the local celebrities it has the power to create.
Just ask Oakland basketball coach Greg Kampe and players Jack Gohlke and Trey Townsend, who were on hand at Comerica Park on Saturday for the first half of the Tigers’ doubleheader against the Twins. The trio represented the Golden Grizzlies by throwing out the first (and second and third) pitch(es). They were then interviewed on the Bally Sports Detroit broadcast.
Kampe is the longest-tenured coach in men’s Division I basketball, and Gohlke became the fifth player to hit 10 3s in an NCAA Tournament game. He led Oakland with 32 points in an 80-76 victory over 3 seed Kentucky as a 14 seed, while Townsend put up 17 in what would end up being John Calipari’s final game coaching the Wildcats.
REQUIRED READING: How many 14 seeds have upset 3 seeds? History of first-round upsets after Oakland upsets Kentucky
“It’s been such a special thing,” Townsend told the Tigers broadcast about the aftermath of the Golden Grizzlies’ stunning win. “Kampe told us before the season that tournament is something you can never understand what it means to people. And once we got there it truly was a spectacle to be on that stage with my teammates … And win a game like that and truly compete in the next game.”
Gohlke, meanwhile, talked about the reactions to his performance.
“It’s been crazy,” he said. “It’s been a ton of fun. To be able to come out here and do events like this and throw out the first pitch go to the Red Wings game all that type of stuff has been a really cool experience for me … Never expected it to happen. But like Coach Kampe said and Trey was mentioning it: One game can change you life in March and I really experienced that.”
Finally, Kampe talked about what Oakland’s mentality was this year.
“I had a group of young men, 15 guys that just cared about ourselves,” Kampe said. “Very selfless, no one was entitled. All they wanted to do was win. And maybe Kentucky’s five best may be talent-wise a little better than our five best. But as a team I think when you have that type of camaraderie. You care about each other the way we cared about each other. Unselfishness. We’re really good too. We got to prove it on the national stage.”
Oakland took Final Four-bound NC State to overtime in the second round, but ultimately lost 79-73. Gohlke, a transfer from Hillsdale who was playing in his sixth season, broke out just as his college career ended. Townsend has entered for the 2024 NBA Draft, but does have another year of eligibility if he withdraws his name by June 16.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oakland’s Greg Kampe, Jack Gohlke, Trey Townsend throw out first pitches at Tigers game
