Oakland Coach Expects Team's Star Player To Transfer Out
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 23: Head coach Greg Kampe of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies reacts from the bench during the second half of a game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 23, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
These days, with NIL and the transfer portal, college basketball coaches have to be prepared for anybody on their roster to potentially leave.
Greg Kampe, who has been the head coach at Oakland for 40 years and is coming off the program's biggest win, a first round upset over Kentucky, knows that his team's best player, forward Trey Townsend, is on his way out after four seasons.
On "Don't @ Me" with OutKick's Dan Dakich Wednesday, Kampe revealed he's preparing to lose Townsend to another program.
"They call [Townsend] Mr. Oakland here, but … the only reason he's got another year is the COVID year. So, he gave us four years. He's got his degree," Kampe said, via OutKick's Dan Zaksheske.
"He's going to get offered so much money and I can't [match that]. We've got a 'Keep Trey Townsend Fund' going from our [NIL] collective, and we might be able to get $40-50,000 in there, but he's looking at $250-300,000 from what I'm being told. So, it's going to be hard for me to tell him to stay."
The 6-foot-6 Townsend, an Oxford, Mich. native, averaged 17.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this season. Both of his parents played basketball at Oakland, with his father Skip playing for Kampe.
"He's as close to having a son play for you as I could have had," Kampe told Dakich. "I've known the kid since he was four … [but] he'll probably go in the portal, and he'll probably be playing at a Big Ten arena near you some day soon."
After beating No. 3 seed Kentucky 80-76 in the first round last week, 14th-seeded Oakland fell to 11-seed NC State in overtime Saturday night, ending a 24-12 season that included the regular season and tournament championships in the Horizon League.
