If you’re at all familiar with Oakland’s basketball team, you already know the Keith Benson back story. Skinny boy from the ‘burbs lands at OU, redshirts, puts on some weight, has an up-and-down first-year, then starts to show flashes of brilliance in his second year. That second year, nearing a close now, started back in November at Cleveland State when junior point guard Jonathan Jones threw a calculated pass toward the basket for a driving Benson. Kito, as he is called in these parts, grabbed the ball and dunked it, signaling the arrival of a new kind of play. In that game Kito went 6 for 9 from the field for 15 points alongside 11 rebounds.  From there, our man would struggle while on a grueling nine game road trip, and the prized double-double would not return for a good month.

When Benson finally turned it on again, he did it in front a packed house at the Palace of Auburn Hills, stomping grounds for the Detroit Pistons. Not only were his 23 points and 11 boards impressive because he did it in front of so many people, but he managed to do it against DeShawn Sims and the University of Michigan Wolverines. While the game ended in a loss, as guarantee games almost always do, it nonetheless proved that Benson, long considered an unaggressive softy, had the might to stand up to superior competition.

As conference season began, it became evident that no one in the Summit League had bigs like Oakland or monsters-in-the-making like Benson. While the team slipped-up here and there, Benson remained consistent throughout, but nothing signaled his coming out more than his play in late January. He achieved double-doubles in four straight games which included an effort at South Dakota State University where he was just two blocks shy of a triple-double. Aside from one lackluster individual performance at Western Illinois on February 19, Benson has remained a constant double-double threat and, most importantly, the desired go-to target of his teammates. This is key for Oakland because in Benson the team holds the deed to Park Place and Boardwalk – a hefty advantage in any Summit League situation where most of the so-called big men battle for property on Baltic or Mediterranean.

Despite the statistical achievements, Player of the Week nods, and general props going out to this big man, criticism still looms. Even in some of his more impressive games, Benson has looked unenthused, playing in a nonchalant manner that is all too frequent in tall guys who play basketball just because they can. Yet now, perhaps more than ever, there are signs that Kito is turning the corner, crossing the proverbial Rubicon. In his most recent effort, and last home game of the season, it was the things he did when he did not have the ball that showed why this young man is living up to the potential.

For example, the Keith Benson of old would never have called for the ball or directed his teammates, yet in this game there were instances where he did both. At one point Benson, unguarded in the key, pointed his fingers upward, signaling his need for a feed so he could complete his signature alley oop dunk. When he did not get it from his first teammate, he did it again with a second and got his wish. While Benson still did not show much emotion after converting the entertaining field goal, he did do something all the more efficient: he sprinted to the other end of the court to get back on D. Longtime observers may remember a time when Kito would sluggishly jog back to his defensive post, a la Rasheed Wallace. Nowadays, though, with his shot-blocking abilities firmly entrenched in the makeup of this team’s defensive strategy, Benson appears all the more eager to take up the paint, preventing the minions from achieving the high-percentage bucket.   

 And then there is the frustration, one of several emotions Kito has left fans wondering if he ever feels…at all. Well, in the same match-up described above, there was an instance where Kito missed an easy lay-in. In the past, any source of frustration would come from Coach Greg Kampe, known for digging into his players from his post on the sidelines. Here, however, Kito expressed that frustration himself, offering a questioning wince as if though he was wondering how that one got away. This moment, quite possibly more than any other, is the one that is most indicative of the arrival of The New Kito, the one Kampe has constantly referred to with gigantic question marks. All along he has said it would be up to Keith Benson if Keith Benson were to achieve mid-major immortality. Now, with the conference tournament approaching, it appears that Benson has come to the realization that he can indeed creep into the realm of utter domination.  Be warned.

For several hundred students each year, the dream to receive a scholarship based on hard work in the classroom, on-campus, and in the community is realized. Despite this fact, there seems to be a widespread lack of knowledge pertaining to where and how one can attain these impeccable sources of financial assistance. While the Office of Student Financial Services has established a helpful database of some scholarships, it is important that students look elsewhere on-campus as well.

For example, if you do some digging, you can find a great list of departmental scholarships offered through the College of Arts and Sciences (found through using the old CAS site).  The list includes scholarships for several departments, even a less-populated one such as Women’s Studies. Scholarships such as these are not listed in the aforementioned Financial Aid database, yet these are the kinds that are quite specific and thus very attainable. In addition to a source such as this, it is important to ask professors, department chairs, and academic advisors as they may also know of additional sources of aid through the university itself.

Once you have found out just how many scholarships you may be eligible for, it is important to remember that you will be competing against other students for said scholarships. In general, there are three keys to becoming a quality candidate: strong record of academic excellence, demonstrated leadership, and involvement at OU and in the wider community.

These three keys lead us to the main point of this post: if one treats OU as offering the total university experience (i.e. getting involved and maintaining great grades) as opposed to a strict commuter experience (i.e. going to class and working many hours outside of campus), then it is completely possible to finance one’s education simply by becoming an active member of the campus community. What this means is that participating in student organizations, becoming involved in your field of study (research, orgs, etc), working on-campus jobs, and attending events or functions all help to increase your chances of receiving an in-house scholarship. Becoming involved in this sense may decrease opportunities to work jobs to help pay for school, but the bottom line is that such involvement can pay for your school while building your resume, increasing your social ties, and enhancing your total university experience at the same time.

Unfortunately, at this time, there seems to be a lack of students embracing this kind of enveloping experience. While there are certainly thousands of students who are involved and keeping up on their studies, a fair majority are still sitting on the sidelines, mostly due to, we suspect, The Commuter Syndrome (which we hope to expound on in the future). This makes this scholarship process all the more enticing for those who are demonstrating those skills listed on so many applications. It is with that said that we urge you all to find a scholarship which you feel you are qualified for and apply for it. It never hurts to try, especially at a university like OU that is so great about rewarding its students for treating it as a true place of higher learning and experience.

Good luck!

As this blog progresses, we’ll occasionally try out various “theme posts” in hopes of establishing some that can appear regularly. The first attempt at this will be called “Great Places To Grizz.”

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One of the downers of going to college in a northern state is winter. Every fall, thousands of students come back to Oakland University’s beautiful campus. They are given approximately two months to  enjoy the fading beauties of summer, and then winter happens, leaving the campus covered in that familiar white stuff for much of the remainder of the natural semesters (fall and winter, from here on out).

While OU certainly has scenic stability during its wintery months, the ultimate bummer comes from the fact that students can not easily enjoy the views when they want to get their grizz on. Instead, they are forced to set up shop in familiar locales such as Kresge Library, the OC, or any of the various study lounges in order to prepare for The Next Big Exam. An unfortunate result of this occurrence is the development of the mindset that these are the only paces for intense study sessions, even when the campus is blooming.

Although the days of blossoming tulips and Frisbee on the fringe of Beer Lake are hardly near, there is a spot which one should remember for the future to help in the fight against the fluorescents. Nestled in between the unassuming bricks of Dodge Hall is a courtyard. On first glance, a student might notice the few tables and chairs that sit atop the cracked cement. Or one might glance over the few floral fixtures that help bring some color to the otherwise bland area. Upon entering, you’d find that the chairs are far from comfortable and that the leftover cigarette butts damper its appeal a bit, but it is clear that this courtyard is brimming with untapped potential.

Far from the best kept area on campus, the DHC is worth noting because it has the bare essentials down. It is quiet because of its location in the center of Dodge Hall. It is void of common study distractions such as computers, electronic outlets, or very many people. And, most importantly, it has the ability to keep its visitors awake because it is in the open air with the natural breeze (just remember to bring some paperweights).

Despite its strongpoints, this naturally-lit courtyard is considerably ignored from most of the student population, even during the warmer months. While it may take some getting used to, perhaps a sudden surge in attendance (and an acknowledging of said surge) would inspire campus leaders to call for its rejuvenation. A single afternoon of volunteer work could get the basics back in order, and from there an updating of the furniture would be ideal but perhaps not entirely necessary.

Small steps like these would be beneficial in the constant push at beautifying OU’s campus. And an important result of this beautification process would be more vibrant activity outside of the buildings which contain students for much of their time spent on campus.

All too frequently students complain about the lack of life, happenings, or a “Quad-like” area here at OU, but visiting places like the Dodge Hall Courtyard could help to combat grievances such as these. While the advice offered today is hardly applicable now at the onset of January, it will hopefully spark a bit of interest in one of the more promising places to grizz at Oakland University.  

For the past two months, the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies  men’s basketball team lived this struggle. They competed against some of the biggest and most historic basketball schools in the country: Syracuse, Michigan, Michigan State, Kansas State, and Iowa.  They even picked up a win on the road against the University of Oregon Ducks. They did it all without their star senior, and they did it in a respectable manner, showcasing their toughness and heart on a national level.

When they were not playing the super schools, they took on regional foes such as Cleveland State, Green Bay, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo, accumulating a 3-1 record. These games proved that the Grizzlies are an area mid-major powerhouse always looking to execute well against the schools that compete with them for future student-athletes.

For our purposes, this struggle is important because it better prepares our team for conference season where true recognition can eventually be achieved. As a mid-major, winning the conference is the only sure way to make it to the vaunted NCAA Tournament in March. Here, 65 teams compete for the chance to win the national title. For smaller schools like Oakland, though, the chances to win the national title are one-in-a-million, yet simply being a part of the Madness has huge dividends. Not only is it a great opportunity for the players and the coaches (who can use the appearance for name dropping purposes while recruiting), but it also helps out the university in so many ways.

Since entering Division I play, the Golden Grizzlies have had just one NCAA berth, becoming one of the last two teams to make it into the field of 65 in 2005. They won a play-in game, earned a 16-seed, and played on a national stage against the eventual national champions. While the 28-point loss they endured may have stung a bit, that simple appearance in the tourney resulted in something funny: the highest spike in OU-related web searches in history.   

As the graph illustrates, the highest point of web searches for “Oakland University” since 2004 was in March 2005. Similar graphs result from searches for “Oakland Golden Grizzlies,” “Golden Grizzlies,” and “Oakland Basketball.” And those aren’t small peaks. Try it for yourself.

What this all means is that the struggles the OU basketball players face are similar to those which the university faces in its quest for national recognition, prestige, and increased exposure. Both are constantly seeking to bolster themselves, yet they can not do so without the other, as these graphs display. In essence and perhaps to the chagrin of academic purists, the growth of a mid-major university is inherently connected to the growth of its mid-major athletics.

Yet growth in athletics and academia, just as it is in real life, is a struggle that perhaps never ends, especially on this level. Even with that said, both the university and the basketball team have showed their strength in the face of adversity. As we approach a new semester where student population may decrease because of tough economic times, we can not help but be positive about the future because OU arguably offers one of the best student experiences in the state. Likewise, as the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies approach conference season with some tough losses behind them, they must remember they fought hard and learned much in the past two months and are now more than prepared to make a solid showing in The Summit League.

It is now that the dream for national recognition begins. Conquering the Summit will not be easy as there are plenty of feisty teams we must face who have similar mindsets and experiences as our Grizzlies, but our team knows what it is like to struggle. They know how to tackle hardships and fight the foe all in the name of winning the game. Yet now, more than ever, constructing a simple string of wins can mean the difference between floundering and flourishing, not only for this team here and now, but for the future of the program and the university itself.

Here’s to a conference championship!

The takeaway message here is that the endeavor undertaken today is one full of personal experiences and opinions where bias may be hard to separate from fact. It is with this knowledge in mind that The Peeking Grizz begins.

For the next few months and hopefully beyond, the aim of this blog is to offer readers a “peek” into life at Oakland University as a Golden Grizzly. It will be updated frequently with in-depth posts on various aspects of OU, from the buildings to the services to the activities to the wealth of opportunities available to its students. There will also be random musings, weekly specials, and, of course, a helping of Golden Grizzlies basketball coverage when in-season. In essence, a reader can expect perspective on a broad range of OU topics coming from someone who is proud to write tuition checks to the black and gold.