OAKLAND UNIVERSITY NOTEBOOK: Oakland women’s golf tabbed fifth in Summit League preseason poll; Hamilton selected as nominee

ELMHURST, Ill. – The Oakland women’s golf team was selected to finish fifth in The Summit League Preseason Poll, announced by the league office on Wednesday. The poll is voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches.

“I am not concerned with where the team is ranked now,” said first-year coach Russ Cunningham. “We have five tournaments to get ready for The Summit League Championship.”

Oral Roberts was picked as the league favorite and will be looking for its 15^th straight Summit League Championship. The Golden Eagles received 7 of 10 first-place votes and finished with 79 total points. UMKC was picked second with three first-place votes and 75 points, while North Dakota State was selected third (59 points). The Bison were followed by IUPUI (57 points), Oakland (47 points), South Dakota State (40 points), Southern Utah (36 points), Western Illinois (29 points), IPFW (19 points) and South Dakota (9 points).

The Golden Grizzlies have one of the more experienced teams in The Summit League. Liz Ecker, Alanna Gerber and Mara Kovac have a combined seven league tournaments under their belt. Kovac posted a third-place finish at the 2011 Summit League Championship, earning all-tournament honors. Gerber posted a tie for 10^th-place finish, while Ecker finished 12^th at the league tournament. A senior captain, Ecker is a three-time All-Summit League performer.

OU has three players that rank inside the top 11 inside The Summit League in scoring average and five with sub-80 averages from the fall. Ecker is fifth with an average of 76.58, Gerber is 10^th at 77.50 and Maya Parsons is in a tie for 11^th place with a scoring average of 78.00. Kassandra Komma is currently in a tie for 19^th (79.00) and Brandi Studer is 23^rd (79.42) in the league rankings.

The Golden Grizzlies will tee off at the Red Rocks Invitational in Sedona, Ariz. on March 3. The two-day tournament will be hosted by Northern Arizona and will be played at Oakcreek Country Club.

OU’s Hamilton nominated for Mid-Major Lou Henson Award

ROCHESTER HILLS – Oakland University’s Reggie Hamilton was selected as a nominee for the 2012 Lou Henson Award, announced by CollegeInsider.com and POINT 3 Basketball on Friday. Hamilton, a native of Chicago, is one of 25 players chosen for this award.

For the first time ever, this award will look to the fans to help decide the winner. Voting for your favorite player will take place at http://www.votelouhenson.com/.

The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top Mid-Major player in Division I college basketball­­. The award is named in honor of Lou Henson who retired after a spectacular coaching career that lasted 41 years. When he left the game in 2005, he was sixth all-time in career wins with 779 at the D-I level. He is the winningest coach at Illinois and New Mexico State. He is 1 of 2 coaches to take two different schools to the Final Four and won a national title with Arizona in 1997.

Hamilton currently leads the nation in scoring at 24.78 points per game, just ahead of Weber State’s Damian Lillard (24.76), also a nominee. Joining Hamilton from The Summit League on this list are Dominique Morrison (Oral Roberts) and Nate Wolters (South Dakota State).

Former OU standout Keith Benson won the 2010 Lou Henson Award as the nation’s top Mid-Major player. He went on to be drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft in 2011 and is currently starring for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the NBA D-League.

OU linkers 10^th after first day at Folino Invite

INDUSTRY, Calif. —  Matt Domagalski shot an 81 and newcomer Nick Cunningham carded an 82 to lead the Oakland men’s golf team on day one of the Folino Invitational at Industry Hills Golf Club on Eisenhower Golf Course (Par 72, 7,211 yards) this Sunday. The Golden Grizzlies are currently in 10th place with a score of 345 (+57).

“This was a good test of golf for the first round of the year, but I was hoping to see a player or two step up,” said OU coach Russ Cunningham. “It takes more than being in good shape and being able to hit solid shots, you need to be mentally strong. The next couple of days will tell me who is the strongest mentally.”

Pepperdine took the day one lead with a 4-over-par 292, five shots clear of Long Beach State (297/+9). Sacramento State and Loyola Marymount are tied for third with rounds of 298 (+10). Loyola’s Tyler Torano took the first-round lead with a 2-under-par score of 70, one shot ahead of Pepperdine’s Josh Anderson and Long Beach State’s Kevin Roy.

Day two of the tournament will take place on Monday.

Bader selected as Capital One Impact Player of the Week

ROCHESTER HILLS — Travis Bader was named Capital One Impact Player of the Week for his 37-point effort against South Dakota State last Thursday night inside the Athletics Center O’rena. Bader, a native of Okemos, Mich., becomes the first-ever Oakland player to earn that distinction.

“It’s a great honor to be selected and recognized, but more importantly, I think it’s a great accomplishment for the team,” said Bader. “My teammates put me in position to make those shots and I’m happy my performance could help the team win.”

Bader went 10-for-14 from behind the arc against the second-place Jackrabbits to lead the Golden Grizzlies to a 92-87 victory. He finished with an NCAA-best 37 points off the bench and was named Summit League Player of the Week on Monday. His 10 3-pointers was a school record.

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