NCDS: Jeff Tungate, Assoc. Head Coach - Oakland ("Unsung Heroes")
By: Jeff Tungate, Assoc. Head Coach - Oakland
After what appears to be a successful surgery, I am finally back with our team. It's been a long five weeks. I hope to be able to fly again soon and return to actually being on the floor in the very near future. Currently, I am watching practice from behind the scorer's table and watching our home games from the same location. The good news is the doctors say I am extremely healthy and now that the back surgery is complete, I should be 100% soon. The surgeons did an outstanding job and deserve a lot of credit.
However, there are many unsung heroes that often go unnoticed who deserve a lot of credit as well. The nurses in the hospital were outstanding (probably because they were Oakland grads). They made sure I was comfortable and even brought me a cupcake for my 40th birthday. The physical therapists have done a great job of putting me on the road to recovery. It's these unsung heroes who deserve much more credit than they actually receive. I was surrounded by some of the best in the business.
This got me thinking. Like surgeons, a coaching staff often receives credit when things go well. However, if it weren't for the unsung heroes in our program, we would not be able to build and sustain a successful program...much like a surgeon would not be able to perform a successful surgery.
We have, in my opinion, one of the top trainers in college basketball. Tom Ford is much more than just a trainer. He is a friend, confidante, and represents Oakand University in unbelievable fashion. I don't know where our program would be without him. Scott MacDonald is our Sports Information Director. He has done a tremendous job promoting our program and bringing recognition to Oakland University. Our two managers, "Ant" and "M-Stack" have more passion for our program and care more about our players than anyone I have ever been around. They love Oakland Basketball and we are very fortunate to have them in our program. Our video coordinator, Damion Jablonski, is well on his way to becoming an Assistant Coach at a Division I program. His love of the game is obvious and he is always there when you need him. James Hellekjaer is our Graduate Manager this year. He (like Damion) puts in an unbelievable amount of hours for little to no pay. He loves coaching and will be a great Assistant Coach one day soon. Our Director of Operations is Sarah Judd. It's no secret why our trips run smoothly and Coach Kampe is where he is supposed to be when he is supposed to be there. She is very detail oriented and keeps everyone in the office in line. Our staff would be lost without her.
There are so many more unsung heroes who contribute to our program - too many to name here. However, we appreciate each and every one of them. I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about some of the people behind the scenes of Oakland Basketball.
Go Grizzlies!
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