Gaylord's Luke Gelow commits to Greg Kampe, Oakland University men's basketball

GAYLORD — Another one of Gaylord's top athletes is taking their talents to the NCAA Division I level.

Senior Luke Gelow rebounded from an injury-plagued junior year and turned in one of the best seasons a Blue Devil basketball player has ever had, ending the 2023-24 season with school records in points, points per game and 3-pointers made. Still, his recruiting never really seemed to pick up, only receiving interest from D2, D3 or NAIA schools around Michigan throughout his breakout year.

Then Greg Kampe came calling, and everything changed.

Once Gelow got an offer from the Division I Golden Grizzlies back in early February, it seemed destined for the 6-foot 5-inch combo guard to end up in Rochester when all was said and done. He made it official on Wednesday, April 3, announcing his commitment to Oakland over Instagram.

Being Gelow's lone D1 offer certainly helped, but what really sold the Gaylord senior that Oakland was right for him was a visit he took back in February.

"What made the decision much easier for me was the coaching staff and the whole environment there was electric for me. I went to a game and just knew it felt like home. All the players were cool and the coaches made me feel welcome and loving towards me, so it was great," said Gelow.

Oakland recently made headlines in the NCAA Men's basketball tournament, knocking off their region's No. 3 seed Kentucky as a 14-seed out of the Horizon League. Gelow said he knew the team was good enough to win, but seeing them be successful on a national scale made it that much easier to make his decision to join Coach Kampe's program.

"Them beating Kentucky and going on that run also helped because I knew they were good to begin with, and then after they made a run they kind of blew up," said Gelow. "Jack (Gohlke) and Trey (Townsend) put them on the map and that is the school I'm going to. It’s pretty cool and a very surreal moment for me knowing I’ll be a part of that team for hopefully the next three to four years."

All-area boys: Gelow wins GHT Player of the Year; meet the 2023-24 boys basketball all-area teams

Oakland: Athletes like Jack Gohlke are unstoppable once they're in 'the zone.' Psychology proves it.

Gelow ended his Gaylord career with the second-most points in school history, averaging 30.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord basketball star Luke Gelow chooses Oakland Men's Basketball as college destination