Who is Jack Gohlke? Oakland guard led March Madness upset vs. Kentucky

Jack Gohlke wasn’t a household name before the tipoff between Oakland and Kentucky on Thursday, but he certainly was by the time the final buzzer sounded. 

Gohlke, a senior, hit 10 3-pointers and finished the night with 32 points in Oakland’s 80-76 upset over Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, making the graduate guard an instant hero. 

“He had no conscience. We talked all week, just go shoot it baby, you’re the best,” Golden Grizzlies head coach Greg Kampe told CBS Sports after the win. “And he’s the best and he proved it to the world tonight.”

The 6-foot-3 guard, who hails from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, which is also the hometown of NFL stars J.J. and T.J. Watt, essentially willed his team to a lead after the first half when he hit seven of his 3-pointers and recorded 21 of 32 points. 

“I mean it’s just something I’ve worked so hard for my whole career, and coach just instills confidence in me,” Gohlke said. “Gives me the freedom to go out there and play. Influence the game in a positive way and I’m just having fun.” 

Gohlke’s performance and the shocking upset over one of the best college basketball programs on the sport’s biggest stage are far from where Gohlke started his college career. 

Five years ago, Gohlke redshirted his freshman year at Division II Hillsdale College. 

In total, he spent four playing seasons at the private Christian school in Hillsdale, Michigan and helped the Chargers reach the Elite Eight in the Division II tournament in 2022 — the program’s first-ever trip there — and averaged 14.2 points per game 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 2022-23. 

Gohlke shot 40 percent from 3-point range in his final season at Hillsdale.