Jack Gohlke admitted that he didn’t have much time to check social media or respond to messages after No. 14-seed Oakland upset No. 3-seed Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament — and Gohlke became, at this snapshot, a popular March Madness name.
But someone sent him one post on X that “made [his] morning.”
J.J. Watt, who, like Gohlke, attended Pewaukee (Wisconsin) High School, supported the Oakland guard on social media for “doing the hometown proud” after he scored 32 points while hitting 10-of-20 on 3-pointers during their 80-76 win in the first round.
“Woke up in London to see that a kid from Pewaukee torched Kentucky to lead Oakland (in Rochester, Michigan) in a massive 14 over 3 first round March Madness upset…” Watt, the retired defensive end wrote.
“Hell of a performance,” Watt added, tagging Gohlke’s account.
Gohlke, while appearing on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Friday, said Watt’s response was “pretty cool for sure.”
Earlier in the show, he revealed that the spotlight on his performance hadn’t “really set in.”
The graduate student spent the first four years of his collegiate eligibility with Division II Hillsdale College, where he made 38.2 percent of the 3s he attempted before transferring to Oakland for his final season and helping the Golden Grizzlies win the Horizon League.
Then, on Friday, he didn’t attempt a 2-pointer.
He only took 3s, and after missing his first two, connected on 10 of his final 18 — prompting head coach Greg Kampe to tell CBS postgame that he “has no conscience.”
“We talked all week, just go shoot it baby, you’re the best,” Kampe said. “And he’s the best and he proved it to the world tonight.”
The upset win caused the university’s website to crash after the game, Kampe told reporters Friday.
The team sold $8,000 worth of shirts to customers from Louisville, he revealed — even joking that perhaps fans will show up in Golden Grizzlies shirts when the Cardinals and Kentucky meet next year.
Alongside that spotlight for Oakland, Gohlke generated plenty of attention, too.
And some of it even involved his hometown.
