NBA

March Madness sensation Jack Gohlke signs NBA Summer League deal with Thunder

One of March Madness’ biggest stars is getting a shot at keeping his NBA dreams alive. 

Jack Gohlke, who starred for Oakland University during the 2024 men’s NCAA Tournament, signed a non-guaranteed NBA Summer League deal with the Thunder on Friday after going unselected in the 2024 NBA Draft, his college team confirmed Friday on X.

Gohlke, 24, took the college basketball world by storm in March when he led the No. 14-seeded Golden Grizzlies to an upset over the No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats, dropping 32 points and tying an NCAA Tournament record with 10 3-pointers. 

After that game, Gohlke sold his future NBA prospects short, ruling out any chance of making it as a professional one day. 

Jack Gohlke #3 of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies reacts after making a three pointer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Jack Gohlke reacts after making a 3-pointer against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Getty Images

“I know they have draft picks and I know I’m not going to the NBA,” Gohlke said. “I know on any given night I can compete with those type of guys and our team can compete with those type of guys.”

The sharpshooter had a monster game once again in Round 2 of the tournament, scoring 22 points with six deep balls, although Oakland fell to NC State, which wound up making the Final Four. 

Jack Gohlke will play for the Thunder in next month's NBA Summer League.
Jack Gohlke will play for the Thunder in next month’s NBA Summer League. AP

Gohlke spent the first five seasons of his college basketball career, including a redshirt season, at Division II Hillsdale College in Michigan before transferring to Oakland before the 2023-24 season. 

He became an immediate star on social media after his big game against Kentucky, going from around 500 Instagram followers to over 17,000 followers within a day. 

Gohlke has since secured NIL deals with Buffalo Wild Wings, TurboTax, Barstool Sports and others. 

The legend of Gohlke will continue in Salt Lake City on July 8 when the Thunder kick off their summer league campaign against the Jazz. 

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