Brussels tragedy brought home to OU community

Brussels tragedy brought home to OU community
OU Men's Basketball Team
Bellin and teammates celebrating a Golden Grizzlies championship in 2000.

The terrorist attacks at the Brussels airport on Tuesday reached into the OU community with news of injuries to former Oakland men's basketball player Sebastien Bellin. One of about 170 people injured in the suicide bombings, Seb, as he is known to many in the OU community, is presently recovering from his injuries. 

 

University leadership joins Athletic Director Jeff Konya and Men’s Head Basketball Coach Greg Kampe in expressing concern over the terrible events that transpired and the impact on a former OU basketball player.

 

“Faculty, staff and students are obviously concerned by the news of these events,” said University President George Hynd. “It has, of course, made the tragedy even more personal for OU due to the grief of knowing one of the victims.”

 

Hynd added, “The Oakland University community is holding Seb, the Bellin family and the community of Brussels in our collective thoughts and prayers. We are saddened by these horrible incidents and know that many feel the sadness and despair of injury and loss of life.”

 

Bellin, who attended Oakland University from 1998-2000, is a native of Brussels and graduated from the International School of Brussels in 1996. He played two seasons at Marist College before transferring to Oakland prior to the 1998-99 season.

 

Bellin helped lead the Golden Grizzlies to a regular season title in the Mid-Continent Conference during Oakland's inaugural season of Division I play in 1999-00. He averaged 8.1 points in 18.7 minutes of action and grabbed just over five rebounds per game during the championship season. He led the team in scoring twice during the season including recording a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds in a 65-63 win at IUPUI.

 

"The Oakland basketball family was very sad to hear about the attack in Belgium and one of our own was in the midst of it. We send our prayers to Seb and his family. Seb has remained very close to our program through the years, he's in constant contact with our players and staff here at Oakland University, and has been one of the biggest supporters and cheerleaders for the Oakland basketball program – one in which he led us to a championship while he was here,” Kampe said. "I hope everybody who knows or has ever met Seb can give their prayers or do whatever they need to do for him. He is a tremendous competitor and he will fight through this."

  

Konya, who started with Oakland in July 2014, said, "Obviously, our thoughts and prayers go out to Sebastian, and his family. This is a senseless tragedy that unfortunately impacted many individuals. It was not welcome news to receive for a variety of reasons, but chief among them is Seb is a really good person through and through. We are fortunate that he is an engaged Oakland family member and we are better for it."