The Detroit Titans suffered through one of their worst seasons last year finishing just 7-23 overall and dead last in the Horizon League. Head coach Perry Watson left mid-season and then retired after the year was up. The Ray McCallum era is now under way in the Motor City and it has started off with controversy. McCallum was the former Indiana assistant, who came to Detroit shortly after Tom Cream came to Indiana.
Soon after that Indiana center Eli Holman wanted to transfer to Detroit. The bad feelings and charges of being unethical were well documented. Nonetheless, Holman and another former Indiana player Xavier Keeling are Titans. The roster has gone through a massive overhaul and if McCallum can get everyone on the same page the Titans may make some noise in the Horizon League this season.
Despite the crush of new faces on the roster the Titans return four starters from a season ago led by Chris Hayes. Hayes, a 6’9” senior, is the team’s top rebounder and was among the top ten in the conference. Hayes averaged better than ten points a game and showed the ability to hit from the outside, knocking down better than 38% of his three-point attempts.
Fellow senior forward Michael Harrington started 20 games a season ago and was second on the club in rebounding.
Junior guards Woody Payne and Eulis Stephens are the other two starters returning. Payne is a 5’11” point guard with good athletic ability and a nose for defense. Injuries may slow him down at the start of the season, however.
Eulis Stephens, a 6’5” guard, started 20 games a season ago averaging seven points 3.4 rebounds, which was good for second on the club. Much like Hayes, Stephens struggles a bit offensively. The Titans as a team finished last in the Horizon League in scoring, and were near the bottom in shooting percentage.
Among the other returnees is 24 year old Nemana Jokic. The 6’6” forward has the ability to put the ball on the floor and has a decent outside touch, hitting nearly 36% of his three-point attempts.
The bulk of the excitement surrounding the Titans this off-season was over the hiring of McCallum. The former Ball State and Houston head coach was last at Indiana before Kelvin Sampson got into more trouble with the NCAA and Tom Cream was brought in. McCallum has energized the fans by bringing in some big name recruits like the aforementioned Holman and Keeling.
The 6’9” 250 pound Holman averaged a triple-double in high school and was among the Hoosiers top recruits under Sampson/McCallum. Injuries ended his season short and Sampson’s departure paved the way for him to come to the Titans. He has a checkered past having been banned for a short time in high school after pushing a referee, being grazed by a bullet at a party that got out of control and breaking a vase in Crean’s office during his departure from IU. If he can get eligible and stay out of trouble he will be a force in the Horizon League.
Xavier Keeling is the other former Indiana recruit on the Titans roster. He saw limited time as a Hoosier and departed for juco after just one season. The 6’7” forward can run the floor well and is an excellent defender, however it’s been noted that his offensive game lacks polish.
The biggest addition, literally, to McCallum’s recruits is 7’3” center Jason Bennett. The 275 pounder was a former five-star recruit and top 30 player out of high school. He was Bob Huggins first signee at Kansas State and promptly declared that he would enter the NBA draft after two seasons. His freshman year exposed his lack of offensive ability and difficulty rebounding and he quickly found himself searching for playing time under Huggins. Despite the lack of PT Bennett still set the freshman record for blocked shots for the Wildcats. His size alone will make him a difference maker in the Horizon League.
A couple of other juco transfers will also vie for time on Titans. Detroit native Thomas Kennedy is a 6’7” wing that has been described as having excellent leaping ability and a killer long range shot. Flint product Eugene Blue stands 6’8” and checks in at 255 pounds with the ability to score and defend in the paint.
Chicago product Donavan Foster could be the point guard of the future for the Titans. The 5’10” freshman guard has been described as a hard nosed pure point guard with good quickness, a decent outside shot and the ability to penetrate.
Freshman forward Ian Larkin is 6’6” and 200 pounds. He runs the floor well and is a good athlete.
The Titans struggled all through last season and started the McCallum era under a cloud of controversy. There is no question that the Titans have added a lot of talent to the roster. However, having talent is one thing, getting them all to play together and produce wins is something entirely different. If McCallum can accomplish the latter the Titans may turn quite a few heads this season.
Contact Joe @ joedlugosz@hotmail.com
