New UDM men's basketball coach Ray McCallum has signed a center who will be the Titans' tallest player ever with today's addition of 7-3, 275-pound transfer Jason Bennett to the team roster.

The fourth player signed since McCallum took over the Titan program on April 11, Bennett is a transfer from Tallahassee (FL) Community College. He was considered a Top 50 recruit in high school at Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, and played his freshman year of college at Kansas State. There, Bennett quickly showed the shot-blocking prowess that made him a recruiting priority for coach McCallum, as he rejected 50 attempts on the year and set a school record with eight blocks in one game alone against Chicago State.

 

"I've followed Jason's career for a long time, and he's set records for blocking shots every place he's been. He's proven as a shot blocker and he'll definitely add that dimension to our team next season," McCallum said. "He has great size. He has the ability to be one of the best shot blockers in the country. That and rebounding are the strengths Jason will bring to our team."

 

The opportunities to both play for coach McCallum, and showcase his defensive skills, are what drew Bennett to becoming a Titan, he said.

 

"I've probably known coach McCallum since my sophomore year. He's been following me for a while. I like the program, and I like the idea of being at a smaller school, with smaller classes. I can't wait to get up there to Detroit and play for coach McCallum," Bennett observed. "I've always been able to block shots ever since I started playing basketball. I always heard that defense wins games. That's pretty much my main thing so hopefully I'll be able to help the team win some games with the way I play."

 

At 7-3, Bennett will be the fourth seven-footer in school history and first since John Beauford played for Detroit in 1990-91.

 

Bennett helped Tallahassee CC to a 17-10 record last winter, averaging a whopping 3.7 blocks a game to go with 5.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. Earlier, he was a first-team Florida All-State selection as a senior at Arlington Country Day. Bennett helped the Apaches post a 169-22 record during his varsity career, which included consecutive Class 2A State Championships in 2005 and 2006. He helped ACD to a 27-3 record in 2005-06 and a No. 14 ranking in the USA Today Super 25 High School rankings.

 

Bennett is the fourth heralded recruit to sign with UDM since McCallum's hiring, following 6-7 junior college forwards Thomas Kennedy (Flint [MI] Mott CC) and Xavier Keeling (Wallace State [AL] CC), along with Indiana University transfer Eli Holman, a 6-9 center and former Top 100 recruit in high school. Kennedy was a second-team NJCAA All-American in 2008 after leading Mott to its second straight national championship. Keeling, who began his college career at Indiana, helped Wallace State to a 32-1 record and a berth in the Alabama Community College Conference championship game last season.

 

Coach McCallum also announced on Wednesday that sophomore guard Mychael Broom, who was injured all last season, will not return to the team next fall.

 

-Detroit Titans-