Summing up the 2011-12 University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball season can be tricky. For Titan head coach Ray McCallum, it was simple: "It's not about the start, it's about the finish."
It was those words from the fourth-year coach delivered in a key Feb. 4th win at Butler that may have been the springboard for what turned out to be a championship season. Or was it a Dec. 30 practice at Loyola-- fresh off a concerning loss at UIC-- that refocused the team's energy? Pin-pointing that one moment that turned the season around might prove difficult, but make no mistake-- the stretch run of this past year was one of the most exciting in school history.
Consider that the Titans won 10 of their last 12 regular season games and steam-rolled into the playoffs. There, the buzzsaw continued as Detroit played some of its most impressive basketball of the season, including a second-half dismantling of host Valparaiso in the Horizon League Tournament Championship. That game saw the Titans outscore the Crusaders 46-23 en route to its third-ever league title and their first NCAA tournament berth since 1999.
And it wasn't just the offense that was clicking on all cylinders. The tough-nose defense, especially in the final two games of the HL tournament, were the catalyst for the team's success. Having to grind-out a grueling 63-58 win over Cleveland State in the semifinals was the first real challenge (after relatively easy wins over Loyola and Youngstown State in the first two rounds). For one of the final plays to be a blocked three-point attempt by LaMarcus Lowe only accentuated the fact that defense does, indeed, win championships.
It was a season that had multiple high points-- with the Dec. 5th game vs. St. John's setting the tone for a big season. The Titans dedicated their new floor to former head coach and athletic director Dick Vitale in front of a nationally-televised audience and took out the Big East's Red Storm 69-63.
It wouldn't be the only power-6 conference team to come calling at Calihan this season. Mississippi State, out of the SEC, arrived in Detroit with a No. 16 national ranking and needed a big bucket in the closing minute to escape the Motor City with a win. It was a testament that the Titans were close.
A statement game on Jan. 8 saw Detroit defeat defending two-time national finalist Butler, 76-65, at Calihan. UDM would later sweep the season series for the first time since 1997-98 when it took out the Bulldogs 65-61 in Indianapolis Feb. 4.
"Detroit's College Team" once again joined the ranks of the NCAA-tourney bound teams, drawing 2-seeded Kansas in an Omaha, Neb. matchup in the round of 64. KU marched all the way to the championship game, marking the third straight season that a HL team lost in the tourney to an opponent that advanced to the championship game.
HL WINTER ACADEMIC HONORS
The Horizon League recognizes student-athletes with seasonal Academic All-League Teams in each of its 19 championship sports. Ray McCallum earned this distinction, along with 75 other athletes in the Horizon League. To be eligible for Academic All-Horizon League consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.00 scale) and have completed at least one year at the member institution, having earned 24 semester-hour or 36 quarter-hour credits.
ALL-JESUIT
Sophomore guard Ray McCallum was named to the 2011-2012 National All-Jesuit Men's Basketball Team, announced by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and the Jesuit Basketball Spotlight. McCallum is one of 10 honorees among 28 Jesuit schools nationwide across all levels (NCAA I, II, III and NAIA).
PORTSMOUTH BOUND
University of Detroit Mercy graduated senior Eli Holman was one of 64 outgoing senior college basketball players to be invited to the 2012 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. The tournament ran April 11 through the 14th. Holman, a 6-foot-10 center from Richmond, Calif., just finished a superb career in the Titan red. Holman averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in the three games at the PIT.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Senior center Eli Holman was selected as one of 21 honorees on the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Defensive All-America team. Rather than selecting a first, second, third team and honorable mentions, the Mid-Major Defensive All-America squad is just one combined team. The selections included four players from the Horizon League. Holman joined Cleveland State's Tre Harmon, along with the league's block leader Damian Eargle (Youngstown State) and the HL Defensive Player of the Year-- Butler's Ronald Nored.
NABC HONORS RAY
Detroit sophomore guard Ray McCallum was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches 2011-12 All-District First Team at season's end. He was also honored with the Jesuit Basketball Spotlight National Player of the Week after leading the Titans to a Horizon League championship and the NCAA tournament. Joining McCallum on the NABC All-District 12 First Team were the nation's leading scorer Reggie Hamilton of Oakland University, Dominique Morrison of Oral Roberts, South Dakota State's Nate Wolters and Alex Young from IUPUI. The second team includes: Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk from Valparaiso, Youngstown State's Kendrick Perry, Alec Brown of Green Bay and Frank Gaines from IPFW.
McCALLUM NAMED ROBERT CALIHAN TEAM MVP
The Detroit Titan men's basketball team celebrated its 2011-12 achievements at the annual year-end banquet at Garden Bowl on Mar. 19. Ray McCallum took home the Robert Calihan Most Valuable Player Award after a standout sophomore campaign. The point guard led the team in scoring, assists and steals for the second straight season and surpassed the 1,000-point career mark in the NCAA tourney loss to Kansas. McCallum was a First Team All-Horizon League selection and was tabbed the league tournament MVP after an impressive showing that saw him score 20+ points three straight games en route to the title.
Season Notes:
HORIZON HONORS
Sophomore Ray McCallum was named to the All-Horizon League First Team and senior Eli Holman was named the Sixth Man of the Year when the league announced its postseason awards following the regular season. The sophomore leads the team in points, assists and steals for the second straight season. McCallum becomes the 16th Detroit first team honoree and first since current NBA'er Willie Green was the Player of the Year in 2002-03. Holman has played in 25 games, 23 off-the-bench as Detroit's key bench member. He is averaging 10.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and has four double-doubles to give him 28 for his career. Holman became the first Titan to win the top reserve, an honor that has been awarded since the 2007-08 season.
A DOZEN 20s
The Titans recorded win No. 20 on the season in the HL quarterfinals, marking the 12th time in the school's history to achieve that mark. Detroit's 22 wins this past season ranks tied for sixth all-time for most wins in one campaign. It is the fourth 20-win slate in head coach Ray McCallum's career (2 Ball State, 2 Detroit).
Detroit 20-win seasons (12)
2012- 22-14 (NCAA)
2010- 20-14
2001- 25-12 (NIT)
2000- 20-12 (NIT)
1999- 25-6 (NCAA)
1998- 25-6 (NCAA)
1979- 22-6 (NCAA)
1978- 25-4 (NIT)
1977- 25-4 (NCAA)
1965- 20-8 (NIT)
1960- 20-7 (NIT)
1950- 20-6
REJECTION ROW
A pair of Titans moved into the top three all-time in career blocked shots: Eli Holman sits second with 163 swats and LaMarcus Lowe finished third with 157 career rejections. The career leader is Terry Tyler, who threw aside a whopping 359 shots in his career from 1976-78.
Career Block Leaders at Detroit
1. Terry Tyler, 1976-78 359
2. Eli Holman, '09-pres. 163
3. LaMarcus Lowe, '10-pres. 157
THREE GRAND
Three Titans surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in their careers: Chase Simon, Eli Holman and Ray McCallum. It marked the first time since 1999-2000 that three teammates had quadruple-digit point totals at Detroit.
MOVIN' ON UP
In his four years at the helm at Detroit, the Titans have increased their HL win total in every season under Coach McCallum (2, 9, 10, 11). Detroit has increased its place in the regular season standings each season under McCallum (10th, 7th, T5th, T3rd)
