DETROIT (9/10/2020) -- University of Detroit Mercy head men's basketball coach Mike Davis has finalized the roster for the 2020-21 season with the announcement of five transfers for the Titans.

"Overall, this class gives us a lot of talent in the areas that we were lacking and is really our first recruiting class where we had the time and no circumstances to deal with," said Davis. "We should be more athletic and long and better both defensively and offensively with a lot of guys that can shoot, score and handle the basketball."

Marquell Fraser * Gr. * G * 6-3 * 200 LB * Hamilton, Ontario * Hill Academy (Idaho)

• A graduate transfer with immediate eligibility 
• Played the last two seasons at Idaho, appearing in 26 games with 13 starts last year and averaging 7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game
• As a junior, he saw action in eight games with five starts before missing the rest of the year with an injury
• Prior to the injury, he tallied 9.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, recording a pair of double-doubles 
• Before that, he was at Midland College and earned First Team All-Conference honors after averaging 17.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, shooting 57.3 percent from the field
• Played his freshman year at VCU, seeing the court in 16 games
• As a prep, he was the No. 2 overall prospect out of Canada as a senior and a three-star recruit

Coach Davis on Fraser: "He had great junior college stats. I thought he played a little out of position at his last school, but signed with VCU coming out of high school as one of the top recruits in Canada. He can play the point guard for us as he can score and handle the basketball. He is not a three-point shooter, but he is a down-hill driver that we need."

Matt Johnson * Sr. * G * Jr. * 6-4 * 180 LB * Baltimore, Md. * New Town (St. Bonaventure)

• A transfer from St. Bonaventure with one year of eligibility 
• Played in 22 games with one start
• Went 5-of-8 from the floor with a pair of threes, finishing with 12 points and two blocks in a win at George Washington
• Posted nine points on 4-of-4 shooting in Naismith Classic game against Rutgers
• Played at two junior colleges prior to St. Bonaventure spending his freshman year at Pensacola State and sophomore at Howard College
• With Pensacola State, he averaged 7.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game and shot nearly 40 percent from the floor
• At Howard College, he was named All-Conference after averaging 14.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, scoring in double figures in 20 of 26 games, including five 20-point efforts
• Shot 40.3 percent from three and 77.1 percent at the line
• As a prep, he played on two Maryland state championship squads at New Town High

Coach Davis On Johnson: "He had great numbers in junior college and is a combo guard who can play the one, two or three for us. He can score the basketball and he is a real talented guy for our league."


Bul Kuol * Gr. * F * 6-7 * 215 LB * Canberra, Australia * Lake Ginninderra College (Cal Baptist)

• A graduate transfer that will be eligible immediately 
• Played in 91 games with 39 starts in four years at Cal Baptist, averaging 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds
• Last season, he played in 16 games and posted 5.6 points per game and 3.1 rebounds per game, connecting on 19-of-40 from long range, as well as being one of the team's top defenders
• Recorded a season-best 16 points against CSU Bakersfield
• As a sophomore, he saw action in all 34 games, making 32 starts, shooting 46.1 percent from the field and .38.3 from behind the three-point line along with 21 steals, second on the squad
• As a prep, he guided Lake G to back-to-back Australian Schools Championships
• Helped the team go undefeated as a senior and led the Australia Capital Territory team to a fifth-place finish at the U20 National Championships, averaging 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game

Coach Davis on Kuol: "Bul is a really long and athletic guy who can play the wing and the four position. He shot nearly 50.0 percent from three last season. He is another guy that can shoot the basketball and handle the basketball and his wingspan will help us defensively."

Taurean Thompson * Gr. * F * 6-11 * 235 LB * New York, N.Y. * Brewster Academy / St. Anthony (Seton Hall)

• A graduate transfer that will be eligible immediately 
• Played the last two seasons at Seton Hall
• Recorded a season-high 25 minutes and had 13 points and six rebounds in Seton Hall's win over No. 9 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden 
• Finished with 15 points against DePaul and tallied eight points, a team-high nine rebounds and four blocks in a win over Providence
• Played his freshman year at Syracuse and averaged 9.2 points and 3.8 rebounds with a career-high 22 points against Boston
• Led the team with 18 points and three blocks at Virginia Tech and had 18 points against Wake Forest
• Posted his first career double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds at Georgia Tech
• Prepped at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, where he was a second-team All-NEPSAC Class AAA selection and helped the program to a 25-10 record and second-round appearance in the National Prep Championships
• Also attended St. Anthony High School in Jersey City and played for legendary head coach Bob Hurley, helping the team to a 28-2 mark in 2014-15 and winning the NJSIAA Non-Public B North championship
• A consensus top 100, four-star recruit and ranked as high as No. 59 by 247Sports

Coach Davis on Thompson: "Taurean is a high-level guy. He averaged almost 10 points a game as a freshman in the ACC at Syracuse and just didn't play a lot at Seton Hall because of the guys they had ahead of him. I think he has the chance to be one of the best big guys I have ever coached and he should be a force to reckon with in this league. He is very athletic, skilled, he can shoot and score the basketball."

Noah Waterman * RFr. * F - 6-11 * 210 LB * Savannah, N.Y. * Finger Lakes Christian School (Niagara)

• A transfer from Niagara with three years of eligibility 
• Played in seven games with five starts until an injury ended his season
• Averaged 7.0 points and 3.3 rebounds, shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three
• As a prep, he was selected MVP of the Empire State Christian Athletic League in 2017 and 2018
• Averaged 33.9 points, 12.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.9 blocks in his senior season
• Scored 30 points, collected 17 rebounds, nine blocks and four assists in the ESCAL semifinals and came back with 40 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks and five assists in the ESCAL Championship

Coach Davis on Waterman: "He a big man who is really skilled that can play a lot of different positions for us. He is going to be a really big asset to our basketball team having a guy that can really shoot it and handle it at his size."

In the fall, the Titans announced two recruits in the early signing period in freshmen guards Kyle LeGreair (Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech) and Joey Liedel (Erie, Mich./Mason). The team also added walk-on Caileb Brown (Lansing, Mich.) from DeWitt High School.