Men's Basketball 11.02.24

Men's Basketball Starts New Campaign At Home On Monday

Men's Basketball 11.02.24

Men's Basketball Starts New Campaign At Home On Monday

The Titans will look to start the season with a home win.

DETROIT (11/2/2024) -- A new era of Titan basketball begins on Monday as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team hosts Cleary College on Dick Vitale Court in historic Calihan Hall.

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN App and feature live stats. There will be no radio broadcasts of the games this season, as Dan Hasty will join Jeremy Otto on the television broadcast.

Tickets to the game start at just $10 and can be purchased here.

The game will officially begin the Mark Montgomery coaching tenure as coach Monty will make his Titan debut. He was hired as the program's 23rd head coach in school history on April 3, 2024, after serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Michigan State, for the last three seasons. Before returning to East Lansing, Montgomery was on the staff at UDM for the final few months of the 2020-21 campaign and was also the head coach at Northern Illinois University (NIU) from 2011-21, leading the team to both a postseason appearance and a victory over a ranked opponent, while collecting 124 wins.

The new-look Titans have 11 newcomers on their 15-man roster, which includes eight redshirt or true freshmen. Ten of the Titans hail from the Great Lakes State.

Cleary is just in its second season of varsity competition. The Cougars were 3-24 a year ago and are already 1-1 on the season with a setback to Milligan (TN) and a wn over Indiana University Columbus at the Ness Brothers Hall of Fame Classic.

Head coach Carl Thomas leads CU and features former Piston Grant Long as an assistant coach.

The November 4th contest marks the earliest official basketball start for the Titans in school history.

FOR STARTERS

The Titans have a great history of starting with a win. They are 82-35 all-time on opening day, with two years in the early 1900s unknown due to record keeping.
With that said, UDM is 1-6 in its last seven season openers, with the win a 93-65 victory over Rochester to begin the 2022-23 campaign.
Today's Nov. 4 tip-off also marks the earliest official game in school history, besting the Nov. 6 game last year at Toledo and the Nov. 6 contest at Western Michigan in 2018.

MONTY LOOKING TO JOIN CALIHAN, VITALE & OTHERS

Head coach Mark Montgomery already has more than 100 wins as a college head coach under his belt, and he is looking to do something that only 13 other Titan head coaches have done: win in their season debut.

Below is a list of the others
Bacari Alexander (99-69 - Adrian - 2016)
Rickey Byrdsong (64-53 - Rice - 1988)
Smokey Gaines (76-64 - at Toledo - 1977)
Dick Vitale (96-63 - Hillsdale - 1973)
Bob Calihan (61-68 - Assumption - 1948)
John Shada (78-34 - Fort Custer - 1946)
Lloyd Brazil (26-20 - Xavier - 1930)
Gus Dorais (51-32 - Bliss - 1925)
John Barrett (18-14 - Hope - 1923)
Paul Harbrecht (28-18 - Middlebury - 1922)
James Brown (40-17 - Canisius - 1919)
Walter Hardy (51-30 - St. Mary's OL - 1913)
C.B. Lundy (18-7 - Collegiate - 1905)

OPENING AT HOME

Detroit Mercy is 78-13 in general home openers dating back to the 1932-33 campaign, including winning 27 of its last 30.
In fact, UDM the team has won the last 16 season-opening home contests, with the last setback to Wayne State, 82-76, to start the 1993-94 season, the first game for Hall-Of-Fame head coach Perry Watson.

AGAINST NON DI'S

Detroit Mercy has taken care of business against non-Division I schools as the Titans have won 35 in a row against them during the regular season, with the last loss against Wayne State in 1993.
The Titans are 260-67 (.792) all-time against non-division one foes.

VS. THE GREAT LAKES STATE

The Titans are 294-177 (.619) all-time against other schools from the state of Michigan, including 274-103 versus programs outside the two Big Ten institutions.

THE PRESEASON

Senior Mak Manciel led the Titans with 13 points and freshman Nate Johnson added 11 as Detroit Mercy raised money for Detroit Public Schools, K-5, in a setback to Wayne State in the 6th Annual City College Series.
With 1,203 people at the game and Michigan First Credit Union's matching gift, the charity exhibition contest raised $4,812 for the DPS Foundation. In the event's history, Titan Athletics and Michigan First have helped raise nearly $40,000 for DPS K-5 through ticket sales and matching contributions from the Credit Union.
Manciel also had six rebounds and three steals. Johnson tallied four rebounds and five assists, while graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

LOCAL & GLOBAL TITANS

Detroit Mercy will have a lot of local flair this year, as 10 of the 15 Titans hail from Michigan.
The 10 homegrown products are the most on the roster since UDM had 12 student-athletes from the Great Lakes State in 2017-18.
Along with those Titans, Detroit Mercy also has a player from Wisconsin, two from Canada and a player from France and Nigeria.

A FEW NEW FACES

With 11 new players on the 15-man roster, the Titans return just 14.2% of their scoring, 12.9% of their rebounding, and 18.0% of their minutes played from last season.

TOUGH FOES IN THE NON-CONFERENCE

The Titans will play a few home games in the non-conference campaign and will face some big challenges this season with teams from the Big Ten, ACC, Atlantic 10, American, and MAC on the docket.
Three of those games will take place at home in November, marking the most home games in November since they had three in the 2018-19 season.
Overall, the Titans' 10 Division I opponents were 173-152 (.532) last season as Wisconsin made the NCAA Tournament, while Loyola and Wake Forest played in the NIT.

RETURN OF THE MAK

Senior Mak Manciel had a slow start to his junior year - as he was coming off a knee injury - ending the season tallying 5.1 points and 2.0 rebounds.
He started the year 12-of-59 (20.3%) from the field, but shot 40.0% (40-of-98) in the last 15 games, where he averaged 8.4 points and had all seven of his double-digit performances.
He scored a career-high 20 points, connecting on 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-7 from three at Wright State.
He got his game going against NKU at home, recording 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting with four rebounds. He then had 16 points on 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 from three with a season-high five assists at Robert Morris.
As a sophomore at Arkansas State, Manciel missed the season due to a knee injury.
He was a First Team NJCAA All-American at Henry Ford College after posting 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists, shooting 47.6%.

GEETER READY TO MAKE HIS OWN LEGEND

After stops at Providence and Eastern Michigan, UDM junior Legend Geeter is ready to make himself at home in his hometown.
Geeter - who was coached in high school by assistant coach LaMonta Stone and was a top 50 recruit in the nation - started his career in the BIG EAST at Providence, but did not see action in any games.
He spent the last two seasons at Eastern Michigan, playing in 57 games with 40 starts and averaging 5.5 points, 3.8 rebounds,1.2 assists, six blocks, and 44 steals while shooting 49.8% from the field and 76.5% at the free-throw line.
He scored in double figures five times last year, including a career-tying 13 points with five rebounds at Florida Atlantic and 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals against Bowling Green. He also had 13 points at Illinois State and a career-high 10 rebounds against Winthrop in 2022-23.

313 IS WHERE O WANTS TO BE

Junior Orlando Lovejoy hails from the city of Detroit, evidenced by his 313 tattoo on his right arm.
He was a four-time All-State selection in high school and spent the last two seasons at Eastern Michigan. He played in 53 games with 29 starts with the Eagles and posted 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 43.8% from the field and 70.5% at the free-throw line.
Last season, he tallied 9.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists with 32 steals, scoring in double figures in 12 games, including a career-high 19 points with five assists and four steals at Northern Illinois.
He also had 16 points at Michigan and against Toledo and handed out a career-best eight assists at Central Michigan.

KUAC READY FOR THE SEASON

Emmanuel Kuac is back for his second graduate season and hopes to be healthier than last year.
He missed the first 12 games, recovering from an injury sustained before arriving at UDM last year, but he never fully recovered, posting 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 19 games.
He showed what he could do when healthy in a game at Milwaukee as he was 9-of-19 shooting and 7-of-13 from three en route to a career-high 27 points to go with a season-high eight rebounds, a career-tying three steals and a block at Milwaukee.
He also scored 12 points, hitting four triples, grabbing five boards, and having three assists at Oakland, and knocked down two 3-pointers, and netted eight points at Youngstown State.

RYAN READY TO COME OUT OF THE HURST

Redshirt freshman Ryan Hurst dealt with a foot injury all last season as he played in just five games and averaged 12.4 points and 4.2 rebounds.
A shooter, 10 of his 19 field goals a year ago were from behind the arc.
In his season debut, he registered 13 points, four rebounds and a steal at Loyola Marymount and came back with a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds at Central Michigan.
He registered a season-high 22 points at IU Indy, shooting 8-of-18 from the field.

LARY HAS FOUND A HOME AT UDM

Junior Jared Lary has moved around a bit for basketball, playing at three high schools and then in college at Lincoln Memorial and Aquinas.
Last year at Aquinas, he registered 11.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30 games, shooting 45.7% from the field and 74.2% at the free-throw line, with 30 triples. He had 17 double-figure scoring games, with three 20-point performances, including a career-high 22 against Cleary.
He was at Lincoln Memorial for two years, redshirting as a freshman, and playing 18 games in 2022-23, averaging 3.6 points and 1.7 boards, shooting 41.9%.
As a prep, he started to gain attention at Grand Rapids Christian before transferring to Lutheran East in Cleveland, Ohio. There, he helped the school to a top-five ranking in the Associated Press state poll, a district title, and an OHSSA State Title in 2021.

FRENCHIE IS HERE

Senior Alex Tchikou has faced several obstacles in his collegiate career, which has seen him play in just 32 games in four years.
Last season, he missed the year dealing with immigration issues.
Before that, he played in 29 games at Rhode Island, tallying 4.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, shooting 48.8% from the field with 21 blocks and 10 steals.
He posted a career-high 11 points at Loyola, 10 points and was 6-for-6 at the free throw line at George Mason, six points and grabbed eight rebounds at Saint Louis, six points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots at Saint Joseph's and eight points and six rebounds at Massachusetts.
In his first two years at Alabama, he missed his freshman year with a torn Achilles and played in just three games as a sophomore.

GRANT READY TO KEEP FAMILY LEGACY GOING

Redshirt freshman Grant Gondrezick II came to Detroit Mercy after a stop at Elon and a stellar high school career.
He did not see any action at Elon but was a high scorer at Benton Harbor, posting nearly 2,000 career points. As a senior, he netted 997 total points, averaging 25.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 steals. He earned First Team All-State for Detroit News, BCAM, and All Eyes on Michigan Magazine while being named to the Mr. Basketball Top 10 Watchlist for 2023.
His dad, Grant Gondrezick, played college basketball at Pepperdine and then two seasons in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns, while his mother, Felicia, won the 1988 NCAA Championship at Louisiana Tech.
His older sister, Kalabrya, played college basketball at Michigan State, while his other sister, Kysre, was Miss Basketball in Michigan, played for Michigan and West Virginia and currently plays in the WNBA.
His uncle, Glen, his dad's brother, played at UNLV and spent six seasons in the NBA with the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets.

FUCHS JR'S LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY

Junior Peter Fuchs Jr. has moved around for the best opportunity to play at the highest level, and now he has that chance.
A native of Wausau, Wisconsin, he averaged 17.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists at Wausau West before transferring to DME Academy in Florida for a prep season and posting 13.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
He came to the Titans from Minnesota-Crookston, where he missed his freshman year with an injury. He returned to play in 22 games last season and averaged 6.4 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Fuchs Jr. shot 40.9% from the field and 77.3% at the free-throw line, tallying a season-high 16 points against Wayne State (Neb.).

WELCOME NEWBIES

Detroit Mercy welcomes six true freshmen to its roster this season, with most of them coming from the state of Michigan.
Miles Mitchell is from Detroit and played his high school ball at Warren Lincoln before prepping at Big Shots Global. As a senior, he was a Macomb Area Conference Gold Division All-Star Team honoree, tallying 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks.
Chase Kuiper is from Troy and earned Second Team All-State by the Detroit Free Press and Honorable Mention All-State by the Detroit News after recording 19.1 points and 10.1 rebounds as a senior, helping Troy to a school-record 20-straight wins and a 22-2 mark, claiming two-straight conference titles and a district championship as a junior.
Nate Johnson is from Grand Rapids and was a Honorable Mention All-State selection by the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News at Grand Rapids Christian where he posted 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game, shooting 56.0% from the field and 47.0% from three as as senior.
TJ Nadeau hails from South Lyon and had a great career at Detroit Catholic Central. He was All-Catholic, All-County and All-State as a senior as well as a Mr. Basketball Candidate and a Midwest All-American. He tallied over 1,000 points in his prep career, including 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as a senior.
Stephen Okoro, a native of Imo State, Nigeria, joins the Titans after prepping at Combine Academy (NC) as a senior. As a senior at Principia High School in Missouri, he was named the District Player of the Year and Honorable Mention All-State after tallying 13.5 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, breaking the record for most rebounds in a season.
Ryan Kalambay comes to UDM from Brampton, Ontario, and recorded 10.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 53.9% at Fort Erie Academy last season. He also played with Canada Elite of the Under Armour Association and UPLAY Canada in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.