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The 2014-15 Detroit Titans have provided hope, brought about frustration, and ultimately finished the year without making much of an impression at all on the Michigan basketball landscape.
Their record, 14-17, with a ho-hum 7-9 league mark, leaves much to be desired. But it’s when you look closer that you see what this group could be capable of.
Detroit wound up sixth in the nine-team Horizon League. However, during the year, they were able to defeat all but one of those squads that finished higher.
In the last game of the year, Senior Night at Calihan Hall, the Titans scrapped and clawed their way to a tight win over conference champion Valparaiso, a juggernaut that had entered the game sporting a 25-4 record.
A Talented Roster
It would lead you to believe the team’s blah regular season is not due to a lack of talent.
Juwan Howard, Jr. is a 20+ point threat every time out, even if it might take him that many shot attempts to get there. He’s a very streaky player, which could mean one of two things. He could a) catch fire over the next five days and carry the Titans to the Horizon title game, or b) he could go 3-for-14 in tonight’s tourney opener against Youngstown State and it’s curtains on the post season dream.
The key is that Howard gets ample support from his supporting cast.
Paris Bass, a versatile guard/forward from Birmingham Seaholm, was just named the league’s top freshman of the year.
Brandan Kearney is a former MSU Spartan and ASU Sun Devil, making him no stranger to big-time college hoops. He has performed better down the stretch, and was U of D’s best player in the aforementioned takedown of Valpo.
Jaleel Hogan is a typical undersized but hard-working Horizon League big man. Just 6-foot-6 but built like a Brahma bull, Hogan usually finds a way to stamp his imprint on the game. The free throw line is not his friend, though -- he’s a less-than-thrilling 39-for-77 on the year (51%).
The rest of the crew is unpredictable on a night-to-night basis. Anton Wilson and Chris Jenkins are both big guards that can shoot the 3, but there are times when one or both fail to show up.
Jarod Williams is another talented guard with the ability to slash and finish, or make plays for others. He does, however, have a tendency to be erratic at times, as evidenced by his recent zero-bucket, six-turnover non-effort against Cleveland State.
Shot Selection is Key
As is usually the case with the Titans, tournament success will be tied to quality shot selection. Over the years, the team will too often look disjointed on offense, satisfied to let one player make a move and hoist instead of a more structured, disciplined approach.
It’s not a question of whether the Titans have the horses to compete for a tournament title. They’ve proven this year that they are more than capable of playing with, and beating, the top teams in the league.
Also, let us not forget the gigantic home-tilt earlier in the year when mid-major powerhouse Wichita State invaded Calihan and was given all they could handle for about 35 minutes. The Titans had ‘em on the ropes for much of the afternoon, but eventually Juwan Jr. cooled off and the Shockers took control. Even so, that’s a team that just finished the season with a 27-3 record and a top-ten national ranking (#8), and Ray McCallum’s boys looked like the superior team for more than half the game.
The journey to the NCAA Tournament will not be an easy one for UDM. It will require four wins over the next eight nights. The only home game takes place tonight against the hapless Penguins of Youngstown St.
The hurdle to follow would be Cleveland State, a rugged defensive outfit loaded with upperclassman experience. Slay that dragon, and it’s on to a death match with tournament host Valparaiso. And that’s just the semi-finals.
A Horizon title will require an extended stretch of supreme basketball, something the Titans have not proven capable of over the last four months.
But that’s why March Madness is the unique gem that it is. In these small conferences, the regular season is really just an appetizer. You can put on a big show and win a bunch of games, but the only thing that matters is cutting down the nets when the tournament final is played March 10th.
Countdown to Tip-Off
The city of Detroit’s college hoops team embarks on their dream to big dance qualification in just a few hours.
With some hot shooting and a little good fortune, things could get very interesting very quickly.
A week from today, it’s conceivable that we could be prepping for a Detroit-Oakland clash to decide the Horizon tournament champ.
One Michigan Miracle at a time, though. The Titans must first take care of business at the Hall tonight.
But if there is anything we’ve learned with this Jekyll and Hyde club, it’s that no opponent, not even one nicknamed the Penguins and limping along with a 2-14 league record, can be overlooked.
The Madness begins at 7:00 tonight.
How long it lasts for the Detroiters is anyone’s guess.
