Media Day recap

The Detroit Titan basketball teams held their annual "Media Day" function at Calihan Hall Tuesday.  The event allowed the local media an opportunity to interview Titan coaches and athletes and get on the floor with the players to take photography and video. 

The resounding theme of the day was an excitement for what 2010-11 has in store for both the men's and women's programs at UDM.  Hard to argue with that sentiment as both squads are coming off resurgent seasons and are reloaded for another run this year.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clfB6v0gezA 
Women's Basketball (17-14 overall, 14-4 Horizon League last year) notes:
*Head Coach Autumn Rademacher-- who is the reigning HL Coach of the Year-- addressed the crowd and spoke about her team and the outlook for the '10-11 campaign.  Yar Shayok is the leading returner in scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (9.7 rpg) as she earned the League's Newcomer of the Year award.  She will be looked upon to provide leadership for the program going forward.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u5yJtVmyw0
Men's Basketball (20-14 overall, 9-9 HL last year) notes:
*Head Coach Ray McCallum spoke about the excitement building for his program after a 13-game turnaround last season.  The Titans will open their regular season slate by opening "The Pit"-- the newly-refurbished home for the New Mexico Lobos.  It seats 13,000 and is one of the finer facilities and programs in college basketball.  Coach continued by mentioning the schedule continuing with trips to Syracuse and Mississippi State (all before Thanksgiving).  That schedule should certainly help the Titans as they attempt to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

*The new uniforms are in for the Titans and they look sharp.  The home whites were on display Tuesday, complete with a few new sewn-on features.  The uniforms include last names adorning the back while a "KB" patch is on the front right of the jersey.  The patch is in memory of Kathy Bush, who lost her battle with pancreatic cancer this summer.  Bush, an associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Education, was a supporter of the Titan program and provided students with guidance and inspiration.

A photo gallery of the day's action can be found here. 

Monday Musings...

In case you missed it...
*The Horizon League released the Men's Basketball Preseason All-League picks last week, a group that included 10 players-- including Detroit's own Chase Simon and Eli Holman.  But, what about those that just missed the cut?  According to HL's Adam Coppinger, Ray McCallum impressed enough-- before stepping on a college court-- to earn 43 votes, putting him just out of the top 10. 

*Saturday's men's basketball exhibition opener features a halloween costume contest. The five best costumed students will be brought to half court where the crowd will decide who has the best costume.  Students dressed in costumes will receive a free souvenir cup filled with candy.

*The women's soccer team earned the six seed in the upcoming Horizon League tournament.  The Titans will travel to Cleveland State for the first round on Sunday.  The winner advances to the semifinal round at Butler next week.

*The men's team plays at Buffalo Tuesday evening.  UDM has a 5-1-1 record over its last seven contests coming down the home stretch.  The Titans host unbeaten (13-0-1) and nationally-ranked Butler on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs were ranked seventh in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll and are one of just three teams in all of NCAA Division I to remain unbeaten-- all three are in the Great Lakes Region.

Accolades Continue to Roll In

Incoming freshman Ray McCallum has been named to Sports Illustrated's list of Top 16 Impact Freshman, in a recent issue of the magazine.  McCallum, a standout a Detroit Country Day High School, was a four-star point guard recruit by rivals.com and is "the highest-ranked player to ever sign with a Horizon League team", according to the article.  Check out the Top 16 here.

Rivals.com tabbed the Titans as its second-place finisher in the Horizon League behind national finalist Butler.  Also garnering honors from the online publication were Eli Holman (First Team) and Ray McCallum (First Team, Top Newcomer).  Read the entire preview here.

The Horizon League will release its 2010-11 Preseason Men's Basketball Poll today at 2:00 p.m.  Viewers can catch a 15-minute show streamed live over the Internet at horizonleague.com.  Also announced will be the Preseason All-League Teams. Detroit is expected to be a solid contender for a conference title, returning the conference's leading rebounder in Eli Holman, the team's leading scorer in Chase Simon and several top newcomers to bolster a squad that won 20 games a year ago.

"Tip It with the Titans" running diary

Fans of the University of Detroit Mercy basketball teams were treated to a show at the "Tip It with the Titans" event held Friday night at Calihan Hall.  The showcase was in conjunction with the first official date of practice for NCAA Division I men's basketball squads.

For the benefit of those who had to miss Friday's event (and whatever excuse you have might not be good enough in my estimation) we've provided a running diary of the night's action... and there was lots of it. You can watch videos at the links provided.

And, I have to say, that before tonight's event even took place, freshman Ray McCallum challenged Graduate Assistant Matt Ryder to a game of H-O-R-S-E earlier in the afternoon.  Sorry Ray, you might have all the accolades coming in, but you didn't know Ryder had the "seated half-courter" and the "literally from the stands" in his repertoire.  If he pulls those out-- you really didn't stand much chance.

4:45 p.m.-  The actual event starts with lots of great food and conversation at the Wine and Cheese event, hosted by UDM Interim President Michael Joseph.  The gathering helped unite Titan supporters prior to another season of basketball in Detroit.

5:32 p.m.-  Just learned that the Titan men's soccer team earned a 2-0 win over Cleveland State at Titan Field!  A decent crowd on hand as well as those folks will begin to trickle over across the parking lot to Calihan Hall for the "Tip It" festivities.

6:01 p.m.-  Performances from the UDM dance and cheer squads with music throughout courtesy of the Titan Pep Band.

6:14 p.m.-  The Titan women's basketball team is introduced over the public address system.  We are soon "treated" to a karaoke rendition of "I Love Rock & Roll" sung to the words "I LOVE BASKETBALL".  The group is led by boisterous head coach Autumn Rademacher, who is certainly not shy behind the microphone. A sight to behold for sure...

6:20 p.m.- Rademacher personally introduces each member of the team and the squad finishes with a dance number.  Not bad for a basketball squad, I'll have to say.  Chanahl, we saw you getting into it...

6:24 p.m.- Coach Rademacher lays down the gauntlet to the crowd with a mission... Come to Calihan Hall, get out of your routine and enjoy some Titan women's basketball.  We won't disappoint. Watch the women's basketball team introduced and Coach Rademacher and her team sing.

6:28 p.m.- Greek organizations on campus compete in a 3-point shootout.

6:38 p.m.-  The official unveiling of the new "made-over" Tommy Titan.  Tommy looks like he's been hitting the gym, has a chiseled chin that George Clooney would be proud of and he has some new duds as well. See the new Tommy Titan unveiled on video.

6:41 p.m.- Another performance from the Detroit Titan Dance Team, the Pep Band and the Cheer Team.

6:45 p.m.-  The lights have dimmed and it's time to introduce the Titan men's team.  Each player is introduced and fires a freebie T-shirt into the stands and hand-delivers a poster to a lucky audience member. See the whole team's introduction.

6:56 p.m.-  Coach McCallum comes out like a bundle of dynamite.  Tell you what, if the teams feed off of our men's and women's coaches and their energy-- BIG things are in store for Titan basketball this season.

7:04 p.m.-  Jason Calliste picks-up the win in the 3-point shoot-out.  He scored 10 out of the four racks to grab bragging rights.

7:11 p.m.-  A couple of good dunks from both John Hoskins and LaMarcus Lowe to start the dunk contest, but Nick Minnerath hammered down a two-handed monster behind his head and I think the rim is still shaking.  Not to be outdone, Ray McCallum gave us a throw-and-catch, 360 with a jersey-pop finish.  A nice dunk that the celebrity judge panel enjoyed. See Minnerath's and McCallum's dunks.

7:15 p.m.- Lowe got teammates involved as Calliste lobbed a pass on the baseline that he hammered through. Minnerath, after several misses, redeemed with a buzzer-beating 180 that was just as powerful as his first.  McCallum kept his spot in the finals with a slam from the baseline. 

7:17 p.m.-  It's Minnerath v. McCallum in the finals.  Minnerath scores a perfect 50 by grabbing a statued Calliste handoff and firing it through the rim.  He also gave it the "it's over" signal as the crowd finished its collective "OOOOHHHHH!". SEE IT HERE! Ray couldn't match the sheer power of Minnerath and Nick probably won't let Ray forget who got the best of it on this night. See all of the dunks here.

7:22 p.m.-  Scrimmage time.  Obviously, not a lot of defense being played.  Despite that, this team can score.  Eli Holman had three nice putbacks and a breakaway jam to lead Coach Jay Smith's squad.  Blake led the Coach Derek Thomas team other squad with a handful of perimeter makes. 

7:34 p.m.-  Calliste gets a little playful ribbing from Coach Carlos Briggs on pressrow.  "You won the three-point contest, didn't you?  I can't tell..."  This coming after a miss on the other end.

7:40 p.m.-  Blake's fourth make from deep gives the White squad a 33-27 lead with a minute left.  That would be the final.  The first of many wins for a Titan team, for sure. See highlights from the scrimmage and Coach McCallum's final address.

7:42 p.m.-  Coach McCallum addresses the crowd and finishes the night off by thanking all in attendance.

All told, a very successful night at Calihan Hall.  You'd be remiss if you didn't get in on the action this season.  The men open the schedule Oct. 30 with an exhibition against Hillsdale College at 4:30 p.m.  The Titan women open their campaign on Nov. 8 with a 7:00 p.m. exhibition against Saginaw Valley State.  Hope to see you there!

See the VIDEO CLIPS and a PHOTO GALLERY from tonight's event.

The Titan basketball teams embark on their 2010-11 seasons TONIGHT when they host the "Tip It with the Titans" event at Calihan Hall.  The event is akin to "Midnight Madness", but will be a family-friendly event that will showcase both squads.  There will be a 3-point contest, dunk contest, scrimmage, giveaways and some other items that you'll just have to be here to see!  Look for a photos of the event along with some video coverage right here on this blog following the event tonight.

Danny Preston- men's lacrosse blog

  

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 

Danny Preston - Men's Lacrosse Junior

I came to the University as a freshman and built great friendships with a great recruiting class, who had and still have high aspirations. We came ready to play Lacrosse. To tell the truth, I didn't know what to expect because I had never played at a college level. I came out of my first fall ball season with many different styles of face-offs and slowly eliminated the ones that were ineffective, and developed new ones that were suitable for my competition. The pressure of being a true freshman was intense and it made me evaluate my every move. My main endeavor was to prove myself worthy as a face-off midfielder.

After multiple dislocations of my shoulder, I had to undergo a major surgery on my labrum. The road to recovery has been a long one. I redshirted my sophomore year, but I used it as a learning experience. However, this has been a blessing in disguise. I am back this year with a newly gained respect and intelligence for the sport. Whatever I thought of the game is gone. Our team is shaking off its youth and putting that in the past. I once again have to prove to my team, coaches and to myself that it’s business time. My experience has doubled since my freshman year and so has my drive. Not only am I competing against myself, I am competing daily with our other face-off midfielders, Brandon Davenport and Tyler Corcoran, for a starting position. All three of us are more than capable to have it, so it is a grind everyday for self-improvement and to better each other.

The sense of competition within our team is no mistake. Every practice we are a litter of pit bulls fighting for a common meal and refusing to come out empty handed. We have to show the tenacity and enthusiasm for this sport or it's off to the bench, which is one place we all refuse to go. I'm tired of talking about it. I'd rather be about it. Let's go play some Lax!

First post!

This is the first post for the new Detroit Titans blog!  This site will be the host for all kinds of extra features in conjunction with the official athletics page at www.detroittitans.com.  There, you'll find the more traditional game recaps, rosters, schedules and the like.  Here, however, you'll get more coverage including videos, post-game interviews, select in-game chats, pictures, blogs from student-athletes, travel blogs from the sports information staff and more.  It will be a fun place to see some behind-the-scenes action from those people who bleed Titan Red!

Feel free to send us your comments, suggestions and anything else you might want to see here.  Mitch Wigness, Director of Sports Information (mitch.wigness@udmercy.edu).

We hope to fill this page with content beginning tonight as we host the "Tip It with the Titans" event at Calihan Hall.  It will be our first chance to see the basketball teams in action as they begin their quests to bring home Horizon League titles!