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DETROIT (11/12/2015) -- A mix of veterans and youth fill the roster for the 2015-16 University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team, but optimism is in the air for the Titans this season.

"We are young, but we have a lot of talent on this team," said head coach Ray McCallum, who enters his eighth season as the Titan head coach. "We have a lot of returners who have started games for us, but we will also have to rely on a number of young players this season."

The 12-man roster has exactly six upper and lower classmen, but there are three true freshmen, a redshirt freshman and a junior college transfer. Three starters and seven letters winners dot the roster and all seven of those players have started for the red, white and blue. 

The backcourt will have plenty of options from pure shooters, to slashers, athleticism, and big guards.  

Sophomore Paris Bass is back and he has already established himself as one of the best players in the Horizon League. The Preseason All-HL First Team selection and Lou Henson Preseason All-America honoree averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game as a rookie. 

The 6-8, 200-lb combo guard can do it all and had four double-doubles and 23 double-digit scoring efforts last season. He also received tremendous praise over the summer as he was invited to the First Annual Nike Basketball Academy. 

"He had a great summer and he is only going to get better," said coach McCallum.

Senior Anton Wilson is one of the top returning Titans as the sharp-shooting assassin is back and has looked great in practice and scrimmages. He averaged 8.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game last season, but his shooters touch was shown by his 41.8 percent from downtown and 56 made field goals from beyond the arc. He will begin the year ninth in school history with 119 career 3-pointers and is sixth with a 39.9 three-point percentage.

"I think he is one of the best shooters in the conference and he is ready for a big year," added coach McCallum. 

Senior Carlton Brundidge along with juniors Matthew Grant, Jarod Williams and Chris Jenkins are all back and the backcourt will receive a boost with junior Patrick Robinson Jr., and freshman Josh McFolley.

Brundidge has played in 80 career college games, including 65 for the Titans, and was fourth on the team with 29 steals last season. Grant and Williams have both played in all 65 games in the last two seasons. Grant showed what he could do against one of the best teams in the country posting 12 points and seven rebounds against No. 11 Wichita State last winter. Williams averaged 6.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game and topped the squad with 40 steals.

Jenkins made his long awaited collegiate debut last season – as he sat out a year and a half following a redshirt season and transfer from Colorado - and ended up playing in 23 games with eight starts, tallying 8.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He shot 46 percent from downtown and was not afraid to play big, scoring in double digits eight times and grabbing five or more rebounds on 11 occasions. 

"When you look at the guys we have coming back and the newcomers, we have an exciting team and one that should be able to score," said coach McCallum. "Carlton, Matt and Jarod have all played and started for us and we are excited to have Chris here for a full season."

Robinson is a transfer from Dakota College, where he averaged 11.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as a sophomore and led his team with 69 triples. McFolley is a quick guard who was First Team All-State and led Detroit Western to three district, two regionals and a state championship. 

"Josh is an exciting player who is learning more and more everyday about playing guard at this level, while Patrick is a transfer who has worked hard so far in practice," stated coach McCallum. 

Upfront, Detroit does return one starter in sophomore Jaleel Hogan, but will look for contributions from redshirt freshman Aaron Foster-Smith and true rookies Gerald Blackshear and Jalen Gibson.

Hogan, a rugged 6-6, 240-lb forward, played in all 33 games as a freshman and averaged 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. It took some time for him to adjust to the college game, but by the end of the season, Hogan was one of the main Titans in the middle and had a big game late in the year with 10 points and nine rebounds in a win over eventual conference champion Valparaiso. 

"Jaleel was playing as well as any big man in the conference towards the end of the year," said coach McCallum. "He was someone who kept on improving throughout the year, and he also had a great summer, working hard on his game."

Foster-Smith redshirted last season, but the athletic 6-7, 220-lb forward had a great prep career leaving Truman High School as the all-time leader in scoring (1,312), rebounding (634) and double-doubles (32). He was also First Team All-State by the Detroit News and Special Mention All-State by the Associated Press.

Blackshear was Honorable Mention All-State as a senior by the Associated Press, Detroit News and Detroit Free Press as he posted 11.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, helping Detroit Western capture a state championship. Gibson was a Class B Third-Team All-State selection as he averaged 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as a senior.

"I think sitting out last season is really going to help Aaron," said coach McCallum. "Gerald and Jalen have looked good at practice as they continue to develop their bodies to get ready for the collegiate game."

The Titans will have a daunting non-conference schedule that features six teams that won 20 games last year and another two that totaled 19 victories. Early trips to ACC for Pittsburgh and SEC member and nationally-ranked Vanderbilt highlight the road slate, while Central Florida and defending CAA champion Northeastern visit Calihan Hall.

The Horizon League schedule is just as interesting as the Titans start the conference campaign with five-straight home games, but will then end the year with four straight on the road and six of the final eight contests away from Calihan Hall. 

Of course, the Titans will be ready for the Horizon League Championship, which will be played this year just 9.2 miles away from campus at Joe Louis Arena.