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University of Detroit Mercy Athletics

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Jarod Williams and the Titans will look for their 22nd-straight home opening victory.

Men's Basketball

Season 111 Begins On Monday Night For Men’s Basketball

Gameday Central - Central State
Video Preview
 
Season Opener - Game 1 - Detroit (0-0) vs. Central State (0-1)
DateMonday, Nov. 16 | 7:00 p.m. EST
LocationDetroit, Mich. | Calihan Hall 
TicketsPurchase Tickets Here: /By Phone: 313-993-1700 | Adults ($15/10), Children/Seniors ($10/6)
Game NotesDetroit | Central State
Live StatsSIDEARM SPORTS
Online VideoESPN3.com & Watch ESPN
TVComcast Local 900
RadioNone
Social MediaTwitter (In-game tweets): @DetroitTitans | @DetroitWBB | Facebook | Instagram  
All-Time Series1st Career Meeting

DETROIT (11/14/2015) -- The preseason practices are in the books and now all that is left is the official tip-off as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team hosts Central State on Monday night in the 2015-16 season opener.
 
The game is set for 7:00 p.m., on Dick Vitale Court in Calihan Hall. Fans can purchase tickets at the door or online by clicking here. For Section 313 members, it will be Headband Giveaway night as the first 75 Section 313 members get a FREE Headband. 
 
Fans can follow all the action on ESPN3.com as well as watch live on Comcast Local 900. Live stats will also be available.
 
This is the first career meeting between the two schools as Detroit looks for its 22nd-straight home-opening victory. The last home-opening setback by UDM was actually way back in 1993 when city-rival Wayne State upended the Titans in head coach Perry Watson's collegiate debut.

DETROIT VS. CENTRAL STATE
This is the first career meeting between Detroit and Central State.
 
ABOUT THE MARAUDERS
Central State - located in Wilberforce, Ohio - is a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in NCAA Division II.
 
The Marauders were 18-12 last season, including 9-4 in their last year as a member of the Great Midwest Conference (G-MAC).
 
CSU is very experienced with 10 upperclassmen on its 15-man roster, including four seniors. The Marauders also have nine transfers, three coming from Division I schools.
 
Even with all that experience, Central State will have to replace its top two scorers from a year ago in Masceo Harmon (17.2 ppg.) and Raheem Lemons (13.5 ppg.). Harmon also averaged a team-high 4.1 assists per game, while Lemons tallied a team-best 10.0 rebounds per night.
 
Tre' Edwards is the leading returning scorer at 9.0 ppg., to go with 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He was also second on the team with 32 three-pointers and 53 steals. Sterling Gilmore is back after averaging 7.7 points, while Jeremy Brown recorded 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
 
Central State will have a game under its belt when it comes to Calihan Hall as it fell to Harris-Stowe, 64-45, in Chicago on Saturday.
 
Joseph Prince is in his second year at the helm of the Marauders' program. It is his second head coaching gig as he spent the prior two seasons as head coach at Grambling State.
 
THE PRESEASON
Detroit did not play an exhibition this season as it elected to take part in two closed scrimmages against a pair of Division I programs.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Detroit will hit the road for a match-up in ACC territory as the Titans face Pittsburgh on Friday, Nov. 20. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.
 
EIGHTH SEASON FOR MCCALLUM
Entering his eighth season at the University of Detroit Mercy, head coach Ray McCallum has rebuilt the Titans from the bottom of the Horizon League when he took over, to title contenders and a Horizon League championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012.
 
During his first five years at the helm at Detroit, the Titans increased their conference win total in every season (2, 9, 10, 11, 12). 
 
His 114 career wins is fourth in school history behind Bob Calihan (306), Perry Watson (261) and Lloyd Brazil (185).
 
111 YEARS OF TITAN BASKETBALL
The 2015-16 season marks the 111th year of collegiate basketball at the University of Detroit Mercy as the Tigers – yes, Tigers - beat Collegiate, 18-7, in the first official Detroit basketball game.
 
Until 1919, the then University of Detroit athletic teams were known as the Tigers. In the fall of 1919, the Detroit Free Press' sportswriter Stan Brink, who was covering football for the paper, thought that a good nickname for the team would be the Titans.
 
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a class of oversized people who happened to have almost perfect physiques.
 
In its 111 years (two years records are missing in 1907-08 and 1908-09) Detroit is 1,377-1151 (.544) all-time with two regular season Horizon League championships (1998, 1999) and three conference tournament titles (1994, 1999, 2012).

UDM has also made six NCAA tournaments (1962, 1977, 1979, 1998, 1999, 2012) and seven NIT appearances (1960, 1961, 1965, 1978, 2001, 2002, 2013).
 
OPENING DAY SUCCESS
UDM has had a great history of starting off on the right foot as the Titans are 79-29 all-time on opening day, with two years in the early 1900's unknown due to record keeping.
 
Under head coach Ray McCallum, Detroit is 3-4, but the four losses were all on the road at Purdue, California, New Mexico and South Alabama.
 
HOME OPENERS
Any team would love to open up at home, but for Detroit opponents, Calihan Hall is not the building they want to visit. The Titans are 72-11 in home openers dating back to the 1932-33 campaign, including 21-straight home opening victories.
 
The last time Detroit lost a home opener was on Nov. 27, 1993 when the red, white and blue fell to Wayne State, 82-76, the first game under Titan Hall-Of-Famer Perry Watson.
 
CALIHAN HOSPITALITY
The Titans have made life tough for non conference opponents visiting Calihan Hall as Detroit is 76-19 in its last 95 home games against non-league schools.
 
AGAINST NON-DIVISION I FOES
Detroit has taken care of business against non-division I schools as the Titans have won 28 in a row against them.
 
The last loss was also the last home opener setback against Wayne State in 1993.
In its history, UDM is 253-67 (.790) all-time against non-division one schools.
 
AGAINST THE BUCKEYE STATE
This will be the first career meeting between Detroit and Central State, but the Titans have battled many schools from the state of Ohio.
 
The Titans are 265-208 (.560) all-time against programs that reside in the Buckeye State.
 
INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS
Detroit might have lost its leading scorer, but the Titans depth and interchangeable parts last season should help ease that a bit.
 
Based on statistics, Detroit returns three starters and seven letter winners, but all seven of those Titans started a game last season with four of them starting double-digit contests.
 
BASS NAMED TO LOU HENSON AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST
 Paris Bass has another award to keep an eye on this season as the Titan sophomore was named to the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List, announced by the organization in early November.
 
Bass was one of nearly 40 outstanding mid-major college players to earn the Preseason All-America recognition, which is presented annually to the top Mid-Major player in Division I college basketball.
 
He is also the LONE underclassman to garner the honor.
 
The award is named in honor of Henson, who retired after a spectacular coaching career that lasted 41 years. When he left the game in 2005, he was sixth all-time in career Division I wins with 779. He is the winningest coach at both Illinois and New Mexico State and is one of only 12 coaches in the history of the game to take two schools to the Final Four.
 
HL PRESEASON POLL HAS UDM FOURTH
At the annual Horizon League media day in Chicago in mid-October, the Titans were voted fourth in the HL Preseason Poll, which was voted on by the league's coaches, media and sports information directors.
 
The Titans totaled 289 points – including one first place vote – in the preseason poll, trailing only Valparaiso (418), Oakland (368) and Milwaukee (344). Wright State (253), Green Bay (215), Cleveland State (173), UIC (125), Youngstown State (93) and Northern Kentucky (87) rounded out the preseason predictions.
 
BASS EARNS HL PRESEASON HONOR
Sophomore Paris Bass was named to the Horizon League Preseason First Team.

Bass – the reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year - averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game as a rookie. He led the Titans in rebounding and blocked shots (35) and was second on the team in scoring and tied for second in assists. His 12.4 points is the fifth-highest scoring average by a returning player in the conference.
 
An all-around player, Bass posted a team-best four double-doubles. He notched double digits in scoring in 23 of his 33 games with five or more rebounds in 20 contests and four or more assists six times.
 
NON-CONFERENCE TOUGHNESS
Detroit's non-conference schedule is as tough as anyone in the Horizon League.
The non-conference slate features a total of 11 games -- including six regular-season home dates highlighted by a visit from Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) champion Northeastern. The Titans will also welcome Toledo, Bowling Green and Central Florida to historic Calihan Hall.
 
Overall, the non-conference schedule has six teams that posted 20 or more wins in 2014-15 - with two other foes garnering 19 – while six of the nine Division I opponents made a trip to the postseason last year. Eight of the nine Division I schools had winning records and combined to tally a 176-125 overall mark (58.4 percent) last season.
 
Non-Conference Foes 2014-15 Record
Bowling Green 21-12
Central State 18-12
Eastern Michigan 21-14
Northeastern 23-12
Oral Roberts 19-15
Pittsburgh 19-15
Toledo    20-13
UCF 12-18
UM-Dearborn 11-19
Vanderbilt 21-14
Western Kentucky 20-12
 
BASS, WILLIAMS EARN PRESEASON ALL-HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS FROM COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS
Sophomore Paris Bass and junior Jarod Williams will begin the 2015-16 campaign with some accolades to their names as both received preseason All-Horizon League status by College Sports Madness.
 
Bass was selected to the All-HL Preseason First Team, while Williams was tabbed to the Fourth Team.
 
The reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year, Bass had a spectacular season in his first collegiate campaign, leading the team in rebounding (5.7) and blocks (1.1), while finishing second in scoring (12.4) and tying for second in assists (1.9) and steals (1.2). He was also ninth in the HL in rebounding and 14th in scoring as he led all league freshmen in rebounding, scoring and assists.
 
Williams has been a starter for most of his two years at Detroit, playing in all 65 games since he arrived in the Motor City with 49 starts. Last season, he was fifth on the team in scoring with 6.5 points per game, while topping the squad with 40 steals and tying for second with 1.9 assists per game.
 
His 1.2 steals per game was 11th in the conference and he has 73 career steals in his 65 games. He also notched double figures in scoring eight times as a sophomore.
 
A FULL YEAR OF JENKINS
Getting a full healthy year out of junior Chris Jenkins will also be key as he was eligible in the second half of last season after transferring from Colorado. 
 
Despite some late season injuries, he played in 23 games and averaged 8.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He shot 46 percent from three (23-of-50) and was playing his best ball at the end of last year, netting a career-high 21 against Youngstown State in the first round of the Horizon League Championship.
 
#1 SHOOTING 3'S
Sharpshooting senior Anton Wilson is back for his final collegiate campaign. He appeared in all 33 games – with 16 starts as a junior – and averaged 8.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
 
He shot 41.8 percent from behind the arc - a number that ranks sixth in school history - connecting on 56-of-134 from long distance.
 
Wilson will look to rise in the Titan record books as he enters the season eighth in school history with 119 career 3-pointers and seventh with a 40.3 three-point field goal percentage.
 
Titan 3-Point Field Goal Leaders
1. Rashad Phillips, 1998-01 - .348
2. Desmond Ferguson, 1998-00 - .235
3. Dwayne Kelley, 1990-93 - .224
4. Jon Goode, 2005-08 - .202
5. Greg Grays, 2001-02 - .169
6. Michael Jackson, 1992-95 - .157
7. Juwan Howard Jr., 2012-15 - .146
8. Willie Green, 1999-03 - .120
9. Anton Wilson, 2012-pre. - .119
 
FROM THE D
The Titans will feature plenty of local flavor with four student-athletes on the roster from Detroit, another three from the neighboring suburbs and nine total players from the state of Michigan.
 
WE LOVE THE 80'S
Did you know that Detroit is a remarkable 47-4 overall when scoring 80 or more points under head coach Ray McCallum.
 
The Titans are even better outside of the Horizon League where they have a 23-1 record when reaching 80 points.
 
Year-by-Year Mark When Reaching 80
2014-15 (6-0)
2013-14 (3-2)
2012-13 (14-1)
2011-12 (9-0)
2010-11 (8-1)
2009-10 (7-0)
2008-09 (0-0)
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Juwan Howard Jr.

#2 Juwan Howard Jr.

F
6' 5"
Senior
Paris Bass

#35 Paris Bass

G/F
6' 8"
Sophomore
Chris Jenkins

#0 Chris Jenkins

G/F
6' 7"
Junior
Jarod Williams

#11 Jarod Williams

PG
6' 1"
Junior
Anton Wilson

#1 Anton Wilson

G
6' 5"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Juwan Howard Jr.

#2 Juwan Howard Jr.

6' 5"
Senior
F
Paris Bass

#35 Paris Bass

6' 8"
Sophomore
G/F
Chris Jenkins

#0 Chris Jenkins

6' 7"
Junior
G/F
Jarod Williams

#11 Jarod Williams

6' 1"
Junior
PG
Anton Wilson

#1 Anton Wilson

6' 5"
Senior
G