Photos: Joey Yashinsky
In the boxing world, when two undefeated fighters step into the ring, the tagline leading up to the bout is inevitably, “Somebody’s “0”...has got to go.”
Such was the case Sunday afternoon at Calihan Hall at the University of Detroit Mercy campus. The surprising Detroit Titans rested in the catbird seat of the Horizon League, albeit with some company from perennial conference powerhouse Valparaiso. Eight of the ten teams in the league had dropped at least one contest. Detroit and Valpo met to see who would be the last one standing.
Things frankly could not have started out worse for the home squad.
To begin, the morning weather in and around Detroit was Michigan winter at its nastiest: intermittent rounds of snow, gray slush occupying every street corner, and thin sheets of ice all making for a less than pleasant ride on the roads. Whatever crowd was planning to make the trek out to McNichols and Livernois on this early Sunday afternoon, you could reasonably cut that number in half.
If the game could indeed be categorized using generic boxing characters, UDM would be the promising slugger just out of amateurs with plenty of potential but little idea what to do with it. Valpo would be the seasoned, seen-it-all grinder in his mid-30s, blessed with plenty of ability and the mental game to go with it.
The ball went up and after just a few short minutes, you could see the writing on the wall; this was not going to be pretty.
The top player for the Crusaders, Alec Peters, is a dynamic inside-outside threat with many Keith Van Horn comparisons undoubtedly coming his way should he one day make the NBA. Midway through the first half, Peters had 16 points to Detroit’s 8.
Underdog Jitters
The magnitude of the moment, even if we are still very early in conference play, appeared to be affecting the Titans. Ball movement was merely a fantasy and turnovers came in waves.
The head coach for Detroit, Ray McCallum, kept shuttling players in and out, trying to come up with some hidden combination that could stem the tide. Unfortunately, such a potion was unattainable.
The enemy lead ballooned to 27 and the pre-game hype that had enveloped the gym at 1:00 PM was gone by about 1:14.
But like the offensive juggernaut that this Titan team has the capability of being, they began the second half with a burst.
Chris Jenkins, the dreadlocked junior that oddly plays in a long-sleeved shirt, infused a bit of life into the home team. He and Anton Wilson were getting to the line, knocking down treys, and before you knew it, the one-time 27-point bulge had been whittled to 12.
Valpo coach Bryce Drew was relentless on the officials, asking for a call every time down the court. The Titans kept marching to the line though, bringing truth to my mom’s theory that you get more with honey than you do vinegar.
It’s hard to imagine any other profession, aside from that of a referee, that requires you take an unending stream of verbal abuse for a period of 2-3 hours every time out. One fan even got in on the action, bellowing at the official, “Go back to Indiana!” How this random fan knew the hometown of this random referee is beyond my understanding.
Too High a Climb
Eventually, the Titans kept attacking and getting just enough stops, finally getting the margin back to single digits, settling at seven. But as you see time and again with any sport, sometimes you fight so hard bringing a lead down from the stratosphere that it becomes impossible to actually get over the hump. That was precisely the story here.
Valpo calmly put together a few surgical possessions, the Titans got careless with the rock again, and the bubble burst on any dreams of an all-time college hoops comeback.
It’s hard to quantify exactly what Sunday meant in defining this UDM club. They were beaten up badly to begin and end the game, but somewhere in the middle, the fightin’ Dick Vitales looked like they belonged on the same court with Horizon heavyweight Valparaiso.
It’s a strange feeling being at Calihan and not seeing Titan Reggie Hall -- the super fan and WXYZ sports producer the Titans now honor with a “TR” patch on their jerseys -- standing in that corner of the second level hollering instructions and encouragement at his younger brethren. The way this particular game began, with a thud instead of a boom, there would have been no more appropriate time for a Reggie-sponsored, “COME ON T’s!! TAKE THAT BALL TO THE HOOP!!” to get the charges fired up.
But alas, the wait for McCallum’s team to join the higher-ups of the conference will have to wait a little longer. They’ll get another opportunity this weekend when rival Oakland makes the short drive down I-75 for a critical in-state Horizon battle.
Greg Kampe’s team has the league’s most explosive player in pocket-sized Kay Felder, a lefthanded Nate Robinson clone. The Golden Grizzlies are viewed as a legitimate contender to Valpo’s throne, so it’ll be another chance for the Titans to prove they belong just the same.
The 0 had to go for one of the combatants yesterday, and that somebody was Detroit.
There’s plenty of ball yet to be played for the Titans, time enough to determine a primary ball-handler and to shore up a leaky defense. If this team has its sights set on a Horizon League championship in March, they know now what such a task looks and feels like.
Only next time, to shine on the biggest stage, they’ll need a much grander entrance and a far more emphatic finish.
