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Post by motorcitysam on Jun 27, 2020 12:50:23 GMT -5
Also dated the most beautiful girl on campus. Based on her beauty, I would have put him in the top 15 for that alone. That's one criterion that hadn't occurred to me. Well, it would have if you ever saw her. 🙂 Thanks, again for this list. It's a great trip down memory lane.
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 27, 2020 13:31:17 GMT -5
#40. Doug Chappell, 6-7 F, 1981-1984
Doug Chappell played during a tough time for UD hoops, 4 consecutive losing seasons, the first time that had ever happened in Titan history (unfortunately, it’s happened twice more since). He was a first team All-MCC player as a junior in 1983, when he averaged 17.6 points and 8.1 rebounds. He declined a bit his senior season, to 14.4 and 7.2, still pretty good numbers. He had been a solid contributor off the bench his first two seasons, averaging about 6 points and just under 4 rebounds in roughly 17 minutes per game. He was probably the best player Willie McCarter signed in his tenure in the top job.
After graduating from UD, Chappell sold insurance in the Grand Rapids and Muskegon areas, served as a township supervisor, and coached basketball at Oakridge High School. He passed away in 2012 at the too-young age of 52.
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 27, 2020 14:04:20 GMT -5
#41. Desmond Ferguson, 6-7 G, 1998-2000
Big, sharpshooting guard from the Titans’ 1999 and 2000 tournament teams. Though Ferguson was overshadowed by his teammates, Horizon Players of the Year Jermaine Jackson and Rashad Phillips, he was an excellent player in his own right. It’s never been quite clear to me what the voters were thinking in 2000 when they placed all five of LaVall Jordan, Jerry Carstensen, Earl Brown, Mike Marshall, and B.J. LaRue on the All-Conference second team ahead of Desmond, who was probably better than any of the five.
A graduate of Lansing Everett, Ferguson played one season at Missouri before transferring back to his home state. He still holds the Titan record for three pointers in a game with 10 (a record he now shares with Antoine Davis). He is—at least until the next game—second to his teammate Phillips for career three pointers (Davis trails him by two), and 9th on the career three point percentage list at 39.8 percent, hitting over 40% in two of his three Titan seasons. As a senior, Ferguson averaged 14 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 40.2 percent from behind the arc.
After a couple seasons of minor league ball—he was a CBA All-Star—Ferguson got a 10 day contract and appeared in 7 games for Portland during the 2004 season. He played several years overseas before returning to Michigan to coach his high school alma mater. He revived a stale Everett program, reaching the state semifinals twice in five years, but resigned in 2017 to focus on his business, Moneyball Sportswear.
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 27, 2020 17:29:39 GMT -5
#42. Brian Alexander, 6-9 C, 1996-1998.
Brian Alexander was a very similar player to Ryvon Covile (#39). Both were big, slow centers, whose greatest weakness was, in the parlance, "running the court." But each was a strong presence in the defensive paint and a solid rebounder. Covile and Alexander each were Horizon all-defensive players during their soph and junior year, and each upped his game as a senior to earn all-conference honors, although Alexander was a first-team selection and Covile "merely" second-team. Alexander averaged 10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and shot 58.4% from the floor in his senior season. His repeat on the All-Defense team made him the first Horizon player to be a three-time All-Defense selection.
Alexander’s top-line scoring and rebounding stats, even in that senior year, aren’t that impressive, and that senior year was a fair bit better than his earlier stats (7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds as a soph, 7.9 and 6.7 as a junior). His shooting percentages those 1st two seasons were also middling for a big man who didn’t take a lot of shots (42.4 percent as a junior); his block totals were good but unexceptional. In other words, take away recognition for defense, and Alexander probably doesn’t make this list at all. Unfortunately, defense is where there is a paucity of statistical data--but its clear that the coaches, SIDs, and reporters who voted the all-league teams recognized his defensive prowess. And Alexander is 7th on the Titan list for career blocks.
Though Alexander played when I was well into adulthood, I don’t have a strong impression of him as a player. But that’s because games still weren’t televised and I wasn’t getting up to Calihan in those years. He obviously passed the eye test for many current observers. Still, it’s tough for me to see even his best season as anything that wouldn’t slide unnoticed into Terrell Riggs’ career, or be a slightly disappointing season for Eli Holman. And those guys could play some defense, too. Nonetheless, three times selected to the conference All Defense team... that’s impressive.
About 18 hours after writing the above little player sketch in May, I learned Brian Alexander died of a heart attack at age 44. Very sad. R.I.P.
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 28, 2020 9:57:42 GMT -5
#43. Greg Wendt, 6-6 F, 1985-1986
I’d definitely rank Wendt higher had he had a 3rd and possibly 4th year in Detroit. For example, I think he was a better player than Brian Humes,, who I’ve rated ahead of him, but not so much as to overcome Humes’ longer Titan career.
A transfer from Duke, Wendt was a second team All-Horizon player in each of his seasons in Detroit. It’s interesting to note, though, that all of Wendt’s top-line stats—points, rebounds, and assists per game, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage—declined in 1986, his second season in Detroit. A nice small forward with an all-around game, for his two-year career in Detroit Wendt averaged 14.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 steals. Wendt led the Titans with 23 points in the 1985 win over #4 Memphis.
Wendt was taken by Boston in the 6th round of the NBA draft, and played that summer in the USBL, averaging 26 points and being named an all-league selection), but failed to make the Celtics. He then played in Germany, where he twice led the country’s top league in scoring. (It's interesting to me that he was a much bigger scorer as a professional than when with the Titans). He later returned to Detroit and worked as a sales manager in the plastics industry.
Trivia: Wendt remains the all-time leading scorer in the history of Detroit Catholic Central basketball.
Update February 16, 2021: Greg Wendt appeared on the Titan History podcast with Dan Hasty on January 16, 2021. "I still refer to it as the University of Detroit."
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 28, 2020 12:19:03 GMT -5
#44. Juwan Howard, Jr., 6-5 F, 2013-15
Howard was a three-year starter for the Titans after transferring in from Western Michigan. As a player, I found him somewhat reminiscent of Jerry Davis, the standout forward from 30 years earlier. He did lots of things well, and was often the best but rarely the dominant player on the floor. After a year as a good role player on the Titans’ 2013 NIT team, he emerged as the Titans’ go-to player for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, averaging 18.3 and 17.5 points respectively, and was a second team All-Conference selection each year.
Howard was an excellent shooter with a smooth stroke. His true shooting percentage as a Titan was 52%, and his career 83.9% from the free throw line is 5th on the Titan all-time list. He knocked down 41% of his three point attempts as a senior. In addition to leading the team in scoring, he led the Titans in assists in both 2014 and 2015.
Howard later played professionally in Europe and Mexico.
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 28, 2020 16:04:34 GMT -5
#45. Don Haase, 6-6 C, 1955-1958
The last Division I player to average 20 rebounds per game in a season was Kermit Washington of American in 1973. Yet between 1951, when the NCAA first made rebounding an official stat, and Washington’s 1973 season, only one player led the nation without grabbing at least 19.8 rebounds per game—Dave DeBusschere, who averaged a leading 19.0 per game in 1961. Dick Dzik’s 20.8 rebounds in 1964 was third in the nation, as was DeBusschere’s 20.0 in 1960. Guy Sparrow grabbed 18.8 rebounds per game in 1955, which was only good for 10th in the country. From the 1950s to the early 1970s, teams played fast, shooting percentages were low, and rebounds were plentiful.
Don Haase was a big Titan rebounder in this era, when you could still be 6-6 and play center. In literally any of the 40 seasons since 1980, a player averaging 15 rebounds per game would have led the nation. In 1958, Haase averaged 15 rebounds and didn't even crack the nation's top 20 rebounders (he was 24th). Still, 15 rebounds is pretty impressive. He also averaged 10.6 rebounds per game in 1956, and 11.2 in 1957. Haase could score a bit, too, averaging 12.2, 10.8 and 12.5 points per game in his three seasons. On defense, he was prone to foul trouble—he fouled out of 21 games over his junior and senior seasons--but I never saw anything suggesting he was otherwise a defensive liability.
Any player today who averaged a triple-double three straight seasons would be hailed as one of the nation’s best. In his era, however, Haase was merely another really good player. No shame there. Haase’s totals leave him 6th on the Titan career list for total rebounds and 8th for rebounds per game.
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 28, 2020 18:10:09 GMT -5
#46. Larry Salci, 6-1 G, 1966-68 #47. Al Cech, 6-2 G, 1962-64 #48. Ray Albee, 5-9 G, 1958-60
From 1958 through 1968, three similar guards—Ray Albee, Al Cech, and Larry Salci—ran the Titans’ offense in succession, with a one year break between each of the three. Actually, it's probably better to say that Albee ran the offense, while Cech and Salci were more what we'd today call "combo" guards, and each was the second ballhandler to Lou Hyatt for 1 year. How similar were they? Frankly, it's a bit eerie. Here are their 9 seasons as Titans, in chronological order: Player | Year | G | FG-FGA | FG Pct | FT-FTA | FT Pct | Tot Pts | PPG | Rebs | RPG | Albee | 1958 | 25 | 134-345 | 38.8 | 62-87 | 71.2 | 330 | 13.2 | 126 | 5.0 | Albee | 1959 | 25 | 133-387 | 34.4 | 78-107 | 72.9 | 344 | 13.7 | 102 | 4.1 | Albee | 1960 | 27 | 155-351 | 44.1 | 78-103 | 75.8 | 388 | 14.4 | 113 | 4.2 | Cech | 1962 | 27 | 141-336 | 42.0 | 80-100 | 80.0 | 362 | 13.4 | 83 | 3.1 | Cech | 1963 | 26 | 139-320 | 43.8 | 55-82 | 67.1 | 333 | 12.8 | 65 | 2.5 | Cech | 1964 | 25 | 170-368 | 46.3 | 54-75 | 72.0 | 394 | 15.8 | 54 | 2.2 | Salci | 1966 | 25 | 124-278 | 44.6 | 45-58 | 80.4 | 293 | 11.7 | 71 | 2.8 | Salci | 1967 | 25 | 166-395 | 42.0 | 76-89 | 85.4 | 408 | 16.3 | 81 | 3.2 | Salci | 1968 | 24 | 141-308 | 45.8 | 76-89 | 85.4 | 358 | 14.9 | 75 | 3.1 |
If you just looked at these without the names, it looks pretty much like one consistent player's 9 year NBA career. I think I could flip-flop any of these seasons around and no one could tell which seasons were mismatched to the player, or out of order. Not surprisingly, then, their career stats are also remarkably similar. Player | G | FG-FGA | FG Pct | FT-FTA | FT Pct | Pts | PPG | Rebs | RPG | Albee | 77 | 422-1083 | 39.0 | 218-297 | 73.4 | 1062 | 13.8 | 341 | 4.4 | Cech | 78 | 450-1024 | 43.9 | 189-257 | 73.5 | 1089 | 14.0 | 202 | 2.6 | Salci | 74 | 431- 981 | 43.9 | 197-234 | 84.2 | 1059 | 14.3 | 227 | 3.1 |
So statistically, there’s not much to choose from. Albee, the smallest of the three, had an edge in rebounding, but a lower floor shooting percentage—though not by a whole lot, and percentages were lower in his day. All three could make free throws, with Salci ranking #7 on the Titan career list for percentage from the stripe, and with Albee getting to the line a bit more than the other two. Unfortunately, there just aren’t better stats available that would allow us to put their achievements in better context, and no all-conference awards to give us a sense for what viewers at the time thought. Even the team’s win records are about the same: Albee’s Titan clubs went a combined 44-33, culminating with a trip to the NIT in Ray’s final season (Dave DeBusschere’s first). Cech’s clubs were 43-35, with an NCAA bid his sophomore year (DeBusschere’s last season). Salci’s teams were 40-35, but didn’t make the post-season. On balance, the Titans probably played a bit tougher schedules during the Cech and Albee eras than during Salci’s time, but not so you would notice. Albee and Cech were both team captains, with counts for a little something. It’s interesting, though, that Salci is in the Titan Hall of Fame, and Albee and Cech are not. Only Cech was drafted--and he was literally the very last pick in the 1964 NBA draft. There’s not a lot of readily available on-line reporting from the time on any of the three, but my sense is that Albee was considered a more important cog in their respective teams than Cech or Salci. Even by the nature of Calihan’s traditional short bench, Albee appears to have played a large number of minutes (though no good systematic stats are available to me, what few game reports, box scores, or commentaries I can find all support this notion). Albee was the 4th highest career scorer in Titan history when he graduated, though others soon passed him. Cech finished his career strong, as a starter on Detroit’s first-ever NCAA team in 1962, and, more narrowly, by averaging over 25 points over his last 10 games as a Titan. As noted, he was taken by St. Louis as the 101st and very last pick in the draft (they had 15 rounds back then, although some teams quit drafting well before then), but didn’t make the team (if he even tried). Instead, Cech played some semi-pro ball, and returned to his native Chicago, where he worked in the Parks Department and became a legend in American softball circles (he’s been inducted into the Softball Hall of Fame, which I hadn’t known even existed). Salci, who also pitched for the Titans’ baseball team, later headed Detroit’s public transportation system and became a nationally recognized consultant in surface transportation. Three good guards, all 1000 point scorers. For the stats we have--which aren't really enough--I give a slight edge to Salci, but you can put 'em in any order you want. Update: Ray Albee was interviewed by Dan Hasty on the Titan History Podcast, Dec. 26, 2020. Albee talks about the great 1960 team with Dave DeBusschere and Charlie North, and mentions that after UD he taught physical education in the Buffalo public schools for 34 years. soundcloud.com/user-924664921/titan-memory-podcast-ray-albee
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Post by motorcitysam on Jun 29, 2020 6:58:39 GMT -5
#44. Juwan Howard, Jr., 6-5 F, 2013-15Howard was a three-year starter for the Titans after transferring in from Western Michigan. As a player, I found him somewhat reminiscent of Jerry Davis, the standout forward from 30 years earlier. He did lots of things well, and was often the best but rarely the dominant player on the floor. After a year as a good role player on the Titans’ 2013 NIT team, he emerged as the Titans’ go-to player for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, averaging 18.3 and 17.5 points respectively, and was a second team All-Conference selection each year. Howard was an excellent shooter with a smooth stroke. His true shooting percentage as a Titan was 52%, and his career 83.9% from the free throw line is 5th on the Titan all-time list. He knocked down 41% of his three point attempts as a senior. In addition to leading the team in scoring, he led the Titans in assists in both 2014 and 2015. Howard later played professionally in Europe and Mexico. Two things that come to mind when I think about Howard: 1. His back injury in 2013 was one of the worst cases of injury bad luck during the McCallum era. We weren't a deep team and his injury came at a time when he was playing very well in his first year as a Titan, and it greatly hampered him the rest of the season. 2. While I don't hear people talk about Howard when they talk about clutch players, I can think of three games off the top of my head that he won with shots on the last Titan possession: A road game against Valpo on a jumper from the top of the key, a home game win where he hit a shot from the Dickie V logo, and a home win where he drew a foul on a three pointer in a tie game and sank the three free throws for the win.
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 29, 2020 9:17:23 GMT -5
#49. Ralph Goldstein, 5-11 G 1954-56
Although he was always second fiddle (to Guy Sparrow and then Bill Ebben) during his Titan playing days, when he graduated in 1956, Goldstein was third on the Titans all-time scoring list with 1001 points. That also made him the first Titan guard to hit the 1000-point mark. He was a second team all Missouri Valley selection in 1955, when he hit his career high of 14 points per game, and was the Titan team captain in 1956. He was a good rebounder for a small guard and in the context of the time had good shooting percentages. He started every game for all three of his varsity seasons.
Goldstein later coached at St. Theresa and Divine Child high schools, and Aquinas College. He was inducted into the Titan Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation Hall in 1993. Goldstein died in 1988, at the young age of 53.
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 29, 2020 12:37:09 GMT -5
#50. Gerald Smith, 7-0 C, 1971-73.
The first seven-footer to play any major role with the Titans, “Lew” Smith was inconsistent and didn’t get a lot of praise while with the team. He was often criticized as not showing up for big games. But his stats show up pretty well, and the Titans were very competitive in his three years. Smith led the Titans in rebounding as a sophomore in 1971 (8.9 rpg) and again as a senior in 1973 (9.9 rpg), and averaged 8.5 rebounds as a junior. He also led the team in scoring in 1973 with 14.7 ppg, after averaging 11.7 and 10.4 his first two seasons. As for the “big game” criticism, we’ll note that Smith had 32 points and 21 rebounds in a 1972 win over Dayton.
Smith was the last player selected in the 1973 ABA draft, and failed to make the Carolina squad. He played two years in Mexico, came up just short of making the Seattle Super Sonices squad in 1975, and played instead for the Harlem Globetrotters, where he was given the nickname “Deep.” He retired in 1980, moved to Sonoma and had a long career with Hewlett Packard.
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Post by Titans Rule on Jun 29, 2020 17:40:30 GMT -5
Wondering if a few other names from the 80s might still make this great list yet. Ramsay Nichols, Carl Pickett from A2 Gabriel’ Richard? , Mike Lovelace? Hoping to see mention of Dunkin Doug Anderson !
In the woe is me zone and with regret transferees. Remember Adrian McKinney, he was a beast. Conochet (sp) Neves. Got home sick but could shoot the 3 for a big guy.. Not sure Byrdsong did right by the kid holding up his hardship transfer was it? I Forget. And more recently Jason Calliste . Sigh . In the later 80’s or early 90’s too Mike Aaron (didn't he end up his last season Wayne State?) And who was the guard who transferred with McKinney to CMU. Man that hurt. Was his name Calvin Winston? And there was John McIntyre! Another transfer loss. Ugh . Didn’t he end up having a nice career in Israel?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2020 17:53:57 GMT -5
Wondering if a few other names from the 80s might still make this great list yet. Ramsay Nichols, Carl Pickett from A2 Gabriel’ Richard? , Mike Lovelace? Hoping to see mention of Dunkin Doug Anderson ! In the woe is me zone and with regret transferees. Remember Adrian McKinney, he was a beast. Conochet (sp) Neves. Got home sick but could shoot the 3 for a big guy.. Not sure Byrdsong did right by the kid holding up his hardship transfer was it? I Forget. And more recently Jason Calliste . Sigh . In the later 80’s or early 90’s too Mike Aaron (didn't he end up his last season Wayne State?) And who was the guard who transferred with McKinney to CMU. Man that hurt. Was his name Calvin Winston? And there was John McIntyre! Another transfer loss. Ugh . Didn’t he end up having a nice career in Israel? Darian Mckinney and Calvin Winfield
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Post by Commissioner on Jun 29, 2020 19:14:18 GMT -5
#51. Nick Minnerath, 6-9 F, 2011-13
The top line numbers aren’t astounding, but toss that aside. Tall, muscular, with a nice stroke and good leaping ability, Nick Minnerath was a beast.
Minnerath’s story is pretty well known in Titan fan circles, but it’s a great story, so we’ll tell it again. Academically ineligible as a high school junior in already off the beaten recruiting path Provincetown, Massachusetts, he broke his ankle two games into his senior year and was out for the season. He then spent two years hanging around the Cape, working menial jobs and doing lots of drugs. All of this made Nick Minnerath was something you almost never find in college hoops anymore—a true unknown, a sleeper for a mid-major like Detroit to steal. His father’s girlfriend pushed Nick to get his life together, and on his behalf sent out dozens of letters to junior colleges seeking a tryout. Steve Finamore of Jackson CC was the only one to respond, and Minnerath drove 900 miles out to Michigan for a workout in front of Finamore. After 10 minutes, Finamore offered him a scholarship on the spot. Minnerath cleaned up his personal life, averaged 22.8 points and 9 rebounds as a freshman, then was in the top 20 juco players in the country in scoring, blocks, and free throw percentage as a soph. Yet still relatively hidden away—Michigan is not a hotbed of juco ball—Ray McCallum was able to nab him for the Titans.
Minnerath started 32 games and averaged 11.2 points on 53.4% shooting (37.5% from three) as a junior. That included averages of 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 58.3% shooting over the last quarter of the season. He was averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds when he blew out his knee 2 minutes into the Titans 5th game of the 2012 season. Minnerath returned as a medical redshirt senior and averaged 14.6 points and 5.9 rebounds the next season, 17.2 points and 6.8 rebounds after January 1. At season’s end he was a first team All-Conference selection (Nick is one of just two Titans to be a first team All-Conference selection and land outside the top 50 on this list). For his Titan career Nick shot 36.7% from behind the three point line and 81.4% from the foul line (6th best in the record book).
Minnerath came about as close to the NBA as you can without making the show. He played well in the D League and got invited to camps, played in pre-season games, but his defense was unpolished, and he was, relatively speaking, old, making teams less likely to take a chance on his development. Instead he’s had a very successful overseas career, playing in Spain, France, Russia, China, and Korea.
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Post by nctitan on Jun 29, 2020 22:49:42 GMT -5
Nick is one of my all-time favorites, both for his backstory and for his blue-collar workmanship as a player. Talent-wise I'd move him way up the list, but he played on the same teams as Ray Jr., who got to be the focus of the team. A true Cinderfella story.
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