By
Joel Welser
After their first losing season in ten years, Detroit returns
an experienced squad that might finally be coming together.
Before Brandon Cotton was eligible at the semester break last
season, the Titans struggled. With the Michigan State transfer
in the lineup, Detroit began to show promise, but still lacked
consistency. Another mid-season transfer in Brandon Bell will
cause another midseason change, but it’ll be a good change when
the much needed point guard is eligible.
Who’s Out: James Thues is the only major loss due to
graduation. The starting point guard averaged 10.2 points and a
team high 2.6 assists per contest. Little used David Barns and
Clarke Headen have also run out of eligibility, but the big news
is the unexpected loss of Ryvon Covile. The 6-9 center is
expected to miss the entire season with a knee injury. He
averaged 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 2004-2005 and, if he
does in fact miss the entire season, his absence leaves the
front line slim.
Who’s In: Brandon Bell will be eligible to play after the
semester break after transferring to Perry Watson’s squad from
Marquette. With no proven point guard on the team, the 5-11
Flint, Michigan native won’t be eligible soon enough. Bell, the
younger brother of former Michigan State and Phoenix Suns guard
Charlie Bell, didn’t see much playing time at Marquette behind
Travis Diener, but has plenty of potential. He is third on the
Michigan State High School all-time assists list and placed
fourth in Michigan’s ‘Mr. Basketball’ award during his senior
year at Flint Southwestern. The only other newcomer is incoming
freshman Justin Sample. With the injury to Ryvon Covile, the 6-8
center might be pressed into duty, but would be best suited
developing with a redshirt year.
Who to Watch:
It is Brandon Cotton’s team, but he’ll need
some help. In the 22 games Cotton was eligible for he scored
over 20 points in ten of those contests and ended the season
with a team high 18.8 points per game. With no point guard ready
to take over, Cotton will most likely handle some of the ball
handling duties for the Titans until Brandon Bell is eligible.
That may mean the ball won’t leave his hands very often, which
is not good for the development of the team. The early season
may be even more problematic if Cotton is hampered longer than
expected from a hand injury suffered in a car accident.
Projected Conference Rank:
Ethan Shaw, Torvoris Baker and
Chuck Bailey will split minutes in the frontcourt, but the
backcourt has plenty of depth with Ben Green, Jon Goode,
Muhammad Abdur-Rahim, Zach Everingham and Jonathan Kelly all
seeing quality minutes a year ago. If what remains of the
frontcourt can stay healthy, out of foul trouble and relatively
productive, a 2nd place finish in the Horizon League
isn’t a stretch.
Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting
Five:
Brandon Cotton,
Junior, Guard, 18.8 points per game
Ben Green, Senior,
Guard, 4.3 points per game
Muhammad Abdur-Rahim,
Junior, Guard, 2.3 points per game
Torvoris Baker,
Senior, Forward, 7.2 points per game
Ethan Shaw, Senior,
Center, 3.5 points per game
