Meet Ray McCallum
Experience: Sixth year (16th overall)
College: Ball State, ’83
Career record: 86-80 (237-217 overall)
2013-14 Season Outlook
- Detroit finished the 2012-13 season with a record of 20-13 (12-4 Horizon League), one game back of first-place Valparaiso.
- In the Horizon League preseason poll, the Titans are predicted to finish eighth in the nine-team League.
Career Background
- McCallum served as an assistant coach at Ball State (1983-84), Wisconsin (1984-93) and Michigan (1993) before earning his first head coaching job at Ball State.
- Served as the head coach at Ball State from 1993-2000, posting a record of 126-76. The Cardinals made the NCAA Tournament on two occasions.
- McCallum served as head coach at Houston for four seasons. In 2002, he led the Cougars to an 18-15 mark and a berth in the NIT Postseason Championship, Houston’s first post-season tournament appearance in nine years.
- Named the head coach of the Detroit Titans in 2008 after serving as an assistant coach at Oklahoma (2004-06) and Indiana (2006-08).
- In his five years at the helm in Detroit, the Titans have increased their conference win total in every season (2, 9, 10, 11, 12).
- Tied the school record for conference wins in a regular season-12-during the 2012-13 season.
- Honored in June of 2010 with the Men of Excellence award by the Michigan Chronicle for the team’s outstanding season and service projects within the Detroit community.
Talk about the season you had last year; finishing 20-13 and participating in the NIT Postseason Championship.
Coming off of a Horizon League Championship and the NCAA Tournament appearance our goal was to follow it up and try to go back to back. It was a good year, we earned the second seed in the conference and that put us in the semifinal game. So that was one of our goals and we felt good about that. We got challenged throughout the year with our non-conference schedule and got better throughout the year.
The Titans played a demanding schedule last year; at St. Johns, at Miami (Fla.), at Pittsburg and at Syracuse. This year the team travels to UCONN, South Florida and N.C. State. How do games like this prepare the team for Horizon League play?
I think first of all, players love to play that type of competition. We get a lot out of playing against some of the best in the country and that’s how you get better and I want our players to get better and be ready for the League.
This will be the first time in three years your son Ray McCallum isn’t the Detroit Titan's starting guard. Ray was selected 36th overall (second round) in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. As a coach and as a parent, what will it be like without Ray on the court?
I think it’s just different from the standpoint of not only getting two hours at practice, but being that father-son we always talked basketball. Not just about this game or that game, but about how to make his teammates better. He’s a guy that knew exactly what I expected.
Sacramento makes its first visit to Detroit on March 11, which just happens to be the day of the Championship game of the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament. Where are you going to be on that night?
I don’t want to be there, I do not want to be there at The Pallace watching him play!
With the loss of First Team All-League selections McCalum and Nick Minnerath and impact player Doug Anderson, what's the goal for the Titans' this season?
We have been a team that has been at the top of the conference in scorning. We like to play an up-tempo brand of basketball and score the ball and score off our defense and run. That’s what we’ve been and that’s what we’ve built our identity around. I still think we have good athletes that want to play an uptempo pace, we just have a lot of guys that haven’t played at this level but we have a hardworking group that will go in games with confidence and get better throughout the course of the year. We have all the makings to get back in the first division of this conference.
Horizon League fans voted the Detroit vs. Oakland game the match-up they are most looking forward to in the regular season. What's the excitement like regarding the rivalry of the two schools, located roughly 25 miles apart?
We’re excited. The fans are excited. With Oakland in our conference we know we’ll play them twice, maybe there times. I think it just makes a statement that there is exceitment about that game which is good. We want people in our place and love playing in front of good crowds. We are embracing it and looking forward to playing them.
You had a successful career at Ball State, leaving the school as the Mid-American Conference all-time leading scorer, and were later drafted in the by the Indiana Pacers in the 1983 NBA Draft. Ray McCallum, Sr. at 22 years old vs. Ray McCallum, Jr. at 22 years old, who wins in a game of 1-on 1?
[Laughs] I’m the better shooter but Ray probably does everything else better. He would probably agree to that.
Last season six of the nine Horizon League teams posted an over .500 overall record. What are your expectations for the Horizon League this year?
With the exception of us, there are a lot of young good returning players. We lost probably more than anyone but I think there are a lot of good teams. I don’t think there are bad teams in this conference. The non-conference schedule will show the personal that teams have and the coaches we have and that we’re going to have a successful non-conference season, and that’s speaking of all the nine teams. I think each and every night it’ll be a battle once League play starts.
Before arriving in Detroit, you were an assistant at Oklahoma (2004-06) and Indiana (2006-08). Previously, you were the head coach at Ball State (1994-2000) and Houston (2001-04). What made you want to come to Detroit and lead your own program?
It was just time. After leaving Houston and being an assistant for four more years, it was time to get back in that first chair and lead a group of young men and do something that we’ve been able to do at Detroit, and that’s what I felt good about. I know they picked us on the bottom of the conference now. We were there five years ago and we’ve been able to build up and bring a winning program to Detroit and give our student-athletes an outstanding education, and that’s what we’re excited about.
Outside of basketball, what are some hobbies you have?
I really enjoy playing golf, but I don’t get to play enough. If I’m not doing anything basketball wise that would probably be it. I still play basketball so I like to play a little pick up. But if you say let’s play golf, I’m in.
Tags: Detroit Mercy - Men's Basketball
